20:46, 7 December, 2020
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMEPRESS. The Government of Armenia kept the housing issue of the disaster area under constant attention during the last 2.5 years, ARMENPRESS reports Mane Gevorgayn, press secretary of the Prime Minister, wrote on her Facebook page.
”During the period of 2018-2020 the housing issue of nearly 570 families was solved (the amount of funding over 6 billion AMD)”, she wrote.
December 7 marks the 32th anniversary of Spitak Eartquake.
On December 6, Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter Petrossian, published the following call to vigilance, in response to comments recently made by Vazgen Manukyan, the former prime minister who has become the opposition parties’ consensus candidate to replace Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whose resignation they demand. This is an unofficial translation.
The public rally that Vazgen Manukyan headed deepened my concern about the danger of a civil war that threatens our country. It is Manukyan’s statements (following) that are the basis for such a weighty statement.
“Nikol Pashinyan must understand something else as well – that this movement that has been created, the sooner he offers his resignation voluntarily, the better. If the movement does not succeed, the infuriated public will tear him to pieces.”
“Nikol Pashinyan must leave; Let him leave voluntarily; if not, he will be forced to leave.”
Thus, Manukyan has delineated two paths for Pashinyan’s withdrawal – voluntary and violent. The words ‘dismember’ and ‘by force’ don’t denote anything other than violence. If this was mere talk, then there would not be need for serious worry. But the crowd that accompanied Manukyan on the march that he led towards the Prime Minister’s residence, its blockade for 30 minutes, and the filthy intimidation efforts aimed at his family were nothing except the overt demonstration of a readiness for violence.
If this were the position of just one of the conflicting sides, perhaps it would not present a great danger. But Manukyan is carelessly ignoring the fact that the other side, Pashinyan’s side, has adopted a similar position. Pashinyan’s stance and rhetoric demonstrate that he is not at all prepared to leave voluntarily, but is ready for any confrontation. Therefore, if both sides are so determined, then a clash is unavoidable.
Is it possible our people require evidence of this to be convinced? Is it not clear that, perhaps not intellectually, but in temperament and character, obstinacy, in their proclivity for risk-taking and their penchant to go to the very end, Vazgen Manukyan and Nikol Pashinyan are twins? Has the public forgotten that both have great experience in attacking the parliament, which they executed brilliantly in 1996 and 2018? In 2018, Serzh Sargsyan conceded, and his political base, the Republican Party of Armenia, transferred power, by an apparently legal path, to Nikol Pashinyan. [Incidentally, thus, unfortunately another opportunity to reach a compromise resolution of the Karabakh conflict was aborted, because, my impression is that immediately after his reelection, Serzh Sargsyan was prepared to sign the Lavrov Plan, which in comparison to the statement Pashinyan signed trilaterally, would have been considered a great victory.]
Instead, today, as stated above, it is obvious that Pashinyan and his team have demonstrated no readiness to yield power.
Although not directly related, I can’t not reflect on the following rather dangerous thought that Vazgen Manukyan voiced, carelessly, something which can have destructive consequences for Armenia. “Great powers are going to gather against Turkey, the world will not forgive Turkey its insolence. If an alliance is formed against Turkey, we are in that alliance.”
The question then is – what happened to Rafael Ishkhanyan’s rule about excluding third forces. It appears that we would again be returning to 1920 when, relying on the anti-Turkish alliance of the countries of the Entente, and going counter to the rapprochement between Kemalist Turkey and Russia, we not only lost Western Armenia, but also the province of Kars, the region of Surmalu, Nakhichevan and Karabakh. Does Manukyan not understand that by expressing readiness, today, to join a still nonexistent anti-Turkish alliance, we are setting ourselves up against an already concluded Russian-Turkish understanding, which means we are then challenging not only Turkey, but also our friend, Russia.
Let there not be the impression that with this article I am opposing Vazgen Manukyan and expressing support for Nikol Pashinyan. Considering the shameful and humiliating document that has fallen to Armenia and Artsakh, Pashinyan’s administration must resign without delay. But not through civil conflict, rather exclusively by constitutional means, which would be honorable for both sides. Therefore, I call on our people not to become complicit in the mass provocations which are being inflamed by both the administration and the opposition, because, other than the threat of civil war, these are also extremely dangerous in making the spread of the Coronavirus even more unmanageable. I am also waiting, without hope, for our intellectuals to come forward, at least once, with calls for vigilance.
YEREVAN, November 30. /TASS/. The Armenian police started detaining activists who tried to block Yerevan’s central Mashtots Avenue, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a TASS correspondent reports from the scene.
“Nikol, a traitor, Nikol, resign!” the participants in the rally are chanting.
The situation on the Mashtots Avenue and adjacent streets remains tense and the participants in the protest rally are periodically trying to halt the road traffic.
The Armenian opposition demands Pashinyan’s resignation. The opposition politicians think that the November 9 joint statement he signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh is essentially a capitulation. They also hold the prime minister responsible for internal economic and social problems of the republic.
Pashinyan stated that after Shusha fell the fight became senseless for the Armenian side because from that moment Yerevan wouldn’t have been able to reach a breakthrough in military action. Armenian President Armen Sarkisyan urged to conduct early parliamentary elections, transferring power to the government of national accord until then.
But the decades-old dispute over Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian region that broke away from Azerbaijan during a war in the 1990s, is far from resolved.
Here’s what to expect next:
Return to homes
Armenia agreed to hand over three districts — Aghdam, Lachin and Kalbajar — as part of the November deal that stopped an Azerbaijani offensive that saw Baku reclaim swathes of territory lost to Armenian separatists in the war.
Lachin was ceded on Tuesday, Kalbajar on November 25 and Aghdam on November 20.
Azerbaijan won back four other districts during the fighting and is now in control of all seven around Karabakh that Armenian forces seized in the 1990s as a buffer zone.
Tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis who fled these districts are expected to return, though Baku says the desolate areas first need to be made habitable by clearing landmines and rebuilding infrastructure.
The separatists are retaining control over most of Karabakh’s Soviet-era territory and there too residents are returning.
Up to 90,000 people fled Karabakh during the fighting — some 60 percent of the population.
Russia, which deployed peacekeepers under the deal, is helping them to go home and said Tuesday more than 26,000 had returned.
Living side-by-side
Nearly 2,000 Russian soldiers have been deployed for a renewable five-year mandate to keep the peace between the two sides.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan has vowed to invest huge sums in rebuilding the reclaimed districts, but the economic future of the Karabakh Armenians is far less certain.
The region has long relied on financial help from Armenia, itself struggling with a weak economy.
How Azerbaijan, Armenia and the separatist authorities will work together is also an open question, and tensions are sure to arise.
“The Moscow-brokered agreement… is ambiguous on a number of aspects such as the mandate of Russian peacekeepers and how the life of the local population, both Armenian and Azerbaijani, will be organised,” says Olesya Vartanyan of the International Crisis Group.
“In case the ambiguity persists, that will be potentially a source of tensions and destabilisation.”
What future for Karabakh?
The agreement also does not spell out how the most difficult question will be dealt with: Karabakh’s long-term future.
Decades of talks chaired by France, Russia and the United States — the so-called Minsk Group — failed to find a political settlement over the region’s status.
Russia’s crucial role in ending the latest fighting has moved it to the forefront and Azerbaijan is very keen for key ally Turkey to be involved in mediation efforts.
The credibility of the Minsk Group is also being called into question, in particular by Azerbaijan which last week lashed out at France after its Senate passed a resolution calling for the recognition of Karabakh as independent.
Experts say a different diplomatic format may be possible and that the new status quo could present an opportunity as a major sticking point in talks — the return of the seven districts around Karabakh — has been removed.
But mistrust in the region runs deep and decades of enmity will be hard to overcome.
Tue, 24th Nov 2020 12:23
(Sharecast News) – Azerbaijan-focussed gold, copper and silver producer Anglo Asian Mining updated its guidance for turnover and production at the Gedabek contract area in the west of the country on Monday, to between 68,000 and 72,000 gold equivalent ounces for the year ending 31 December.
The AIM-traded firm said that was primarily due to some delays in underground development, resulting from the conscription of a number of engineering staff, together with slowed tunnelling progress due to underground rock faulting.
It confirmed that it was still on track to achieve turnover for 2020 of more than $100m.
The board said staff members who were conscripted due to the territorial dispute with Armenia were expected to return to work early in 2021, after the military demobilised.
Its operations at Gedabek suffered no physical damage, and were said to be operating normally.
Anglo Asian said that, with a peace agreement signed, it would shortly inform the market on its plans for the three contract areas, included in its 1997 production sharing agreement with Azerbaijan, located within those areas that had now become accessible.
“On reflection, this has been a challenging year for the company,” said chief executive officer Reza Vaziri.
“The difficulties started with the on-going restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Vaziri said the year was ending with a peace treaty in place between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with international peacekeepers helping maintain the agreement.
“Despite all these headwinds, it is a testament to the entire workforce that the company has continued in operation and remains on track to achieve a turnover of over $100m for the year, with a significantly strengthened balance sheet, whilst still paying dividends to shareholders.”
At 1207 GMT, shares in Anglo Asian Mining were down 3.61% at 121.45p.
10:34,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. administration and Europe need to work jointly on addressing actions led by Turkey in the Middle East over the past few months, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told French daily newspaper Le Figaro, reports Reuters.
“France’s president Emmanuel Macron and I agree that Turkey’s recent actions have been very aggressive,” Pompeo said, citing Turkey’s recent support to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as military moves in Libya and the Mediterranean.
“Europe and the U.S. must work together to convince Erdogan such actions are not in the interest of his people,” Pompeo said, referring to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Pompeo said increased use of Turkey’s military capability was a concern.
Wednesday,
New Armenian Foreign Minister Named
Armenia - Newly appointed Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian.
Career diplomat Ara Ayvazian was appointed as Armenia’s new foreign minister on
Wednesday.
President Armen Sarkissian signed a relevant decree, initiated by Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian, two days after the resignation of Foreign Minister Zohrab
Mnatsakanian.
Pashinian announced on Monday that he has decided to sack Mnatsakanian. The
latter insisted, however, that he himself tendered his resignation. He gave no
reason for the move.
Earlier on Monday, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalian
publicly contradicted Pashinian’s comments regarding Shushi (Shusha),
Nagorno-Karabakh’s second largest city captured by Azerbaijani forces during the
recent war.
The prime minister claimed that peace proposals made by U.S., Russian and French
mediators in recent years called for the restoration of Azerbaijani control over
Shushi.
“The issue of giving up [Karabakh Armenian control of] Shushi was not raised
during any stage of the peace process,” Naghdalian said in a short statement.
One of Mnatsakanian’s deputies, Shavarsh Kocharian, also stepped down following
a Russian-mediated ceasefire that stopped the bloody war in Karabakh.
Ayvazian also served as deputy foreign minister before being named to replace
Mnatsakanian. The 51-year-old was appointed to that position as recently as on
October 16. He had previously worked as Armenia’s ambassador to Mexico and
various European countries.
Tsarukian Risks Losing Parliament Seat
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian arrives for a court
hearing on his pre-trial arrest sought by prosecutors, Yerevan, June 17, 2020.
Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK),
could be stripped of his parliament seat after being accused by a
anti-corruption state body of illegally engaging in entrepreneurial activity.
Article 95 of the Armenian constitution bans parliament deputies from doing
business and most types of paid work during their tenure.
The Commission on the Prevention of Corruption claims that Tsarukian has
violated this provision by continuing to run at least some of the several dozen
companies owned by him. It says that he has chaired meetings of their executive
boards, personally hired new employees for them and discussed business projects
with investors.
The commission has submitted a relevant report to the Armenian parliament after
dismissing objections from Tsarukian’s lawyers. The latter argued that the BHK
leader had to take care of his business assets because the chief executive of
his Multi Group holding company, Sedrak Arustamian, is under arrest.
The leadership of the parliament controlled by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s
My Step bloc is due to meet next week to decide whether to ask the
Constitutional Court to oust Tsarukian from the National Assembly.
The BHK has condemned the proceedings as baseless and politically motivated. It
says that they are part of a continuing government crackdown on Armenia’s
largest parliamentary opposition force.
The chairwoman of the anti-corruption commission, Haykuhi Harutiunian, dismissed
the BHK claims. Harutiunian said that the commission began investigating
Tsarukian in July and submitted its findings to the parliament on October 26,
two weeks before the start of opposition protests against Pashinian’s handling
of the war with Azerbaijan.
Tsarukian’s party is one of 17 opposition forces that launched the protests
following a Russian-mediated ceasefire that stopped the fighting. They accuse
Pashinian of a sellout and demand his resignation.
Tsarukian, who is one of the country’s richest men, was arrested in late
September on vote buying charges strongly denied by him. A Yerevan court freed
him on bail on October 22.
Turkish Parliament Approves Troop Observer Deployment To Karabakh
TURKEY -- Members of the Turkish parliament attend an extraordinary session in
Ankara, January 2, 2020
(Reuters) - Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday approved the deployment of troops to
join Russian forces at an observation post near Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia
and Azerbaijan signed a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal to end fighting over the
enclave.
The mandate will allow Turkish troops to be stationed at the center for one year
as part of an accord between Ankara and Moscow to monitor the implementation of
the ceasefire, which locked in territorial gains by Azerbaijan. Some 2,000
Russian peacekeeping troops are now also deploying to the region.
In a letter to parliament asking for the mandate’s approval, President Tayyip
Erdogan said the presence of Turkish troops and, “if needed, civilian personnel
from our country, (will) be to the benefit of the peace and prosperity of the
regional people, and necessary for our national interests”.
The ceasefire signed on November 10 halted military action in and around
Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated
by ethnic Armenians, after the worst fighting in the region since the 1990s.
Turkey has accused Armenia of occupying Azeri lands and pledged solidarity with
its ethnic Turkic kin in Azerbaijan. Ankara has blamed the Minsk group - formed
to mediate the conflict and led by Russia, France and the United States - of
freezing the issue for nearly 30 years.
A Russian military delegation held talks in Turkey last week to discuss the
parameters of the Turkish-Russian center. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar
said on Tuesday Ankara’s and Moscow’s cooperation would continue.
Dozens Prosecuted Over Yerevan Riots
Armenia - Anry protesters ransack the main meeting room of the Armenian
government at the prime minister's office in Yerevan, November 10, 2020.
An Armenian law-enforcement agency said on Wednesday that it has launched
criminal proceedings against dozens of men who attacked and ransacked key state
buildings in Yerevan early on November 10 following the announcement of a
Russian-brokered ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The angry mobs broke into Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s office and residence
and the Armenian parliament and severely beat up parliament speaker Ararat
Mirzoyan in protest against the ceasefire agreement which they said amounted to
Armenia’s capitulation in the six-week war with Azerbaijan.
Several dozen men also attacked RFE/RL’s Yerevan bureau, branding its employees
“traitors” and “Turks” and attempting to assault some of them.
In a statement, the National Security Service (NSS) said it has identified more
than 70 organizers and participants of the riots and arrested 15 of them. The
detainees and more than two dozen other persons have been indicted on relevant
charges, it said, adding that law-enforcement authorities are now trying to
track down the other rioters.
The NSS also said that supporters of some opposition politicians played an
“active role” in the violence. It did not name them.
Armenia - Angry protesters break into the Armenian parliament, Yerevan, November
10, 2020,
Pashinian’s press secretary, Mane Gevorgian, publicized on Tuesday security
camera footage of the ransacking of the prime minister’s office. It shows that
several young supporters of former Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Robert
Kocharian as well as two sons-in-law of Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of the
opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), and the head of the BHK’s youth wing
were among the men that illegally entered the main government building.
Pro-government lawmakers seized upon the video to accuse the BHK of involvement
in the unrest. Their BHK colleagues angrily denied that during a heated session
of the National Assembly.
One of Tsarukian’s sons-in-law, Davit Manukian, is a parliament deputy while the
other, Karapet Guloyan, used to work as a provincial governor.
Manukian confirmed on Tuesday that he and Guloyan went into the building. He
insisted, however, they did not smash any furniture there and on the contrary
tried to stop the violence.
Armenian PM Vows Cabinet Shakeup (UPDATED)
• Robert Zargarian
ARMENIA -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses the parliament in
Yerevan, November 16, 2020
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Wednesday pledged to reshuffle his government
and gave no indications that he will resign or agree to snap general elections
in the aftermath of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In a statement that outlined his further actions, Pashinian again accepted
responsibility for the outcome of the six-week war that resulted in significant
Armenian losses and Azerbaijani territorial gains.
“I am also primarily responsible for overcoming the situation and establishing
stability and security in the country,” he said. “I want to stress that I not
only do not intend to abandon that responsibility but am also fully committed to
that task.”
Pashinian went on to present a 15-point plan of government actions and
objectives for the next six months. They include the return of ethnic Armenian
refugees to Karabakh and reconstruction of their homes damaged during the war,
the restart of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks mediated by Russia, France and
the United States, and the repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war and
civilian captives.
Pashinian’s “roadmap” also envisages a major reform of Armenia’s armed forces,
continued fight against corruption and government efforts to contain the spread
of the coronavirus and stimulate economic activity in the country.
“In order to implement this roadmap, I am carrying out changes in the
government’s composition,” he said without elaborating.
“In June 2021 I will submit a report on the roadmap’s implementation. Based on
its results, we will decide our further actions by taking into account public
opinion and reactions,” added the embattled prime minister.
Armenia - Opposition parties hold an anti-government rally in Liberty Square,
Yerevan, .
Pashinian made no mention of his resignation and fresh parliamentary elections
demanded by the Armenian opposition. Opposition forces hold him responsible for
the Armenian side’s defeat in the six-week war that was stopped by a
Russian-mediated ceasefire agreement on November 10.
President Armen Sarkissian has also called for snap polls, saying that they
would “save the country from upheavals.” In a televised address to the nation
aired on Monday, Sarkissian said they should be held by a new, interim
“government of national accord.”
Two members of Pashinian’s cabinet, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian and
Minister for Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakian, have resigned this week.
Later on Wednesday, 17 opposition parties campaigning for Pashinian’s
resignation held another rally in Yerevan’s Liberty Square attended by several
thousand people. Opposition leaders repeated their allegations that the current
government has lost its legitimacy and must go.
ARMENIA -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses supporters demonstrating in
Yerevan,
Meanwhile, about 200 supporters of Pashinian, many of them demobilized army
reservists and volunteers, gathered in the city’s Republic Square to voice
support for Pashinian and condemn the opposition.
Pashinian approached the small crowd and urged it disperse, saying that he will
rally supporters “if need be.”
One of his aides, Nairi Sargsian, denied opposition claims that the government
itself organized the pro-Pashinian demonstration. “Had we organized it this
square would have been packed,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
13:38,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The two opposition parties of the Armenian parliament – the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) and Bright Armenia Party (LHK) – boycotted the session and left the parliament hall.
LHK lawmaker Gevorg Gorgisyan said they have called for an emergency session of parliament to lift the martial law and that they won’t participate in other regular sessions.
“We have convened an emergency session with our colleagues with the proposal to lift the martial law. We won’t participate in any other debates,” Gorgisyan said.
In turn, BHK is also calling on lawmakers to debate solely the issue of dismissing the Prime Minister.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Russia, which is deploying troops to Nagorno-Karabakh to oversee the peace deal, previously said Turkish troops would not be joining them.
Turkey’s government has submitted a motion to parliament, seeking its approval to deploy peacekeepers to monitor a ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the state-run news agency reported.
Turkey, which threw its weight behind its ally Azerbaijan in the conflict, has been engaged in talks with Russia for a role in monitoring the ceasefire that ended six weeks of intense fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Russian and Turkish defence ministers signed a memorandum last week to create a joint monitoring centre in Azerbaijan.
The bill submitted to the parliament on Monday requests a one-year mandate to send Turkish peacekeepers, adding that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would determine the number of troops to be sent.
The motion is expected to be debated in the coming days. It states that civilian personnel could also be deployed as part of the peacekeeping mission.
“It has been assessed that for the Turkish Armed Forces personnel … to take part in the Joint Center which Turkey and Russia will form together, will be beneficial for the peace and welfare of the region’s people and is necessary from the point of our national interests,” state-run Anadolu Agency wrote, quoting the motion.
Russian officials have said that Ankara’s involvement will be limited to the work of the monitoring centre on Azerbaijani soil, and Turkish peacekeepers would not go to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said the centre will operate remotely, using drones and other technical means to monitor possible violations.
Russia, which negotiated the ceasefire, is sending about 2,000 peacekeeping troops under a five-year mandate.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994.
In a separate development, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – who signed the deal with Azerbaijan, fuelling rage in his country – called on Monday for a halt to violence after reports of an attempt on his life.
After the deal was announced, thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Armenian capital Yerevan, calling Pashinyan a “traitor” and demanding his resignation. Protesters also stormed government buildings.
“Today I clearly stated that violence or the provoking of violence (especially armed violence) cannot in any way be a means of action for the government,” Pashinyan said on Facebook.
Pashinyan said he expected the opposition to also declare that it did not back “any violent action”.