A1+‘s correspondent was informed that tomorrow, April 2, at 13.00, the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union (YVU) session will be held in order to convene an extraordinary congress.
According to our sources from YVU, the extraordinary congress will be held on Sunday, April 7, at the government session hall on Melik-Adamyan Street. According to our information, Sasun Mikayelyan will be nominated for the position of the chairman of Yerkrapah Volunteer Union.
Armenia is expanding its engagement in the UN-authorized peacekeeping missions.
Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan stated about the abovementioned at the peacekeeping conference being held at the UN headquarters in New York City, as news.am reports, the Voice of AmericaArmenian Service informed.
Tonoyan said Armenia’s peacekeepers are participating in the missions being conducted in Afghanistan and Kosovo under the auspices of NATO.
He added that Armenia plans to found an international center for training of peacekeepers, and where peacekeepers from all over the world can study.
Also, the minister reflected on Armenia’s decision to send a mission to Syria. He said their humanitarian mission to Syria comprises doctors and demining specialists. Tonoyan noted that this mission is conducted in cooperation with their Russian partners. The minister added that the decision to send this mission to Syria was made in response to the requests of Syria and of the Armenian community there.
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
Contact: Danielle Saroyan
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Web: www.aaainc.org
U.S. SENATORS INTRODUCE
BILL TO PROHIBIT TRANSFER OF F-35 AIRCRAFT TO TURKEY
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – On March 28, Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH),
Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced S.922, a bipartisan
bill also known as the “Protecting NATO Skies Act of 2019” which
prohibits the transfer of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Turkey until
the United States certifies that Turkey will not accept delivery of Russia’s
S-400 air defense system, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
“It’s concerning that Turkey would seek close
defense cooperation with Russia, whose authoritarian ruler seeks to undermine
NATO and U.S. interests at every turn. That’s why I am glad to partner with
Senators Shaheen, Van Hollen, and Tillis to introduce this bipartisan bill that
sends a clear message to the Turkish government that it cannot have sensitive,
state-of-the-art American military technology and Russian military
technology,” said Senator Lankford.
“Make no mistake – the Kremlin is an adversary
of the United States and many of our NATO allies. The prospect of Russia having
access to U.S. aircraft and technology in a NATO country, Turkey, is a serious
national and global security risk,” Senator Shaheen stated. “This
bipartisan bill will help ensure the safety and security of the United States
and our transatlantic community.”
“As a member of NATO, Turkey must not undermine
the security of the United States and our allies. Operating the Russian S-400
missile defense system alongside the F-35 aircraft would do exactly that, and
we cannot allow that to happen. This bipartisan legislation would draw a hard
line in the sand and protect vital national security interests, and the Senate
should consider it without delay,” Senator Van Hollen said.
Last year, Senators Shaheen, Lankford, and Tillis
introduced S.2781, a similar bill to restrict the transfer of fighter aircraft
to Turkey. A version of the bill was included as an amendment in the Fiscal
Year (FY) 2019 National Defense Authorization Act directing the Secretary of
Defense to submit a plan to Congress to remove Turkey from participation in the
F-35 program. Spearheaded by Senator Van Hollen and with the support of State
and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC),
the Committee adopted this amendment which would expressly prohibit spending
funds from FY 2019 – as well as prior fiscal years – to transfer, or facilitate
the transfer, of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Turkey until the Secretary of
State certifies that Turkey is not purchasing and will not accept deliveries of
the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
“The Armenian Assembly welcomes this latest
initiative. Turkey has proven time and time again that its actions and policies
could not be further from U.S. interests than any presumed ally. Turkey’s
surreptitious attempts to influence American politics have been increasingly
exposed in the past year, and this bill sends a strong message that Turkey’s
actions do have consequences,” stated Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian
and Van Krikorian.
In an article published by the Gatestone Institute,
Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin, who served under U.S. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld,
wrote: “The number of instances where Turkey and U.S. interests now clash,
and the accumulated ill will that these disagreements are begetting, suggests
that Turkey is no longer a dependable ally of the United States.”
“Just this past week, Turkey-based front
companies were exposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of
Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as part of a network with Iran and the United
Arab Emirates to have transferred over a billion dollars and euros to the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Ministry of Defense and
Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), in addition to procuring millions of dollars’
worth of vehicles for MODAFL,” Barsamian and Krikorian added.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of
America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting
public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
###
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2019-012
Photo
Caption 1: Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH),
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Available
online:
Senate Collage.jpg
JPEG image
Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination and 100% territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria
17:15,
YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. ISIS has lost its final stronghold in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced Saturday, bringing an end to the so-called caliphate declared by the terrorist group in 2014, CNN reported.
The coalition of Kurdish and Arab soldiers backed by US, British and French special forces said it defeated ISIS and fully liberated Baghouz in eastern Syria.
“Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100% territorial defeat of ISIS. On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made the victory possible,” tweeted Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF press office.
Today, Armenian national football team will begin the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a test away against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our national team arrived in Sarajevo on Thursday.
National team captain and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan took to Twitter sending a message to the national team fans. “We’re all set for our tie. What about you, getting ready to cheer for us?” Mkhitaryan tweeted.
To note, Group J consists of six teams: Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Greece, Italy and Liechtenstein, where they will play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format.
The top two teams will qualify directly for the finals. Unlike previous editions, the participants of the play-offs will not be decided based on results from the qualifying group stage, but instead based on their performance in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.
Thursday,
Ter-Petrosian Party Warns Government Over Economic Policies
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian (L) and Nikol Pashinian greet supporters
in Yerevan's Liberty Square, 31 May 2011.
The extra-parliamentary Armenian National Congress (HAK) party led by
ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian has called on the government to abandon
changes that it claims contradict the principles of the declared economic
policy.
In a statement disseminated on Wednesday the HAK, which had earlier voiced
political support for the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian,
referred to a number of protests by representatives of small and medium-sized
businesses, who it said raise legitimate demands to the authorities.
The HAK also cited the package of amendments to the tax legislation that was
approved by the government on March 7 in which “separate bills hit the
activities of small and medium-sized enterprises and affect the policy of
promoting free enterprise.”
The party also addressed controversial amendments planned in the law on state
duty, which envisage a significant increase in the rates of payments for
licenses in the financial and credit sphere and which has caused discontent and
protests among representatives of the sector.
In this connection, the HAK expressed concerns over risks to market
liberalization, promotion of free economic competition and improvement of the
business environment.
It said that the implementation of changes in the amount of annual payments for
the organization of foreign currency trading and pawnshops by 60 times and the
increase of 6 times for lending organizations will inevitably result in
closures of most of over 220 individual foreign exchange buying and selling
companies and reduction of jobs, as well as the elimination of the already
weakened competition in the currency market. On the other hand, the party said,
it will result in the closures of most pawnshops and serious obstacles to the
activities of lending organizations that will eventually lead to more costly
services and concentration of the lending market.
Dozens of workers of exchange offices and pawnshops have held protests in front
of the government offices in recent weeks demanding revision of the policies.
In its statement the HAK also raised concerns over policies in relation to
small and medium-sized enterprises, saying that “it is perplexing that
principles of economic policies are subordinated to fiscal goals.”
The HAK suggests that before carrying out amendments in relevant laws the
government should start discussions with all associations representing the
financial and credit sector and other stakeholders.
Oversight Body Chief Found In Breach Of Ethics Rules
• Ruzanna Stepanian
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Davit Sanasarian, head of the State Oversight Service, Yerevan, Armenia, 21
March, 2019
The Ethics Committee for High-Ranking Officials has found that the head of a
supervisory body subordinate to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has violated
rules of ethics set out in Armenia’s law on public service.
In a statement this week the Committee said that by his activities Davit
Sanasarian, the head of the State Oversight Service, “did not contribute to the
credibility of and respect towards his office and the body he represents.”
The Committee conducted a probe based on the application submitted by Yerevan
State University Rector Aram Simonian, who insisted that Sanasarian made public
statements that resulted in grave breaches of ethics rules.
Sanasarian earlier stated that misappropriations worth over 800 million drams
(about $1.6 million) had been found at the university headed by Simonian.
A criminal case was launched last year in connection with alleged
misappropriations.
Simonian has been under pressure to resign since the change of government last
year. He claims he is targeted because of his political affiliation as a member
of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia.
The Ethics Committee for High-Ranking Officials found that Sanasarian’s public
statement and social media post “can be reasonably perceived and interpreted as
a display of biased attitude and demonstration of force.”
State Oversight Service head Sanasarian told reporters after a government
session on Thursday that he does not accept the Ethics Committee’s ruling and
will appeal it in court.
“This probe should not have been launched in the first place, and secondly,
there are no grounds for such a ruling,” he said.
Tsarukian’s Bodyguard Goes On Trial For Assault
• Narine Ghalechian
At the trial of Prosperous Armenia Party lawmaker Eduard Babayan,
A parliament deputy who was until recently Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK)
leader Gagik Tsarukian’s chief bodyguard went on trial on Thursday on charges
of violent assault.
Eduard Babayan was arrested in July last year hours after a 50-year-old man in
Yerevan was hospitalized with serious injuries. The latter claimed to have been
beaten up at a compound of Armenia’s National Olympic Committee headed by
Tsarukian. He said he was hit by Tsarukian before being repeatedly kicked and
punched by Babayan and another person.
Both Tsarukian and Babayan strongly denied the allegation. The burly bodyguard
was charged even though his alleged victim, Vyacheslav Harutiunian, later
retracted his incriminating testimony.
Babayan was freed on bail in August. He was elected to the Armenian parliament
on the BHK ticket in December.
At the beginning of the trial Harutiunian again said that he did not consider
himself to be a victim in the case.
And Babayan again pleaded not guilty. “I wasn’t involved in any beating. I was
not in that room. I was upstairs together with Tsarukian,” he said.
During the break in the court hearing Harutiunian told RFE/RL’s Armenian
Service that Babayan did not beat him. “I am on very good terms with him… Mr.
Tsarukian and Eduard Babayan were not physically present [during the incident].
We had no argument, we are good friends,” said Harutiunian, adding that he
received his injuries after slipping and falling down.
One of the witnesses in the case, a police officer who served at the National
Olympic Committee compound, said that he did not see Babayan at that day
despite his preliminary testimony read out by the prosecuting attorney in which
he said that he saw Tsarukian enter the building together with his bodyguard.
Armenian media have repeatedly implicated Tsarukian’s bodyguards -- and Babayan
in particular -- in violence, including against opponents of former
governments, in the past. The BHK leader, who is also one of the country’s
richest men, always denied those claims.
In a police video released in July, Babayan’s alleged victim said that he was
attacked after imploring Tsarukian to help ensure that Armenian law-enforcement
authorities withdraw an international arrest warrant issued for his son accused
of draft evasion.
The young man is a boxer and Russian national who was told to serve in
Armenia’s armed forces after receiving Armenian citizenship in order to compete
for the South Caucasus country in international tournaments.
Armenian Female Chess Player Alleges Pregnancy Discrimination, Sues Federation
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenian woman grandmaster Lilit Galojan
International woman grandmaster Lilit Galojan has filed a lawsuit against the
Armenian Chess Federation, claiming that she was illegally left out of the
national team because of her recent pregnancy.
The 35-year-old player, who has won several national titles and medals in
international competitions during her chess career, also believes her political
views during last year’s revolution may also have influenced the decision of
the Federation that is headed by former President Serzh Sarkisian.
Galojan, who for years was a member of Armenia’s national team and participated
in world and European championships and chess Olympiads, claims that the order
of the composition of the squad was changed in violation of the Federation’s
regulations. In particular, according to her, the meeting of the Federation’s
Board on December 17, 2017 could not be considered legitimate as the presence
of two thirds of the staff was not ensured and the protocol of the meeting
signed by Sarkisian was forged.
“That could not be called a board meeting. It was just some meeting at which
the head of the Federation was present. Even if he was the president of
Armenia, it does not allow the Federation to break its own regulations just
because a high-ranking official was present there,” the grandmaster said.
Galojan further insisted that the protocol falsely presented her as a
participant of the meeting while she did not attend it. “It does not have a
word about any change in the regulations,” she said, referring to provisions
that led to her exclusion from the team.
The final composition of the squad was formed on May 2, 2018, when stormy
political developments were taking place in Armenia. Galojan said she did not
exclude that one of the reasons for the decision not to include her in the team
was her and her family’s political views as during the days of anti-government
protests Galojan did not join the members of the Armenian chess team who voiced
their support for Sarkisian, congratulated him on his election as prime
minister and described the movement led by then opposition leader Nikol
Pashinian as unacceptable.
“I made some posts on Facebook after being inspired by the revolution,” Galojan
said.
Secretary-general of the Armenian Chess Federation Mikayel Andreasian described
Galojan’s accusations as slander. He told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the
grandmaster had been offered to take part in an international tournament, for
which the Federation would cover all expenses, even though it wasn’t its
obligation. However, he said, because Galojan was pregnant at that time, she
refused to participate in the tournament and there was no way to determine
whether by the level of her preparedness she was qualified to be included in
the national team or not. And the order of forming the team was changed so as
to make it more competitive, said the Federation official, ruling out any
illegality in the process.
“We had kept all members of the board informed of the decisions and they agreed
to vote for them in absentia,” Andreasian explained.
Galojan has also presented financial claims to the Federation and wants to be
paid for the time she was not on the team as well as receive financial
compensation for missing an international tournament. The Federation official,
however, explained that they did not pay salaries to national team players and
that the payments they receive constitute “social assistance” given at the
Federation’s discretion.
“For 15 years Galojan was on the team. The Federation met every need that she
had during that time,” Andreasian said.
Despite stepping down as prime minister in April 2018, Sarkisian remains head
of the Chess Federation and according to the regulations can lead this body
until 2022.
Press Review
“Zhamanak” suggests that the former ruling system cannot be associated even
with the concept of being opposition as “it affects the prospect of the
formation of a new opposition in Armenia.” “The former ruling system cannot be
considered opposition and the reason is not even that a considerable part of
that system, including the one possessing media resources, declared itself
outside the political status, the underlying reason is that the former ruling
system has put the public outside the political status, and even the public
groups dissatisfied with the new government in this sense differentiate their
attitude towards their issues and the former ruling system,” the paper says.
“Zhoghovurd” writes: “Head of the State Oversight Service Davit Sanasarian has
violated rules of ethics set out under article 28 of the Law on Public Service
by not contributing to “the credibility of and respect towards his office and
the body he represents.” This conclusion has been made by the Ethics Committee
for High-Ranking Officials within the framework of a probe initiated on the
basis of an application of Yerevan State University Rector Aram Simonian.
What’s interesting is that still on February 19 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian made a remarkable statement in the National Assembly about former
activists who occupy state posts today. He said that “many think that if in the
past the platforms of their activities were Facebook accounts it is also so now
and by posting harsh statements they can go and check some organizations
without thinking that this posted statement can be a basis for litigation.”…
Many think that Sanasarian was one of the addressees of these remarks.”
Lragir.am queries whether it is realistic that Nagorno-Karabakh can return to
the table of negotiations with Azerbaijan. “Different people say that there is
no possibility for that and that in the foreseeable future Nagorno-Karabakh
cannot be a negotiating party. Azerbaijan and the mediators, they say, will not
accept that. And this circumstance brings about another question – in forming
its agenda does the State have to be guided by goals that have guaranteed ways
of achievement? Or should they be formed not based on the guaranteed result but
rather on necessity, state interest, security and strategic prospect? After
all, if it is necessary to formulate only objectives with guaranteed results,
it diminishes the significance and function of the State altogether,” the
online publication writes.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
SÃO PAULO, Brazil—The annual world-renowned São Paulo Carnival, which ushers in the Lent, featured a series of floats and dancers paying homage to Armenia, in a segment of the parade appropriately called, “Viva Haysatan,” reported the Agencia Prensa Armenia.
The Armenia-themed floats were the brainchild of the “Rosas de Ouro” samba school, whose dancers performed during the São Paulo in Carnival on Saturday, accompanied by 500 members of Brazil’s Armenian community.
The show started by paying homage to the Armenian Genocide, commemorating the martyrs who were killed in the desert and the rebirth of the Armenians, followed by the colors of the flag representing the the Armenian News, which a bird that symbolizes Armenia.
The first float, “Splendor of Paradise in the Plains of Ararat,” referenced Adam and Eve and Noah’s Ark (which, according to the legend, docked at Mount Ararat), according to estacaoarmenia.com.br.
The second float, “Cradle of Fascinating Warriors,” carried gigantic golden sculptures of King Tigranes the Great as well as Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, and great Armenian warriors.
The third float “The Christian Faith Illuminating the Armenian People” showed the Armenian saints and apostles and history of Christianity in Armenia.
The fourth float carrying Mayr Hayastan (Mother Armenia) titled “Armenian Art – Inheritance of Your Children,” represented Armenian culture and referenced some of its great figures such as Charles Aznavour. Also it featured Mesrob Mashdots, creator of the Armenian alphabet.
In conclusion, Sociedade Rosas de Ouro successfully presented the beauty of Armenia and its culture with a spectacular show.
The Department of State of the United States has criticized Armenia for deploying a non-combat humanitarian mission to Syria. In a statement released by the US Embassy in Armenia on February 13.
“We do not support any engagement with Syrian military forces, whether that engagement is to provide assistance to civilians or is military in nature,” said the document, adding, “nor do we support any cooperation between Armenia and Russia for this mission.”
Armenia sent a non-combat humanitarian mission consisting of 83 doctors, sappers and other servicemen to Syria a week ago, on February 8. According to Armenian officials, the humanitarian mission will be deployed in Allepo, a city with a large ethnic Armenian community.
They allso say the humanitarian mission was requested by the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s administration.
However, the Armenia plans to support the Russian mission in Syria were not unexpected. Prime Minister Pashinyan announced his decision about deploying Armenian humanitarian mission to Syria in September 2018 after a meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In October, Pashinyan’s administration discussed this topic with President Trump’s National Security adviser John Bolton during his regional visit to South Caucasus. However Bolton made a remark saying, that “It would be a mistake for anybody else to get involved militarily in the Syrian conflict at the moment.”
On Tuesday February 12, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan in a press-conference reconfirmed the pure humanitarian nature of the mission but didn’t exclude the possibility of deploying combat mission in Syria in the future.
However, during the discussions in the Parliament PM Pashinyan rejected this possibility, saying, that “We have no such plans”.
Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Nakhdalyan on Wednesday commenting the American statements said that the decision of deploying humanitarian mission to Syria is arranged by the desire to support the Armenian community in Aleppo. “Throughout the Syrian conflict the plight of civilians, minorities, including the sizable Syrian-Armenian community has consistently been a priority concern for the Armenian people worldwide. The Armenian public opinion strongly reflects deep compassion and concern for the sufferings of civilians and the devastation of the country. We speak about a country which has had an indispensable contribution for the survival of the Armenian nation in the wake of the Armenian Genocide.”-she said.
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman also assured that the mission is purely relief mission guided by the International Humanitarian Law and coordinates its work with the relief agencies and international partners present on the ground.
Former deputy foreign minister, the head of the foreign affairs commission of the Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, who considers to be one of the key figures of the ruling Civil Contract” Party lead by Pashinyan, on Thursday was optimistic, commenting the statement issued by the Department of State however saying that the American partners understand the logic and the motivations of the Armenian side. “Sending a team of specialists to Syria is very important for us because it is first of all aimed at ensuring the physical security of our compatriots living there and second of all the security of peoples living in Syria. So this was not a geopolitical or political or military move. This is a purely humanitarian move,” Rubinian said.
Karen Tovmasyan
Political scientist Suren Sargsyan has published reports stating Azerbaijan has obtained new batch of US weapons amounting for197 million USD. According to Sargsyan, equipment classified as “planes and satellites” at the same value were obtained in September of the previous year.
“This comes to prove we are dealing with a recurring process, yet the matter is not addressed properly as no one is interested in it,” Sargsyan wrote on his Facebook page. To note, in 1992, the U.S. Congress banned non-humanitarian economic aid and weapons sales to Azerbaijan by adopting Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.
Earlier, on February 4, Israel’s Defense Ministry lifted its ban on exports to Azerbaijan of “kamikaze” drones that are manufactured by an Israeli company accused of hitting Armenian positions in Nagorno Karabakh.
Aeronautics’ export license was suspended after a complaint was filed with the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the Defense Ministry returned the export license on Monday, leading the company to inform the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that the ban on Orbiter 1K sales to its “central customer ‘A’” has been lifted. “The company can continue to supply the UAV to the aforementioned customer as soon as possible,” Aeronautics said in a statement.
The 114 hotline service serving citizens’ alarms in the field of social protection, with its 8-person staff, remained suspended. 2018 at the end of the year, the contract for the provision of services signed with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs ended, and the new one has not yet been signed. 168.am writes about this.
The staff handling the calls of at least 15,000 beneficiaries per month continues to serve in inertia without payment, and in the hope that the newly appointed Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Zara Batoyan, will not allow this small structure to be abolished. They have not had a meeting with the newly appointed minister yet, they are sure that he is aware of the situation and will find a solid solution.
The only news circulating at the moment is that this structure may also be targeted by the government’s “optimization” program.
The salary and maintenance fund of about 24 million per year may be considered redundant for the Government, and the logic of providing telephone service to social target groups is also considered redundant.
Nevertheless, there are sad moods in the hotline service, they say that the ministry is not able and does not have enough resources to serve the citizens’ alarms. A milder scenario is not excluded here: in the context of structural changes, the service with a smaller team will be transferred under the ministry.
By the way, this service works 24 hours a day, the citizens receive the answer to the calls recorded after 18:00 the next day through a call back.
It should be noted that the same fate threatens the “Nork” social services technology and awareness center with its 100 employees.
“Nork” Social Services Technology and Awareness Center Foundation also continues to service the information systems of the social sector, about 6,500 pieces of computer equipment and the server complex, citing the state importance of the function.
Discussions in the government regarding “Nork”, in particular, have been ongoing since last October, and perhaps no approach is visible that would be preferable for all interested parties.