Author: Adrine Hakobian

Recovery growth registered in almost all branches of Armenia’s economy – Eurasian Expert Club coordinator

Adrine Hakobian

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 15:59,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Recovery growth has been registered in almost all branches of the economy of Armenia in the first half of 2021 according to the results of the economic research conducted by the Eurasian Expert Club.

Coordinator of the Club, political analyst Aram Safaryan told a press conference in Armenpress that in 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the Artsakh War, Armenia has registered an economic regress, nearly by 8%.

“After last year’s coronavirus pandemic, we are registering significant recovery growth rates in the first half of this year. We can be optimistic after this fact, moreover, in July 2021, compared to May, these developments are of a progressive nature. This shows that the economy’s recovery dynamics is at a positive field”, Aram Safaryan said.

According to him, this recovery growth registered in all branches of the economy has a tendency to continue. He said there are exclusively opportunities for Armenia’s economic development thanks to its membership to the Eurasian Economic Union.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

City-Wide Public Art Landmarks RFQ

Adrine Hakobian

August 25, 2021


Artists to Submit Application by September 24 at 5:00 p.m. 

GLENDALE —The City of Glendale aims to become an arts and culture destination in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Reflecting on its diverse population, history, and innovation in public spaces, the City seeks to further enrich the day-to-day experiences of the community with an emphasis on the importance of arts and culture.

As part of this initiative, up to ten long-term to permanent artwork installations will be commissioned, developed, and established over the next few years. These landmark installations will be strategically placed throughout the City in locations that focus on public accessibility and encourage public engagement and interactivity.

The purpose of these artwork opportunities is to create world-class public artwork in a diverse range of mediums designed to engage the community, showcase the City’s cultural diversity, and enhance various civic and public spaces. Interested Artists and Artist Teams are encouraged to review the opportunities and consider how their practice relates to this projects conceptual and visual demands and how their art practice might address the stated project goals. When applying to the RFQ, Artists and Artist Teams may apply for one or multiple opportunities they feel they can develop strong concepts and visions.

Visit our website for more information. The deadline to submit an application is September 24, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. 

The mission of the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission is to enrich the human experience, reinforce Glendale’s identity and civic pride through arts and culture, and to recognize the importance of arts to our quality of life and to the local economy. This is accomplished by consciously integrating arts and culture into the daily life of the people of Glendale through urban design, planning, economic development, and education. For more information about the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission see the website.

Founded in 1907, the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department (GLAC) includes six neighborhood libraries as well as the Brand Library & Art Center, a regional visual arts and music library and performance venue housed in the historic 1904 mansion of Glendale pioneer Leslie C. Brand, and the Central Library, a 93,000 square foot center for individuals and groups to convene, collaborate and create. Now on the web, GLAC also serves as the chief liaison to the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission which works to continually transform Glendale into an ever-evolving arts and culture destination. For more information contact Library, Arts & Culture at 818 – 548 – 2021 or via email at [email protected].

Known as the “Jewel City,” Glendale is the fourth largest city of Los Angeles County. With a population of more than 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers nearly 50 public parks, and easy access to a municipal airport. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking. Its Arts and Culture Commission administers a developer- funded program which is working to transform Glendale into an arts and culture destination for the Southern California region. The mission of the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission is to enrich the human experience, reinforce Glendale’s identity and civic pride through arts and culture, and to recognize the importance of arts to our quality of life and to the local economy. This is accomplished by consciously integrating arts and culture into the daily life of the people of Glendale through urban design, planning, economic development, and education. For more information about the Glendale Arts and Culture Commission visit the website.

Relatives of missing soldiers spend night outside the Armenian government

Adrine Hakobian
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 27 2021
– Panorama | Armenian news

Society 11:57 27/08/2021Armenia

Relatives and family members of Armenian soldiers, who went missing during the 2020 Artsakh war, spent a night on Saturday outside the government building to call the authorities’ attention to the problem and to learn about the search efforts.

“Neither the National Assembly, nor the government are interested in the fate of our sons,” one of the protest participants, Arsen Ghukasyan, said during a Facebook live from the scene.

He also called on all parents who do not accept DNA results join them and continue the struggle to reveal the truth. 

Iran voices concern over Armenia-Azerbaijan border clashes

Adrine Hakobian
Tehran Times, Iran
July 30 2021
  1. Politics
July 30, 2021 – 19:0

TEHRAN – For the second time in a week, Iran expressed concern over continued border clashes between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which claimed lives on both sides and aroused concerns in neighboring countries in the South Caucasus region. 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed concern over the continuation of border clashes between the border guards of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

In a statement on Thursday, Khatibzadeh expressed regret over the deaths and injuries of the two countries’ nationals, and called on both parties to show self-restraint.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that three of its troops were killed and two more were wounded in clashes with Azerbaijani forces on the border between the two ex-Soviet nations, which have been locked in a decades-long tug-of-war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, AP reported. 

Azerbaijan announced that two of its troops were wounded on Wednesday. 

The two South Caucasus nations once again blamed each other for the latest flare-up which came on the heels of another clash last week. Azerbaijan said Armenian forces opened fire at its positions on the Kalbajar section of the border. The Armenian military said its personnel was attacked by the Azerbaijani forces.

Azerbaijan said Armenian forces opened fire at its positions on the Kalbajar section of the border. The Armenian military said its personnel was attacked by the Azerbaijani forces.

Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that “the Azerbaijani side has been deliberately initiating escalation,” and the Foreign Ministry in Azerbaijan said in turn that “the responsibility for aggravating the situation by committing another provocation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border lies entirely with the military-political leadership of Armenia.”

In the wake of the clashes on Wednesday, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry urged Armenia “to stop military provocations and start negotiations on the delimitation of the two states’ borders.”

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry vowed to “use all its military-political tools in accordance with international law” in response “to the use of force by Azerbaijan against the territorial integrity of Armenia.”

Khatibzadeh underlined the necessity of the peaceful settlement of border disputes between Baku and Yerevan. 

He stressed that the two countries must overcome the tensions and clashes, and respect the internationally recognized borders.

The spokesman further emphasized the necessity of establishing sustainable peace in the South Caucasus region as soon as possible, and expressed Tehran’s preparedness to provide any kind of assistance for the establishment of sustainable peace in the region.

On July 27, a few days before the start of border clashes, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Azeri counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov had a telephone conversation.

During the phone call, the two sides conferred on the latest developments in bilateral relations and regional issues.

Earlier on July 27, Khatibzadeh expressed regret over the casualties resulting from sporadic border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, urging the two neighbors to exercise restraint. 

In reaction to the continuation of sporadic border clashes between border guards of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Khatibzadeh expressed sorrow over casualties on both sides, and called on the two countries to exercise restraint, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. 

In his statement, Khatibzadeh also highlighted the need for a peaceful settlement of border disputes between the two sides.

The spokesman urged Baku and Yerevan to leave behind tensions and conflicts, and underscored the necessity of establishing lasting peace in the south Caucasus region as soon as possible.

He said Iran stands ready to offer any kind of help to both sides to achieve lasting peace.

On July 23, news media outlets reported the outbreak of clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Kalbjar region. One Azerbaijani soldier was reported killed and three Armenian soldiers were wounded in the clashes.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said the situation on the Kalbajar section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border is stable, according to the Trend news agency. The Defense Ministry accused Armenia of firing at the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces on the section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border in Kalbajar district on July 23, as a result of which an Azerbaijani serviceman was killed.

“The Armenian side’s regular recent provocations, the attempts to aggravate the situation in the region by shelling the Azerbaijani positions are unacceptable and Armenia is responsible for the development of such a situation,” the ministry said, according to a Trend report. “Azerbaijan reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its territorial integrity within the international borders, as well as to ensure peace and security in the region.”

On the other side, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of flying a drone into the Armenian airspace. The Armenian Defense Ministry told Armenpress that on July 23, at around 23:00, the air defense units of the Armenian armed forces took actions to prevent the attempt by an Azerbaijani UAV to enter into Armenia’s airspace in the south-western direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Armenpress also reported that the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire at the Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik section of the border on July 23 at about 17:00.

“The shootings in the direction of the Armenian side took place after shootings in their own territory, which can be explained as an interpersonal incident.  This is also evidenced by the fact that the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense informs in its press release that an Azerbaijani serviceman died as a result of the shootings from the Armenian side. The Defense Ministry of Armenia stated that the Armenian side did not take any action until the moment that the Azerbaijani side started to shoot in the direction of the Armenian border guards. As a result of the intensive shooting caused by another Azerbaijani provocation, 3 Armenian servicemen received slight injuries. They have been transported to a hospital in Gegharkunik province,” Armenpress said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a deadly war last year in September over the Nagorno-Karabakh region which resulted in the latter retaking large swathes of the region. After the war, which lasted for 44 days and was ended thanks to a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal, Azerbaijan and Armenia clashed from time to time in border areas but the clashes soon subsided with both sides accusing each other of firing first.
 
Tensions between the two countries over the region have been simmering since the end of a war in the 1990s and last year’s escalation of violence was the deadliest in two decades. More than 5,000 people lost their lives and tens of thousands were displaced.

The peace deal brokered by Moscow saw Armenia forced to cede significant territory to Azerbaijan.

Both countries have repeatedly accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement since it came into force on November 10.

The recent flare-up also was put to an end by another Russian-brokered ceasefire deal. Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said it has accepted a Russian proposal to enforce a ceasefire in the area, but also accused Armenia of continuing to shell Azeri positions. Armenia’s defense ministry also said it had accepted the ceasefire. 

During the clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Iran offered help and voiced readiness to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the long-simmering disputes between Baku and Yerevan. During the 44-day war, Iran also offered a peace initiative to end the war with senior Iran diplomats paying visits to all countries involved in the South Caucasus tensions. To this end, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi undertook shuttle diplomacy and visited Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Russia. Also, Zarif spoke over the phone with his counterparts in these countries and discussed the situation in the region. Azerbaijan and Armenia both appreciated Iranian efforts. 

Iran enjoys good relations with both countries and sought to make use of these relations to bring peace to the region. Iran also expressed readiness to contribute to reconstruction projects currently underway in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

‘Everything will be done to have strong army and protected borders’, new first deputy defense minister says

Adrine Hakobian

'Everything will be done to have strong army and protected borders', new first deputy defense minister says

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 12:36,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Chief of Staff at the Armenian prime minister’s Office Arayik Harutyunyan introduced today newly-appointed first deputy minister of defense Arshak Karapetyan to the ministry’s staff and the top leadership of the Armed Forces, the Armenian PM’s Office told Armenpress.

Arayik Harutyunyan thanked former caretaker defense minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan for the works done.

“Mr. Harutyunyan assumed the position of the defense minister at a very difficult period for Armenia. We need to record that we had several crises that time, but thanks to Mr. Harutyunyan we managed to overcome them. He played a great role in that. Thank you Mr. Harutyunyan for your activities. We highly appreciate it, the government and the political team believe that you have fulfilled your mission with an honor”, he said.

In his turn Vagharshak Harutyunyan thanked the defense ministry staff and the officers for the joint work. He highlighted the importance of the ongoing reforms in the field and stated that they must continue in order to have a combat-ready army in the region.

Arayik Harutyunyan congratulated Arshak Karapetyan on appointment, wishing success to his mission.

Arshak Karapetyan in turn thanked for the trust and stated that everything will be done for having a strong army and protected borders.

“I want to welcome once again the staff which I have served with and will continue to serve. Reforms will be carried out quite quickly”, he added.

 

Arshak Karapetyan has been appointed yesterday first deputy defense minister. Prior to the appointment, he was serving as first deputy chief of the General Staff. 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Dutch Acting FM briefs parliament on efforts aimed at repatriation of Armenian POWs

Adrine Hakobian

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 18:36,

YEREVAN, JULY 19, ARMENPRESS. Dutch Acting FM Sigrid Kaag addressed another letter to the parliament, informing about the works undertaken for the repatriation of the Armenian captives. ARMENPRESS reports the FM particularly noted that the government continues to urge Azerbaijan to fulfill its commitments under international agreements and the trilateral declaration and assured that the Netherlands will be consistent in facilitating the speedy return of all Armenian captives.

In addition to the written letter, Sigrid Kaag also spoke about the isue during the debate on Armenia-Azerbaijan held at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the parliament on the same day.

The Acting Minister also informed the Parliament about raising the issue of POWs in Baku by the Foreign Ministers of Austria, Lithuania and Romania on behalf of the EU. Sigrid Kaag assured that the Netherlands always urges to expand the role of the EU in the efforts of returning the POWs, as well as increasing the volume of the humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

Democracy Wins In Armenia, For Now – Analysis

Adrine Hakobian

July 2 2021



 July 2, 2021  Emil Avdaliani  0 Comments

By Emil Avdaliani

Parliamentary elections in Armenia last month proved competitive, but the results were not that surprising. Nikol Pashinyan, the incumbent and most pro-Western candidate, won and will have a majority in the legislature.

More importantly, the outcome showed clear backing from ordinary Armenians for the country’s continuing democratic development. Illiberalism, in the form of opposition forces seeking to exploit widespread grief over the defeat in last year’s Second Karabakh War, largely failed.

Armenians had to choose between the corrupt officials of the past, and the democratic forces of the present. The past focused on state security and military stability. The present insisted on moving forward, transcending defeat in war, finding solutions to the social and economic problems, and bracing for a new geopolitical reality in the South Caucasus.

Pashinyan helped re-invigorate the opposition’s chances, despite his idiosyncratic style of rule based on personalized decision-making, which has undermined trust within the state bureaucracy toward his manner of governance. Parts of the army, various ministries, and even Armenia’s vibrant civil society were fundamentally divided over his behavior. And a searing military defeat caused nationwide anger.

But the election results signal that the Armenians are willing to move beyond the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. This does not mean that the general understanding of Karabakh changes within Armenian society, it just indicates that the population sees that any resolution is contingent upon resolving internal problems rooted in poor governance, and other related problems inherited from decades of corrupt rule.

Though surprisingly peaceful, the elections cannot resolve the deeper deficiencies, and shortcomings impeding Armenia’s system of governance. Problems in the justice system will persist. So will hatred and political polarization. Parliament will increasingly serve as the new arena for confrontation between the small opposition and the ruling parties, and the opposition will work to build formidable blocking mechanisms. Perhaps street protests will also become common.

Smaller parties did not make it into the legislature. The threshold of 5% popular support to win parliamentary seats barred numerous political forces. This may save Armenia from a chaotic coalition-forming nightmare, a process which so terrifies countries like the U.S. and UK, accustomed to strong presidential or parliamentary rule. But the under-representation of political forces will make it quite tempting for the ruling party to pursue political dominance — a “winner-takes-all” approach to government characteristic of politics in all three South Caucasus states. To this should be added calls from Pashinyan’s supporters to adopt more radical policies to confront the opposition.

The election is only the first step on a much more daunting path to sustainable post-war stability, and durable institutional democracy. This makes that Western support for Armenia decisive. It is true that expecting Armenia to deviate from its traditional political course is a non-starter. But at a minimum, it would be helpful to shore up Armenia’s embattled institutions at a critical time. Support for justice reforms, a more effective election process, and the battle against corruption would be welcome first steps.

Doing nothing would encourage a terrible alternative. In many ways, Russia-Armenia ties are based on the reality of a relationship between a major Eurasian illiberal state, and an aspiring democracy. Post-Soviet history very clearly shows that Russia is averse to building constructive ties with neighboring democratic states. Different worldviews usually stall relations based on equal state-to-state rights, and problems then follow. Take the examples of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Armenia has been no different.

Since 2018, when Pashinyan came to power as a result of a peaceful revolution, Armenia-Russia ties have ebbed and flowed. Russia has much more influence in Armenia than in any other neighboring state, and the drive to undermine the effectiveness of its democratic institutions will be ever-present. Liberal and illiberal states are, after all, incompatible.

But the real tragedy is that dependence on Russia will continue to grow. No viable alternative exists for Armenian governments, as the upended status quo around Karabakh leaves Armenia completely dependent on Russia. Experimenting with a multi-vector foreign policy has failed. Russia will use its superiority on many levels, justifying its open interference as merely the behavior of the great power it wishes to be. The real challenge though will not be foreign policy, but the preservation of Armenia’s fragile democratic institutions from decay. And this is the spot where the West should pump in money and attention, if it wants to make a geopolitical difference.

This article was published at CEPA

Emil Avdaliani has worked for various international consulting companies and currently publishes articles focused on military and political developments across the former Soviet sphere.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 28-06-21

Adrine Hakobian

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 17:27,

YEREVAN, 28 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 28 June, USD exchange rate down by 2.55 drams to 496.83 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 3.29 drams to 593.07 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 6.89 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.95 drams to 691.34 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 117.58 drams to 28538.97 drams. Silver price up by 0.11 drams to 417.39 drams. Platinum price up by 86.34 drams to 17586.77 drams.

Pashinyan claims landslide victory in a snap parliamentary vote in Armenia

Adrine Hakobian
Global Voices
June 23 2021
Armenia votes in snap parliamentary election on June 20, 2021.
Written by Arzu Geybullayeva
· Global Voices

Preliminary results for Armenia’s June 20th snap parliamentary election suggest that the Civil Contract party won with 58 percent of the vote — a victory for current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whose position in the government to be determined during the first session of the parliament. As is customary, Pashinyan resigned from his seat ahead of the June 20 election but has since declared victory for his party, urging his supporters to gather in the main square of the capital Yerevan on Monday evening. Around 50 percent of Armenia’s 2.6 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the Sunday election. 

The election was not entirely without incident. On Sunday night, Armenia’s general prosecutor office reported a total of 319 violations observed and documented during the voting day and said it has opened six criminal investigations, as reported by the BBC.

The Central Election Commission said elections were largely in line with national legal norms. According to RIA news, nationwide turnout stood at 49.4 percent when polls closed at 16:00 GMT.

Though Pashinyan was heavily criticized for the 2020 war with Azerbaijan, his landslide victory is a testament to his overall popularity.

Pashinyan rose to power after leading a revolution in 2018, promising economic reforms and ousting the previously dominating oligarchs and monopolies. However, his popularity suffered in November 2020 when the country lost the Nagorno-Karabakh war with its neighboring Azerbaijan. The war ended with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire which restored Baku’s sovereignty over a swath of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts and was largely seen as a failure for Pashinyan.

In the following months, as recriminations grew over the PM’s handling of the war, he stepped down, as required by law, to allow an election to take place while remaining the country’s leader. Polls ahead of the Sunday vote predicted Pashinyan’s victory despite his tarnished popularity. As Pashinyan addressed his supporters rallying in Yerevan at the city’s central Republic Square on June 17, the former PM said, “The people of Armenia will certainly and undoubtedly win with a crushing percentage [of votes,]. And yes, everything is decided because the people of Armenia have already decided everything in their minds, hearts, and souls.” 

His main rival was former president Robert Kocharyan, whose Armenia Alliance came second, securing a little over 20 percent of the vote:

Robert Kocharyan’s defeat was attributed to his murky past. “Accused of presiding over a heavy crackdown on protests after a disputed election in 2008, when at least 10 people were killed, and has also faced investigation over bribery allegations,” Kocharyan was viewed as an embodiment of the past, and a government that was ousted in 2018 revolution.

The third coalition was headed by Armenia’s former President, Serj Sargisian. A total of 21 parties and four alliances took part in the election (the original list included 22 parties, but one party withdrew before the vote). There were a total of 2,623 candidates, including 965 women (37 percent).

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights interim report, published on June 8, 2021, detailed how Armenia’s electoral system works.

Voters will elect a minimum of 101 members of parliament for a five-year term, under a newly adopted closed-list proportional system in one nationwide constituency. The system incorporates a representation threshold and compensatory mandates aimed at guaranteeing a stable majority while ensuring an opposition representation of at least one-third of all seats. The change, adopted in April 2021, from the previous two-tier proportional system, in which candidates were elected from a single national list and 13 open territorial lists, had been advocated for by many political parties and civil society organizations.

The organization released its final report on Monday, June 21 that indicated an overall positive and peaceful election despite minor incidents “of party or alliance proxies interfering in the process, frequent overcrowding, general disregard for COVID-19 protection measures, tension or unrest,  isolated indications of vote buying and pressure on voters.”

Similarly, the report concluded that the vote count was assessed positively in most polling stations with”very few significant procedural errors or serious violations” even though the IEOM observers noted: “In a number of TECs, poor organization, insufficient space and overcrowding negatively affected the process and transparency.”

According to the most recent projections, “Pashinyan’s Party will maintain its two-thirds majority in the Armenian parliament with 71 out of 105 seats. The Armenia Alliance will receive 27 seats, and the I Have Honour coalition — despite not passing the 7% threshold for electoral coalitions —  will receive 7 seats, as a minimum of three parties or blocs must enter parliament.”

Government provides support to production of UAVs: new investment program worth 4,25 billion drams

Adrine Hakobian

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 13:14,

YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government approved a decision to include Artek Power Systems LLC in the Alliance Free Economic Zone.

The company will produce and export unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The operation of beneficiaries in Alliance FEZ will enable to attract investments, boost the export of production in high and innovation technologies, contribute to the spread of an Armenian bran in that area.

The project will be implemented within five years (2021-2025). The investments will comprise about 4.25 billion drams.

85 and more new jobs with 450,000 average monthly salary (in the first year), which will rise up to 550,000 drams later, will be created within the frames of the project.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan