Tuesday,
Armenian Tycoon’s Businesses Probed For Tax Fraud
• Artak Hambardzumian
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian (L) awards a state medal to businessman
Samvel Aleksanian in Yerevan, 26 September 2015.
The National Security Service (NSS) confirmed on Tuesday that it has launched a
tax evasion investigation into Armenia’s largest retail chain controlled by
Samvel Aleksanian, a wealthy businessman representing the former ruling
Republican Party (HHK) in parliament.
An NSS spokesperson told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that the
law-enforcement body is now looking to the Yerevan City supermarket chain’s
financial statements and other records. The official said the NSS will give
some details of the probe later this week.
Neither Aleksanian nor Yerevan City has made any official statements on the
audit yet.
Aleksanian, 49, is one of Armenia’s richest men who has long effectively
controlled lucrative imports of sugar, cooking oil and other basic foodstuffs.
He has had close ties with the country’s former leaders, notably former
President Serzh Sarkisian. The latter still heads the HHK.
Aleksanian has been a member of the Armenian parliament since 2003. He always
ran for the National Assembly on the HHK ticket.
The inquiry into suspected tax evasion at Yerevan City food supermarkets
followed a crackdown on corruption announced by Artur Vanetsian, the new head
of the NSS, on May 19. Vanetsian pledged to target individuals who have long
“stolen money from the state.”He said the NSS will also expose numerous cases
of tax evasion.
The NSS arrested late last week three senior executives of a customs brokerage
firm accused of failing to pay millions of dollars worth of taxes. Vanetsian
promised on Monday more corruption “revelations” in the coming days.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who named Vanetsian as NSS head two days after
taking office on May 8, said on Tuesday that the audit of Aleksanian’s
supermarkets is part of a “process of establishing law and order in Armenia.”
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (R) introduces the newly appointed
chief of the State Revenue Committee Davit Ananian (L) to the Committee's
staff, Yerevan,18May,2018
Pashinian stood by his earlier statements that his government will not be
waging “vendettas” against members of the former ruling regime or individuals
linked to them. “But there won’t be lawlessness either,” he told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “If anyone tries to interpret this position as
a sign of our weakness they will get a crushing blow. You can be sure about
that.”
“I am calling on everyone to sober up and fulfill their obligations to the
state in full,” Pashinian went on. “Everyone is now exempt from corrupt
obligations. But let no one think that they can deceive the state.”
The premier specifically urged businesses to voluntarily compensate the state
for “taxes not paid in the past.” They had better do that before being
investigated by the NSS, he said.
Meanwhile the new head of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC), Davit
Ananian, clarified that the authorities suspect Yerevan City and a dozen other
supermarket chains of using fraud scams to evade taxes in their retail sales of
fresh agricultural produce. Ananian said he has already met their top
executives and warned them to stop doing that.
“We just gave them a few days’ time to sort out their [cash register-related]
program issues and move on,” he said.
Former Ruling Party Loses Two More Parliament Seats
Armenia - Deputies from the Republican Party of Armenia attend a parliament
session in Yerevan, 22 May 2018.
One deputy defected while another was expelled from the parliamentary faction
of Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) on Tuesday, reducing its
majority in the National Assembly to only three seats.
One of them, Shirak Torosian, broke ranks to vote for opposition leader Nikol
Pashinian during the May 8 election of the country’s new prime minister, as did
another HHK parliamentarian, Felix Tsolakian.
The HHK leadership had ordered 11 other members of its 58-strong faction to
back Pashinian’s candidacy under pressure from tens of thousands of people
demonstrating in Yerevan. It condemned Torosian and Tsolakian for defying that
decision.
Consequently, the HHK faction decided to oust Torosian from its ranks on
Tuesday. It issued a statement to that effect shortly after the lawmaker
announced that he himself is quitting the parliament majority.
In a Facebook post, Torosian, who was never formally affiliated with the former
ruling party, cited the “incompatibility” of his and the HHK’s views on ongoing
“political processes” in Armenia. He also indicated that another party, of
which he is a member, supports fresh parliamentary elections sought by
Pashinian but opposed by the HHK.
The party called Hzor Hayrenik (Powerful Fatherland) mainly unites natives of
Georgia’s Javakheti region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians. Torosian was
also born and raised in the region bordering northwestern Armenia.
The other parliamentarian, Artur Gevorgian, said he has decided to leave the
HHK and terminate his membership in the party altogether. “I don’t want to see
a struggle between a political force making up the [parliamentary] majority and
the [Pashinian-led] popular movement,” he wrote on Facebook. “It is unnecessary
and extremely dangerous.”
Gevorgian, who is a former boxer and boxing coach, also signaled support the
idea of snap elections. But he said they alone cannot solve the “existing
political crisis.”
Incidentally, Gevorgian is the son-in-law of Vladimir Gasparian, the former
chief of the Armenian police. Pashinian fired Gasparian two days after taking
office. But he stopped short of publicly criticizing the police general’s track
record.
The HHK held 58 seats in the 105-member parliament until the Pashinian-led
protest movement forced Sarkisian to resign as prime minister on April 23. The
formal and de facto defections mean that it now technically controls 55
parliament seats, just enough to block the new government’s bills and other
initiatives.
Government Accused Of ‘Political Pressure’ On Yerevan University Head
• Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - Aram Simonian, the Yerevan State University rector, holds a news
conference in his office, .
The Yerevan State University (YSU) administration accused Armenia’s new
government of exerting “political pressure” on its rector, Aram Simonian, on
Tuesday after he was confronted by angry students demanding his resignation.
Simonian, who is affiliated with the former ruling Republican Party (HHK), has
faced growing pressure to step down since the April 23 resignation of Prime
Minister Serzh Sarkisian resulting from massive anti-government demonstrations.
Students involved in the popular revolution led by Sarkisian’s successor, Nikol
Pashinian, accuse him of mismanagement and corruption. They also accuse him of
having abused his powers to spread HHK influence on Armenia’s largest and
oldest university during his decade-long tenure.
More than a hundred of them demonstrated outside the main YSU building in
Yerevan on Tuesday morning before holding a tense meeting with Simonian in a
university conference hall. They refused to leave the auditorium and began a
sit-in there after he rejected their demands. The protest continued late in the
evening.
“We waited for about month, hoping that there will be some reforms in the
university and that there will be some statements in support of the students,”
said Davit Petrosian, a leader of the protesting students. “But the opposite
happened.”
Armenia - Students meet with Aram Simonian, the Yerevan State University
rector, to demand his resignation, .
Simonian insisted that the demands are “not legitimate” and that only a small
percentage of YSU’s 17,000 or students are demonstrating against him. “This is
not democracy, this is repression, including for my political views and party
affiliation,” he told reporters. “I won’t make any concessions under duress.”
Simonian went on to accuse Pashinian’s government of being behind the protests.
He argued that two recently appointed government officials joined the students
holed up in the YSU auditorium.
In a statement released later in the day, the YSU administration likewise
charged that the protests are being “guided” by the new government. It said
that the protesters have not come up with any “legal grounds” for Simonian’s
resignation and are targeting him because of his HHK affiliation.
EU Envoy Impressed With Armenian ‘Revolution Of Mindsets’
• Harry Tamrazian
Armenia - Piotr Switalski, head of the EU Delegation in Armenia, speaks at an
event in Yerevan, 24 January 2018.
The recent dramatic events changed not only Armenia’s government but also the
“mindsets” of its citizens and earned the country a “very positive image”
abroad, a senior European Union diplomat said on Tuesday.
“I believe that what happened in Armenia is something very deep,” Piotr
Switalski, the head of the EU Delegation in Yerevan, told RFE/L’s Armenian
service in an interview. “It’s not just about a change in power, it’s not about
bringing new faces or new political personalities into the government. It’s not
about changing policies.”
“This was a revolution of mindsets,” he said. “People decided to get rid of the
remnants of past thinking, past syndromes. I believe that is something lasting.
In particular, the young people [in Armenia] are different people now.”
“The challenge for the [new] government and also for the society at large is to
sustain this positive change and this positive energy which has started
emanating from the people,” stressed Switalski.
The envoy also praised Armenia’s former leadership, the leaders of protest
movement that removed it from power as well as “other political and societal
forces” for jointly ending the nearly month-long unrest.
“I think that from the political point of view what happened in Armenia was
very unique because the crisis which erupted in Armenia has been solved,
defused peacefully and within the constitutional frameworks, which has sent a
very powerful message to the outside world … This message is building a very
positive image of Armenia in the outside world,” he said.
“It is sending a powerful signal about the solidarity, unity and political
maturity of the Armenian society,” added Switalski.
The EU closely monitored the crisis in Armenia sparked by former President
Serzh Sarkisian’s attempt to hold on to power after serving out his second
presidential term on April 9. It repeatedly urged Armenian political factions
to end the standoff through dialogue.
Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, the
European Commission president, sent a congratulatory letter to Nikol Pashinian,
the main organizer of massive anti-Sarkisian protests, two days after he was
elected prime minister on May 8. “We look forward to cooperating with you in
your new position to further strengthen the relations between the European
Union and Armenia,” they wrote.
Press Review
“Zhoghovurd” reports that senior members of the Republican Party of Armenia
(HHK) were offended by the new government’s decision to invite only three of
them to Monday’s official ceremonies to mark the 100th anniversary of the
establishment of the first Armenian republic. HHK representatives claim that
Ara Babloyan was invited in his capacity as a member of the HHK’s parliamentary
faction, rather than speaker of the National Assembly. The party spokesman,
Eduard Sharmazanov, condemned that as a “violation of protocol and ethics.”
“This behavior by the National Assembly leadership is surprising,” comments
“Zhoghovurd.” “You probably remember the humiliations to which the parliament
and its leadership were periodically subjected during Serzh Sarkisian’s
presidency and especially when he was preparing to become prime minister. The
most vivid example of that is the composition of the new National Security
Council determined through a law. The head of the legislative branch was not
included in this very important state body.” The paper says Babloyan and his
deputies did not complain about that then.
“Zhamanak” reports that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said during
his visits to Azerbaijan and Armenia that France is ready to support “creative
proposals” to accelerate the Karabakh peace process. “At the same time he said
in Yerevan that both the status quo and the use of force are unacceptable,”
writes the paper. It claims France and the two other mediating powers, the
United States and Russia, are now in a state of “certain confusion” about the
future of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.
“Aravot” notes that unlike revolutionary regimes in many other countries
Armenia’s new government is keen to stick to the constitution and laws during
the ongoing political transition. The paper praises this “legalistic behavior”
and sees only minor and temporary “deviations” from it. But it wonders how
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his political team will be going about
forcing snap parliamentary elections later this year.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Author: Ani Kharatian
RFE/RL Armenia Report – 05/29/2018
Tuesday,
Armenia Marks 100th Anniversary Of Its First Republic
Armenia - Armenian soldiers march at the Sardarapat war memorial in a military
parade dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the first Armenian republic, 28
May 2018.
Armenia marked on Monday the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the
country’s first independent republic that followed centuries of foreign rule.
The short-lived republic was officially set up on March 28, 1918 as Armenian
army and militia units prevented Ottoman forces from occupying Yerevan and the
rest of modern-day Armenia.
The decisive battle was fought from May 22-29, 1918 around Sardarapat, a
village about 50 kilometers west of Yerevan. Turkish forces were defeated there
and pushed back from the capital of what was the first sovereign Armenian state
in more than four centuries.
A war memorial built near Sardarapat in the late 1960s was therefore the scene
of the main official ceremonies to mark the independence centenary. Hundreds of
soldiers, some of them clad in First World War-era uniforms, as well as
gray-haired veterans of the 1991-19914 war with Azerbaijan marched there in a
military parade watched by President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian.
The parade also featured tributes to hundreds of thousands of Armenians who
fought, mostly as Soviet Red Army soldiers, against Nazi Germany in the Second
World War. Troops from the Russian military base in Armenia also participated
in it.
“For the first time in their history, the Armenian people were citizens, rather
than subjects, masters, rather than servants, and that was a fateful
turnaround,” Pashinian said in a speech that preceded the parade.
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at the Sardarapat war memorial,
.
Pashinian noted that the military victory at Sardarapat was achieved only three
years after the beginning of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey which put
the Armenian nation “on the verge of extinction.”
“From the standpoint of pragmatism and rational calculation, the Armenian
people stood no chance to win,” he said. “But we won because we realized that
our essence is not to be herded to deserts and massacred … The Armenian people
won because for the first time in 400 years they pinned their hopes on
themselves, rather than others.”
The first Republic of Armenian was governed by leading members of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) throughout its two-and-a-half-year
existence. Its last government was forced to hand over power to representatives
of Bolshevik Russia in December 1920 nearly three months after another Turkish
invasion of Armenia.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey, was supported by
Soviet Russia at the time. By contrast, the first Armenian republic was allied
to Britain and other Triple Entente powers.
“Only thanks to the existence of the First Republic was Armenia incorporated
into the Soviet Union as a full-fledged union republic,” said Pashinian. “And
only thanks to this status did Armenia manage to secede from the Soviet Union
without upheavals and to gain the status of an internationally recognized
independent country.”
First Arrests Made In Armenian Anti-Corruption Sweep
• Naira Bulghadarian
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Cash purportedly found in the home of the chief executive of a
customs brokerage firm arrested by the National Security Service.
Three senior executives of a customs brokerage firm reportedly linked to the
former head of Armenia’s tax and customs services have been arrested as part of
a crackdown on corruption announced by the National Security Service (NSS).
The NSS accused the private firm, Norfolk Consulting, of failing to pay
millions of dollars in taxes and customs duties after raiding its offices,
searching other premises, and announcing the arrests late last week. It claimed
to have confiscated $500,000 in cash from the home of the company director,
Armen Unanian.
An NSS statement said that Norfolk Consulting was set up in June last year and
quickly gained de facto exclusive rights to process commercial cargo shipments
from China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. It said nine other customs
brokerage firms handling those imports until then were effectively driven out
of business because of a “special privileged status” enjoyed by Norfolk with
the help of senior officials from the State Revenue Committee (SRC).
The NSS charged that Norfolk may have since earned $7 million in “illegal
revenue” by helping importers evade or underpay taxes. The precise “damage
inflicted on the state” will be ascertained as a result of an ongoing
examination of the company’s books, it said.
Unanian as well as the company’s chief accountants, Tigran Zohrabian and Simon
Arakelian, were formally charged and remanded in pre-trial custody on Monday.
Marine Mkrtchian, a Norfolk cashier also detained on Friday, was released from
custody pending in investigation.
It was not immediately clear whether Unanian, 51, will plead guilty to the
fraud accusations levelled against him. The lawyer for the two other arrested
suspects said that they both deny helping importers evade taxes.
“We believe that the accusations are completely unfounded,” the lawyer, Armen
Andrikian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Armenia - Vartan Harutiunian, head of the State Revenue Committee, addresses an
Armenian parliament committee in Yerevan, 27Jun2017.
According to the NSS statement, two former deputy heads of the SRC have been
questioned as “witnesses” in the investigation. It said nothing about Vartan
Harutiunian, who ran the tax collection agency until last week.
A figure close to former Prime Minister Karen Karapetian, Harutiunian managed
the Gazprom-Armenia national gas distribution network before being appointed as
head of the SRC in October 2016. Unanian, the arrested Norfolk director, is
Gazprom-Armenia’s former chief accountant.
The Armenian customs service has long been regarded as one of the country’s
most corrupt government agencies. Harutiunian pledged to reform it after taking
office. The SRC reported last year a sharp rise in customs duties and other
import taxes collected by it.
The high-profile arrests came a week after the new head of the NSS, Artur
Vanetsian, said that many individuals who have long “enriched themselves
through large-scale corruption schemes” will be held accountable soon. The NSS
will strive to ensure that they compensate the state for public funds embezzled
by them, he said.
Vanetsian on Monday promised more corruption “revelations” in the coming days.
“All corrupt officials will be punished,” he told reporters.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who named Vanetsian to run the powerful
security agency, has repeatedly pledged to “root out” government corruption in
Armenia since he swept to power on May 8 after weeks of massive anti-government
protests led by him.
U.S. Offers To Help New Armenian Government
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian meets with U.S. Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Bridget Brink in Yerevan, .
The United States stands ready to help Armenia’s new government combat
corruption and attract more U.S. investments in the Armenian economy, a senior
U.S. State Department official said during a visit to Yerevan on Monday.
Bridget Brink, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European affairs,
met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian for the first time since he swept to
power in a democratic revolution earlier this month. She also held separate
talks with President Armen Sarkissian and Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian.
“She welcomed the Prime Minister’s stated commitment to fight corruption and
offered continued U.S. support for anti-corruption efforts,” the U.S. Embassy
in Yerevan said in a statement.
According to the statement, Brink told Mnatsakanian that Washington is
committed to “working with the new government to strengthen bilateral ties and
attract additional U.S. investment.” “She pointed to the U.S.-Armenia Task
Force (USATF) as an opportunity to make real progress in advancing mutual
goals,” added the statement.
Pashinian was reported to tell the visiting U.S. official that his government
would like to deepen Armenia’s ties with the U.S. “in all areas, including the
political and economic ones, democracy building and human rights protection.”He
reiterated that the fight against corruption is one of its top priorities.
The unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was also on the agenda of Brink’s
talks in Yerevan. The U.S. Embassy cited her as saying that Washington will
“remain actively engaged with the sides in seeking a peaceful solution” to the
dispute.
Pashinian’s press office said the Armenian premier stressed in that regard the
importance of “creating and strengthening an atmosphere aimed at peace.” It
gave no details.
The U.S. diplomat also met with a group of local youth activists. “I am
heartened by the spirit of the Armenian people, and especially encouraged by
you – the young leaders of Armenia – who have shown such passion and dedication
to building a bright future for your country,” she said, apparently alluding to
their active participation in recent mass protests in the country.
Washington closely monitored the dramatic events that led to the resignation of
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian. The State Department repeatedly urged Armenia
political factions to embark on dialogue. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
Wess Mitchell had phone conversations with Pashinian and then Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian on April 30.
French FM Visits Armenia, Urges Closer Ties
• Hovannes Movsisian
Armenia - Armenian Foreign Miniser Zohrab Mnatsakanian (R) and his French
counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian shake hands after talks in Yerevan, .
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for the expansion of France’s
cordial relationship with Armenia on Monday during a visit to Yerevan timed to
coincide with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the first Armenian
republic.
Le Drian emphasized the fact that he is the first high-level foreign official
to visit the South Caucasus state since the recent dramatic change of its
government.
“Armenia is at a turning point in its history,” he said after talks with his
new Armenian counterpart, Zohrab Mnatsakanian. “We welcome the responsibility
shown by political forces and the Armenia people [during the political crisis,]
which allowed the election of a new prime minister [on May 8.]”
“I am very proud of being the first high-ranking foreign official to visit new
Armenia and meet its new leaders,” he told a joint news briefing with
Mnatsakanian. “France will continue to stand with Armenia and help it to build
democracy.”
Le Drian, who met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian later in the day, also
reaffirmed France’s strong support for Armenia’s efforts to forge closer links
with the European Union. He stressed the significance of a wide-ranging
agreement which the previous Armenian government signed with the EU last
November.
Mnatsakanian also emphasized the “privileged” character of French-Armenian
relations. He said he and Le Drian held a “productive discussion” on bilateral
ties and regional security.
Those ties stem in large measure from the existence of an influential Armenian
community in France. Yerevan will underline them when it hosts in October a
summit of Francophonie, a grouping of over 70 mainly French-speaking nations.
Preparations for the summit were also high on the agenda of Le Drian’s talks in
Yerevan. The minister reaffirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans
to travel to Armenia in October on a state visit that will be followed by his
participation in the Francophonie summit.
With France co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group together with Russia and the United
States, the two ministers also discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Le
Drian called for renewed efforts at a negotiated solution to the conflict,
saying that “both the status quo and the use of force are not acceptable.”
“We reaffirm Armenia’s commitment to a solely peaceful resolution of the
Karabakh problem,” Mnatsakanian said for his part. “My colleague and I agreed
that an atmosphere conducive to peace is important for the success of the
process.”
French FM Visits Armenia, Urges Closer Ties
• Hovannes Movsisian
Armenia - Armenian Foreign Miniser Zohrab Mnatsakanian (R) and his French
counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian shake hands after talks in Yerevan, .
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for the expansion of France’s
cordial relationship with Armenia on Monday during a visit to Yerevan timed to
coincide with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the first Armenian
republic.
Le Drian emphasized the fact that he is the first high-level foreign official
to visit the South Caucasus state since the recent dramatic change of its
government.
“Armenia is at a turning point in its history,” he said after talks with his
new Armenian counterpart, Zohrab Mnatsakanian. “We welcome the responsibility
shown by political forces and the Armenia people [during the political crisis,]
which allowed the election of a new prime minister [on May 8.]”
“I am very proud of being the first high-ranking foreign official to visit new
Armenia and meet its new leaders,” he told a joint news briefing with
Mnatsakanian. “France will continue to stand with Armenia and help it to build
democracy.”
Le Drian, who met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian later in the day, also
reaffirmed France’s strong support for Armenia’s efforts to forge closer links
with the European Union. He stressed the significance of a wide-ranging
agreement which the previous Armenian government signed with the EU last
November.
Mnatsakanian also emphasized the “privileged” character of French-Armenian
relations. He said he and Le Drian held a “productive discussion” on bilateral
ties and regional security.
Those ties stem in large measure from the existence of an influential Armenian
community in France. Yerevan will underline them when it hosts in October a
summit of Francophonie, a grouping of over 70 mainly French-speaking nations.
Preparations for the summit were also high on the agenda of Le Drian’s talks in
Yerevan. The minister reaffirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans
to travel to Armenia in October on a state visit that will be followed by his
participation in the Francophonie summit.
With France co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group together with Russia and the United
States, the two ministers also discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Le
Drian called for renewed efforts at a negotiated solution to the conflict,
saying that “both the status quo and the use of force are not acceptable.”
“We reaffirm Armenia’s commitment to a solely peaceful resolution of the
Karabakh problem,” Mnatsakanian said for his part. “My colleague and I agreed
that an atmosphere conducive to peace is important for the success of the
process.”
Armenia Marks 100th Anniversary Of Its First Republic
Armenia - Armenian soldiers march at the Sardarapat war memorial in a military
parade dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the first Armenian republic, 28
May 2018.
Armenia marked on Monday the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the
country’s first independent republic that followed centuries of foreign rule.
The short-lived republic was officially set up on March 28, 1918 as Armenian
army and militia units prevented Ottoman forces from occupying Yerevan and the
rest of modern-day Armenia.
The decisive battle was fought from May 22-29, 1918 around Sardarapat, a
village about 50 kilometers west of Yerevan. Turkish forces were defeated there
and pushed back from the capital of what was the first sovereign Armenian state
in more than four centuries.
A war memorial built near Sardarapat in the late 1960s was therefore the scene
of the main official ceremonies to mark the independence centenary. Hundreds of
soldiers, some of them clad in First World War-era uniforms, as well as
gray-haired veterans of the 1991-19914 war with Azerbaijan marched there in a
military parade watched by President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian.
The parade also featured tributes to hundreds of thousands of Armenians who
fought, mostly as Soviet Red Army soldiers, against Nazi Germany in the Second
World War. Troops from the Russian military base in Armenia also participated
in it.
“For the first time in their history, the Armenian people were citizens, rather
than subjects, masters, rather than servants, and that was a fateful
turnaround,” Pashinian said in a speech that preceded the parade.
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at the Sardarapat war memorial,
.
Pashinian noted that the military victory at Sardarapat was achieved only three
years after the beginning of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey which put
the Armenian nation “on the verge of extinction.”
“From the standpoint of pragmatism and rational calculation, the Armenian
people stood no chance to win,” he said. “But we won because we realized that
our essence is not to be herded to deserts and massacred … The Armenian people
won because for the first time in 400 years they pinned their hopes on
themselves, rather than others.”
The first Republic of Armenian was governed by leading members of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) throughout its two-and-a-half-year
existence. Its last government was forced to hand over power to representatives
of Bolshevik Russia in December 1920 nearly three months after another Turkish
invasion of Armenia.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey, was supported by
Soviet Russia at the time. By contrast, the first Armenian republic was allied
to Britain and other Triple Entente powers.
“Only thanks to the existence of the First Republic was Armenia incorporated
into the Soviet Union as a full-fledged union republic,” said Pashinian. “And
only thanks to this status did Armenia manage to secede from the Soviet Union
without upheavals and to gain the status of an internationally recognized
independent country.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Smithsonian Folklife Festival to explore Armenia’s winemaking traditions
Public Radio of Armenia
16:49,
In its 51st year, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which runs June 27-July 1 and July 4-8 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will explore “cultural heritage enterprise,” through the lens of winemaking in Armenia and human tower building and use of fire in Catalonia, DC Military Magazine reports.
“In both Armenia and Catalonia, there are deep and rich cultural bonds. Some are fragile and need tending. Others are robust. Both lead families and communities to look at the future in different ways,” said Sabrina Lynn Motley, the festival’s director.
“What’s amazing is that you can take one cultural activity and, from that, open up an entire world,” she added.
Home to the world’s earliest known winery, discovered eight years ago in a cave near the village of Areni, Armenia’s 6,000 year-old winemaking tradition was nearly snuffed out under Soviet rule. Fueled by that 2010 discovery, a new generation of vintners has set out to reclaim Armenia’s winemaking heritage. The country is experiencing a viticultural rebirth.
“There’s a real interest in revitalizing the wine industry,” said Motley. “Some are employing traditional practices while others are using cutting-edge technology. Either way, they are connected to this historic site. Also connected to the winemaking are food, music and song.”
The memories and emotions these traditions convey will ideally challenge visitors to explore their own notions of home while experiencing Armenian culture. “What do you value that gives you a sense of home and connects you to your family and future?” said Motley. “I hope people go home from the festival and explore their own cultural lives.”
Armenian woman had to prove to U.S. government that she was alive
PanArmenian, Armenia
– 17:09 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – An Armenian-American woman from San Francisco, Lucy Mirigian, 111, had to prove to the United States government that she was still alive after the government stopped sending her monthly pension, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
In November, the government agency that administers her federal pension decided that Mirigian was dead because she had not returned a form letter saying she wasn't. Mirigian said the letter never arrived. The result: the government stopped sending Mirigian her monthly pension of $377.26. Her health insurance was about to be cut off, too.
It was a nightmare, according to Mirigian and her daughter, Sonia, and son-in-law, Jack Koujakian, who share the house near Balboa Park that Mirigian bought in 1950. Being alive is one thing. Persuading the U.S. government that you are alive when it disagrees is something else.
The Koujakians wrote letters. They made calls. They left messages. Nothing worked. Once the U.S. government thinks you're dead, it's not easy to change its mind.
In desperation, the family walked into the San Mateo office of Rep. Jackie Speier. The office staff took one look at Mirigian and concluded that she was still very much in a condition to keep collecting the pension she was entitled to as a retired clerk at the U.S. Mint on Market Street.
Speier's office staff made some calls. Calls from a congresswoman's aide, unlike calls from a congresswoman's constituent, tend to get things straightened out lickity split. The pension was restored this week and the past-due benefits were paid. That's a good thing, Mirigian said, because her family has booked a vacation in Calistoga next month and the hotel isn't free.
She says proving you're alive is inconvenient. Ten years ago, she recalled, the Social Security folks sent someone to her home to make sure she was still entitled to her monthly check. She was a nice lady and stayed for coffee.
It's one thing when the feds assume you're alive, and they come by for coffee just to make sure. It's another thing when the feds assume you're dead, and then leave it up to you to disabuse them of the notion.
But, she said, the trip to Speier's office did get her out of the house.
"My whole life, I've never sat still," she said. "You see old ladies sitting on a bench, waiting to die. Not me."
As a 4-year-old girl, Mirigian left her home in Armenia on the back of a donkey in 1910, a few years ahead of the Armenian Genocide that wiped out many family members. She crossed the Atlantic on a boat, made her way to Fresno and attended Fresno State University. In San Francisco, she raised a family, taught Sunday school, served as a PTA president and had a second career making elegant, elaborate sculptures from beads and wire. Her husband of 40 years, Ashod, died in 1998.
RFE/RL – New Armenian Government Formed
Մայիս 13, 2018
- Emil Danielyan
After completing the formation of his government, Armenia’s new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian reaffirmed his pledges to carry out sweeping reforms and push for fresh parliamentary elections on Sunday.
The three deputy prime ministers and 17 ministers handpicked by Pashinian were formally appointed by President Armen Sarkissian on Friday and Saturday. Four of them held senior positions in the country’s previous government that was swept from power by nationwide massive protests led by Pashinian.
The new cabinet includes experienced technocrats, young Pashinian associates and other political appointees representing the three minority factions in the Armenian parliament that helped to install the 42-year-old protest leader as prime minister on May 8.
Businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s alliance, the second largest parliamentary force, nominated Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian and the ministers of energy, transport and communications, emergency situations, and sports and youth affairs. Grigorian is a 46-year-old banker.
Pashinian also reached a de facto power-sharing deal with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), which was allied to former President and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian until his resignation on April 23.
Dashnaktsutyun will be represented in the new government by Minister for Economic Development Artsvik Minasian and Agriculture Minister Artur Khachatrian. Minasian served as environment minister while Khachatrian was the governor of the northwestern Shirak province until this month.
The two other deputy prime ministers, Ararat Mirzoyan and Tigran Avinian, are senior members of Pashinian’s Civil Contract party. Avinian, 29, is apparently the youngest vice-premier in Armenia’s history.
Two other Civil Contract figures, Arayik Harutiunian and Suren Papikian, were appointed as ministers of education and local government respectively.
Pashinian also gave two ministerial portfolios to top representatives of the Hanrapetutyun (Republic) and Bright Armenian parties making up, together with Civil Contract, the Yelk alliance. Hanrapetutyun’s Artak Zeynalian was named justice minister while Bright Armenia’s Mane Tandilian will manage the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
Three other other, more important cabinet posts were given to non-partisan figures. One of them, Zohrab Mnatsakanian, Armenia’s ambassador to the United Nations until now, will serve as foreign minister. The 52-year-old career diplomat was the country’s deputy foreign minister from 2011-2014.
The new Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan worked as minister for emergency situations in the previous government. Tonoyan, 49, was Armenia’s first deputy defense minister from 2010-2017. A graduate of Russia’s Military-Diplomatic Academy, he represented the Armenian military at the NATO headquarters in Brussels from 1998-2007.
Pashinian’s choice of finance minister is Atom Janjughazian, a longtime deputy finance minister and head of the Armenian state treasury.
Pashinian met with the newly appointed cabinet members on Sunday, saying that his “government of accord” must strive to live up to the huge expectations of the country’s population that has overwhelmingly supported his protest movement. That, he said, requires a “new style, new philosophy, new culture” of work by all government agencies.
“Please get down to business, familiarize yourself with the current state of affairs today so that we don’t lose time,” he said. “There are operational issues that need to be solved as soon as possible.”
“The public must feel that this is a government formed by it and accountable to it,” added the former journalist.
Pashinian reiterated in that regard that his government must embark on sweeping “reforms in various areas.” He pledged earlier to democratize Armenia, strengthen the rule of law, separate business from government and radically improve the broader investment climate.
Pashinian also told his ministers to start working on the government’s comprehensive policy program which he has to submit to the parliament within the next three weeks. Its approval by lawmakers would amount to a vote of confidence.
Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), which still holds the majority of parliament seats, has signaled its readiness to back the program despite its serious misgivings about Pashinian’s premiership. The program’s rejection by the National Assembly would pave the way for snap general elections.
Pashinian said on Sunday that the conduct of such polls will be his cabinet’s top “political priority.” But he again did not say just when he thinks they should be held.
Listen To A New Album Of Armenian Industrial Music
Electronic Beats
Margenrot explores her Armenian roots to craft an inventive album of stripped-down experimental sounds.
Eastern Europe has a proud tradition of genre-defying, politically-informed industrial music. Siberian-born musician Lusia Kazaryan-Topchyan pulls from this heritage, but looks even further afield—as well as way back in time—for musical inspiration.
Formerly a member of iconic post-punk band Fanny Kaplan, Kazaryan-Topchyan now performs solo as Margenrot. Taking its name from an historic Armenian province, her new album Zangezur is a pensive reimagining of her own Armenian roots, and it attempts to fuse the nation’s unique musical character with more modern electronic musical styles. With its arresting scales and melodies, it definitely makes for an absorbing listen. Check it out above and find out more about the album at Calvert Journal here.
Listen to the music at
‘I will stand between police and protesters if I have to’
The Independent – Daily Edition
May 5, 2018 Saturday
'I will stand between police and protesters if I have to'
Armenia's upheaval has thrust president Armen Sarkissian into the role of mediator, as he tells Oliver Carroll
by OLIVER CARROLL
As one of the scientists behind the Tetris computer game, Armenian president Armen Sarkissian says he often reverts to logic models for political guidance. But there was little in his country's dramatic revolution – or "democratic change" as he puts it – that he could have predicted with mathematics.
"Humans are not machines," he tells The Independent. "They are much more complex."
After Armenia transitioned to a parliamentary system of government this year, Mr Sarkissian's office was supposed to have become non-political. The long-time ambassador to London was even nicknamed the "British Queen" on account of his largely ceremonial duties.
But as the standoff between the country's longtime leader Serzh Sargsyan and protest challenger Nikol Pashinyan enraptured a whole country, President Sarkissian was unexpectedly thrust onto centre stage, becoming an important mediator between the opposing factions.
As a second parliamentary vote next Tuesday looks set to approve Pashinyan as prime minister, Armenia looks finally to be walking back from the brink. But the road has not always been easy.
"It was quite hard work bringing the sides together," says Mr Sarkissian. "I did things that are not usually expected of a president, such as going into the crowds. But you couldn't do your job by simply sitting in an office."
The president's 21 April visit to a protest rally in Republic Square was a turning point in the protests. Many on the square – Mr Pashinyan included – remained suspicious of the president, still seen as a loose ally of the prime minister.
Some attacked him over his historic British citizenship. But Mr Sarkissian says he enjoyed a "fantastic" experience on the square and describes his relations with the protest leader as "constructive".
As the two men shouted into each other's ears, the president promised to arrange a meeting with Mr Sargsyan for the very next day.
"The one thing I emphasised was that this must be decided by dialogue and within the constitution," he says.
On 22 April, Mr Sargsyan and Mr Pashinyan met, but they failed to reach an agreement. Later that day, the situation threatened to get out of control when the protest leader, two fellow MPs and 200 supporters were plucked from an evening rally by police.
President Sarkissian says this was not a development he welcomed. The next day, he convened a meeting with Mr Sargsyan and his leading officials in his modest residence in central Yerevan. There, it seems, Mr Sargsyan's future was decided.
"Confidential meetings will remain confidential, but you can make your judgments from the results," says Mr Sarkissian. "Straight from the meeting, the deputy prime minister went with a warrant to release the parliamentarians. And a couple of hours later, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned."
The 65-year old says he intends to stay on in his role for the foreseeable future, casting himself as the father of a young nation of "survivors".
"We are all learning, and I'm ready to get involved again if things go wrong," he says. "I'm ready to stand between police and protesters if I have to."
Swept along with mass popular support, Armenia's uprising and the road to Mr Pashinyan's likely premiership have been remarkably bloodless.
But it might not continue thus. The country's old elite still hold a grip over most of the levers of power. Corrupt forces still control the country's electoral systems, which will be crucial in in any snap parliamentary vote. And the decapitated ruling Republican Party is unlikely to miss a chance to strike back at some point in the near future.
Mr Sarkissian hints at the problems that lie ahead for Armenia's revolutionary leadership. "Mr Pashinyan has shown himself to be a very talented politician, with an acute sense of public opinion," he says. "But running the government provides a completely a different challenge. He will have to provide answers to all the questions he has asked. And people will have to realise that not everything that went before was black, and not everything will be white tomorrow."
But for the first time in a long time, the president is confident that Armenia is finally heading for less choppier waters. "The models have become predictable again," he says. "And I'm proud of that."
Sports: Golovkin vs Martirosyan: Live stream and TV channel for GGG’s ring return
The Sun, UK
May 2 2018
ON THE BOX Golovkin vs Martirosyan: Live stream and TV channel for GGG's ring return
After Saul Alvarez is forced to pull out of their fight due to a drug suspension, GGG puts his titles on the line
GENNADY GOLOVKIN defends his WBA and WBC middleweight titles against late replacement Vanes Martirosyan on Saturday night.
After Saul Alvarez's shock drug rap, GGG returns to the ring for the first time since his draw with the Mexican last September.
Getty Images – Getty
3
Martiosyan, known as 'Nightmare', has failed in both his world title bouts so far and hasn't fought for two years.
Golovkin's IBF title will not be on the line as the sanctioning body didn't approve the Armenian-American as an opponent.
Getty Images – Getty
3
UNFORTUNATELY this fight isn't being shown live in the UK.
In the US, HBO will be covering all the action.
You can stay here on SunSport though for analysis and reaction from ring-side with the fight taking place in the early hours of Sunday, May 6.
IF you're staying up to follow this one, get the coffee ready.
The undercard will begin around midnight UK time and the main bout is expected around 3/4am.
24 avril • Sevag Balıkçı : Ils ne nous ont pas permis d’oublier
Kedistan–
25 avr. 2018
<img width="600" height="315" src=”"http://www.kedistan.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/sevag-balikci.jpg" class="attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="Sevag Balıkçı" srcset="http://www.kedistan.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/sevag-balikci.jpg 600w, http://www.kedistan.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/sevag-balikci-500×263.jpg 500w, http://www.kedistan.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/sevag-balikci-230×121.jpg 230w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
“Nous l’avons envoyé au service militaire. Nous n’avons pas pensé qu’il y aurait quelque chose de travers. Le 23 avril, une telle peur ne nous a pas traversé l’esprit. Mais sans doute, ce 24 avril, était un avertissement. Sevag, ou un autre jeune arménien devait être tué ce jour là ! L’endroit et le timing étaient bons pour Sevag. Pas d’autres jeunes arméniens, pas une seule personne pour témoigner, au milieu de la montagne, tous les éléments étaient là”. Dans le livre de Esra Açıkgöz et Hakan Alp, “Nous sommes des êtes humains mon enfant”, la mère de Sevag Şahin Balıkçı, Ani, dit ceci… Un 24 avril 2011. Si un 24 avril, dans une caserne, un Arménien meurt, personne ne peut nous faire croire à une “blague”, ni à “une balle accidentelle”.
Lorsqu’on prévient la famille d’un soldat aménien de la mort de leur fils, en expliquant qu’il est mort “en se taquinant avec son ami, par une balle accidentelle” comme pour des dizaines de milliers de jeunes kurdes, alévis, socialistes, dans des casernes de la République de Turquie, son père répond “un gavur1Mécréant, infidèle (péjoratif) est mort êtes-vous heureux ?” Les Kurdes, les Alévis, les socialistes, les Arméniens, disent après le meurtre de leurs enfants, par des auteurs connus, “nous n’oublierons pas !”. Non, nous n’avons pas oublié. En réalité, ils ne nous ont pas permis d’oublier. Oublier veut dire se mettre face à face (faire les comptes.. l’_expression_ m’échappe). Oublier veut dire panser les blessures. Oublier veut dire, vivre ensemble, en paix avec toutes les différences. Or, l’Etat “sacré” que la République de la Turquie a fondé sur des bases “d’unicité”2 Langue unique, religion unique, nation unique, drapeau unique… continue à prendre des vies en sacrifice.
Le 24 avril est pour les Arméniens, la fête de Pâques. Sevag et sa famille tiennent une conversation téléphonique, qui sera la dernière. “Fils, nous avons déjà envoyé tes gâteaux [de Pâques]” lui disent les parents. Ni Sevag, ni sa famille ne pensaient que ce seraient les derniers gâteaux que Sevag mangerait. Garbis Balıkçı entend la voix de son fils. “Regardez donc sur l’ordinateur, il n’y aurait pas une homonymie ?” Personne ne pense à des mauvaises choses. “J’ai pensé qu’il avait reçu un mérite, quelque chose comme ça”… Bien sûr qu’ils savent ce que cela veut dire de vivre en Turquie en tant qu’Arménien, mais malgré cela, il n’y songent pas “Oui, Hrant était quelqu’un. Il était un journaliste. Pour tout le monde, il parlait trop. Maintenant on sait qu’il disait vrai. Mais trop tard ! Sevag était personne. Un fils de famille ordinaire. Mais un avertissement a été donné, c’est évident…”
Sevag était un arménien.
96 ans après le génocide arménien de 2015, une toute première fois, il devait y avoir une commémoration dans un lieu public en Turquie. La première fois, les peuples allaient pouvoir faire leur deuil ouvertement. La réponse de l’Etat à cela, fut de reprendre un Arménien de plus de nos bras. Le système “qui fait d’un enfant un assassin”, allait donc dire, je suis toujours là, bien présent.
Les destructions et massacres en Anatolie et en Mésopotamie, continuent… L’an 1915 ne se laisse pas désirer.
Hrant Dink disait dans son dernier article publié le 19 janvier 2007 :
[…] Quant à l’idée de vivre dans un pays européen, ce n’était pas du tout ma tasse de thé. Chaque fois que je vais en Occident pour quelques jours, je suis quelqu’un qui se dit, crispé d’ennui dès le quatrième jour, « j’espère que ça sera fini bientôt et que je pourrais rentrer », tellement mon pays me manque . Qu’aurais-je donc fait dans ces pays ?
Le confort, je ne suis pas fait pour !
De toute manière, quitter des “enfers bouillonnants” pour des “paradis aménagés” n’est vraiment pas pour moi.
[…] Nous allions donc rester et résister.
Hrant est resté. Il a lutté jusqu’à la dernière minute de sa vie, pour une vie des peuples, ensemble, libres et égaux.
La justice, l’égalité ne peuvent exister selon certains et seulement pour certains. Si un soldat arménien, peut être tué par une balle, dans une caserne un beau 24 avril, si un journaliste arménien peut être tué, tiré dans le dos un 19 janvier, dans ce pays, la vie de personne n’est en sécurité. Et cela est le mieux su par les “autres” de ce pays, les Kurdes, les Alévis, les socialistes… Le fait de le savoir n’est pas suffisant. Le fait de dire “pas d’oubli” n’est pas suffisant. Au contraire, il faudrait pouvoir oublier. Et cela n’est possible qu’en se mettant face à face et en construisant un vivre ensemble avec nos différences.
Sans construire les vies égales et libres, ensemble, nous ne pouvons oublier les souffrances du passé. Tant que nous ne pouvons pas les oublier, personne ne peut être libre dans ce pays. Et cela ne change rien, quelque soit l’endroit au monde, où nous vivons.
Azerbaijani press: Armenia names acting head of government
18:30 (UTC+04:00)
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 23
Trend:
First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan has become acting head of the Armenian government, RIA Novosti reported.
On April 23, Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned.
Mass rallies broke out in Yerevan and other Armenian cities on April 13 following former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s nomination as prime minister. The opposition accuses him of ineffective governance and worsening the economic situation in the country.
Despite the protests, Armenia’s parliament elected Sargsyan as prime minister on April 17. On April 19, opposition members tried to disrupt the new Cabinet of Ministers’ meeting, blocking entrances to government facilities and marching down Yerevan streets.