Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Armenian Assembly of America News
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Fax: (202) 638-4904
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Congressman Jim McGovern Condemns Attack Against Armenians in Kessab, Syria

March 28, 2014
By Taniel Koushakjian

Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Co-Chair of the U.S. House of
Representatives Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, released the following
statement on the recent siege on the Christian Armenian city of Kessab,
Syria:

“I strongly condemn the brutal attacks on the Armenian-populated town of
Kessab by al-Qaeda affiliated armed bands. I am deeply saddened by the news
of 80 lost lives and remain concerned for the fate of those who were forced
to flee the area. This massacre underscores the particular vulnerability of
Christian and other minorities in Syria and is another example of the
atrociousness and endless cruelty of the Syrian conflict. Further, I am
deeply concerned by the reports that these attacks allegedly originated in
Turkey and demand that the United States and international community
conduct a thorough and critical investigation of these claims.”

Yesterday, the Armenian Assembly of America’s executive director, Bryan
Ardouny, and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), met with officials at the U.S. Department of
State. The meeting came just days after the Assembly sent a pointed letter
to President Barack Obama urging him to take steps to safeguard the
Armenians of Kessab. On Wednesday, the Assembly publicly condemned the
assault on Kessab and remains alarmed at reports that Al-Qaeda affiliated
Islamic extremists crossed into Syria via NATO ally Turkey, resulting in
the displacement of over 650 families and the confiscation and looting of
Armenian homes, businesses and religious sanctuaries.

The Assembly’s letter to President Obama is available here:

This article is available online here:

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America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting
public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
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From: Baghdasarian

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
For Justice and Democracy
(former C.D.C.A. Europe)
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 BRUXELLES
Tel./Fax : +32 (0) 2 732 70 26 / 27
E-mail : [email protected]
Web :

Brussels, March 26 2014,

Following the statement of the Armenian National Committee of Belgium
and the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy,
regarding the recent invasion of Kessab district of Syria by Al-Qaida
affiliated extremists, and the displacement of Syrian Armenians and
other Christian minorities of Syria, Mr. Andre de Bus, member of the
Belgian Senate, and Senator for Brussels and the Walon-Brussels
Federation, sent a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Mr. Didier Reynders, requesting
explanations on the issue and the current situation at the Syrian
border areas with Turkey, and the conflict in general. Here, in its
entirety the letter sent by Senator Andre de Bus

(translated from French):

Dear Mister Minister,

The civil war continues in Syria claiming more and more victims,
damages and destruction with every other day. Regardless of the
current disinterest of media on the topic, the towns in control by the
opposition are being taken back by the Assad regime, and are growing
in numbers. Unfortunately, the opposition is not united; the Syrian
Free Army is opposed by the Islamist groups that are striving to
impose their view of world order.

As you have already mentioned, this issue could not have any other
decision than that of political. Unfortunately, the Geneva conference
has not brought the expected results and the humanitarian pauses are
too short in duration and not sufficient to tackle the needs of
suffering population.

At the end of March the Kessab region has fallen in the hands of
Islamist rebels. This event has raised more population concerns as
they are inhabited mainly by Armenians, descendants of the 1915
genocide survivors. The Islamists came from the territory of Turkey, a
fact that is disturbing the Armenian population of the region.

Mister Minister,

My questions to you are as follows:

– Have you discussed the issue of Syria with your Iranian counterparts
during your recent visit? – If so, do you foresee an influence on the
Syrian president to a negotiated outcome, respect for minorities and
human rights?
– Has the situation in Syria been discussed during your recent trip to
Saudi Arabia? Are Saudi authorities willing to influence the Islamist
groups, and do they support a negotiated outcome, respect for
minorities and human rights?
– Could you give an update on discussions at European level as regards
to sanctions vis-à-vis Syria, and support for a political solution?
– The Christian communities in Syria are particularly targeted. Has
this been the subject of a specific approach at European level? Thank
you very much and with best regards,

Andre de Bus,
Senator

_________________________
Bedo KURKJIAN – DEMIRDJIAN
European Armenian Federation
for Justice & Democracy (EAFJD)
tel : +32 2 732 70 26 / 27
Ave. de la Renaissance, 10
Bruxelles, 1000,
Belgique

From: Baghdasarian

‘MINORITY GROUPS FACE INCREASING DISCRIMINATION IN TURKEY’

Today’s Zaman (Turkey)
March 20, 2014 Thursday

by MELTEM NAZ KASO

Despite March 21 being both the UN-designated International Day
for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the start of the
Nevruz festival, which marks the first day of spring and has been
celebrated by people from diverse ethnic communities and religious
backgrounds for thousands of years, some prominent voices in Turkey
have used the occasion to tell Today’s Zaman that discrimination is
increasing against those who do not practice Sunni Islam or identify
as ethnic Turks.

Aren, a Christian of Armenian heritage in his 30s, says that on one
occasion, when he was exercising at the gym, some people opened windows
soon after he started running and said that “the room had started
to smell like an Armenian.” Another man of Aren’s age referred to a
dumbbell as being “as heavy as an unbeliever’s dead body.” He tells
Today’s Zaman that this is far from being the most severe incident
he has experienced in Turkey in terms of discrimination due to
his ethnicity and religion. He could well be right. Other prominent
incidents of racial and religious discrimination — such as the murder
of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who was killed outside his
office, and three Christians who were brutally murdered at the Zirve
publishing house in Malatya — reveal that intolerance can be deadly.

On paper, Turkey has taken significant steps to fight against
discrimination. After the long-running public debates over the
implementation of a “democracy package” — an initiative to extend
rights to Turkey’s disadvantaged minorities — hate crime entered the
Turkish statute books for the first time in December 2013. Hate and
prejudice crimes are defined as “crimes committed against someone
or some group based on their language, race, nationality, skin
color, gender, disability, political views, philosophical beliefs or
religion.” Yet, unlike the preferred definition of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), it lacks criteria
based on ethnicity and sexual orientation. In addition, the largest
ethnic minority in Turkey, the Kurds, are not specifically included
in the regulation.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) issued a
public declaration in January 2014 to draw attention to these gaps
in Turkey’s hate crime legislation. So far, no subsequent changes
have taken place.

Erdal Dogan, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the
Zirve murder case, thinks that the problem of ethnic and racial
discrimination is deeply rooted in Turkey and will not be resolved
soon. “Since the founding of the Turkish Republic, our country had been
built according to the concept of ‘oneness.’ To ‘Turkify’ everyone,
governments normalized hate speech and did not recognize ethnic or
religious differences,” Dogan tells Today’s Zaman. According to the
lawyer, the goal of such policies was to label as an enemy all those
who were not Sunni Muslim Turks.

Dogan is of the opinion that legal amendments to criminalize
discrimination are ineffective due to the lack of emphasis on
constitutional equality. “The [Justice and Development Party] AK Party
government has underdelivered with the democracy package,” he says. He
thinks that political leaders — regardless of the political party
they adhere to — are not sincerely dedicated to fighting against
discrimination and hate crimes. “They [politicians] have resisted
[drives to outlaw discrimination].”

Similarly, Zeynep Arslan, a representative from the Hrant Dink
Foundation who coordinates the Media Watch on Hate Speech Project, told
Today’s Zaman about the project’s research from the last four months
of 2013. “There has been an increase in racial, ethnic and religious
discrimination that should not be underestimated. The provocative tone
toughened in the media, criticizing the illegalization of hate crime,
especially during the Christmas season in order to target Christians,”
Arslan says. She points out that most discrimination she has uncovered
is against individuals or groups who identify as Armenian, Christian
or Jewish. “The next most serious targets of discrimination are Kurds
and Westerners,” Arslan claims.

She also mentions that popular political discourse which makes
headlines also results in the increase of hate speech and
discrimination.

Turkey hosts both religious and ethnic minorities, ranging from ethnic
groups like Armenians, Jews and Kurds to religious groups like Alevis,
Shiite Muslims and Eastern Orthodox Christians. CIA World Factbook
statistics claim that an estimated 25-30 percent of the Turkish
population belong to an ethnic minority, while 25.7 percent adhere to
a minority religion, including large numbers of Alevis, a non-Sunni
Muslim group combining Anatolian folk Shiite Islam with Sufi elements.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKISH ISLAMIST PARTY EYES VICTORY OR SECOND PLACE IN DIYARBAKIR

Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
March 20 2014

Diyarbakir/Ankara: 20 March: For the Free Cause Party (Huda-Par),
founded in December 2012 by members of a defunct association with
reported links to Turkey’s outlawed Islamist Hezbollah organization,
the upcoming 30 March local elections are the first ever elections
in which it will run.

“We are asking for the votes that have previously been entrusted to
other parties because we did not exist as a political party on the
ground,” Huseyin Yilmaz, Huda-Par’s mayoral candidate for Diyarbakir,
told the Hurriyet Daily News over the weekend.

Yilmaz is the former chair of the now-defunct Association for
Solidarity with The Oppressed (Mustazaf-Der).

Mustazaf-Der was shut down in May 2012 for alleged links with the
Hezbollah terror organization, which is unrelated to the Lebanese
militant group, Hezbollah.

Yilmaz, who is a lawyer by profession, admitted that a number of former
Hezbollah members who served their sentences are now representing
Huda-Par. However, he insisted that there is no difference between
a former convict and an ordinary citizen, as long as the former has
served whatever his sentence is.

“They are using the presence among us of individuals who were convicted
of being members of Hezbollah as a method to ‘illegalize’ our party,”
he said.

Assertive

When asked what Huda-Par’s goal was in Diyarbakir, Yilmaz sounded
confident, responding: “Winning.”

“The aim is to win and we don’t assume that we will get less than 40
per cent of the votes. For us, winning would be a success. Being the
third party, however, would definitely be a failure,” he said.

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and its predecessor parties have
been holding the Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality since 1999,
having won three consecutive local elections since then. It remains
the runaway favourite to win the 30 March election as well.

Yilmaz therefore suggested that targeting second place in the election
was a realistic target, saying his party should aim to receive more
votes than the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“We are dealing with our own struggle and are not interested in the
‘shift,'” Yilmaz said, referring to arguments over whether they will
attract people who earlier voted for the AKP or for the BDP.

“We cannot know from whom we will get more of the votes …

Additionally, there are also people who didn’t go to the ballot boxes
previously, and we are expecting some of those people to favour us.

Once, if a person’s Kurdish identity is dominant he would vote for
the BDP, and if a person’s Muslim identity is dominant he would vote
for the AKP. But now there is Huda-Par, and people from both sides
will go to the polls for us,” he elaborated.

PM’s style

Members and staff from the BDP’s provincial branch, as well as
from election offices in Diyarbakir’s districts, accuse Huda-Par of
“provocations” that have already led to a number of skirmishes between
young supporters of the two parties.

Yilmaz refuted these claims. “They are the ones provoking conflict
with us because the BDP and the PKK [the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party] do not want to lose ground. They are deceiving young people
in order to get them to attack us,” he claimed.

The roots of the hostility between the two parties go back a long way.

Similar to how Huda-Par has a connection with Hezbollah, the BDP
shares the same grassroots as the PKK. The jailed PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan’s posters are hung in every election office, as well as in the
BDP provincial branch’s headquarters. “Freedom for Ocalan” is also
a popular slogan shouted by people during the BDP’s electioneering.

Back in 1990s, the two organizations fought each other, while also
fighting with the Turkish state security forces.

In 2000, Hezbollah’s founder Huseyin Velioglu was shot dead by police
in a siege in Istanbul, while more raids hampered it further.

According to unconfirmed reports, during the near decade-long fight
between the two groups, around 700 people lost their lives.

Today, it is a soft-spoken Yilmaz who criticizes Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s style, which he says is “excluding” and “otherizing.”

“A Muslim should be moderate. If you are governing, then you should
leave your party’s pin aside. You should approach and treat all
equally without regarding sectarian, religious and ethnic differences
-Armenians, Greeks, Yezidis and Assyrians,” he said, noting his
disapproval of remarks by Erdogan.

“They [his opponents] have even called us Jews, Armenians and, pardon
the word, Greeks,” Erdogan said in an interview in 2011.

According to Yilmaz, the use of the word “pardon” for any person or
people is not fair and he added that “a Muslim should not deviate
from justice.”

From: Baghdasarian

RESEARCH AND MARKETS: THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY IN ARMENIA, KEY TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO 2018

Financial Mirror
March 28 2014

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Research and Markets
()
has announced the addition of the “The Insurance Industry in Armenia,
Key Trends and Opportunities to 2018” report to their offering.

Although very small, the Armenian insurance industry registered
significant growth during the review period (2009-2013). Its written
premium grew at a review-period compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
of 50.9%.

This was mainly due to the introduction of mandatory third-party
motor insurance in 2011, which had a significant impact on the growth
of motor insurance and the overall insurance industry. The written
premium value of the motor insurance category rose at a review-period
CAGR of 209.8%.

Scope

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the insurance industry
in Armenia:

– It provides historical values for the Armenian insurance industry
for the report’s 2008-2012 review period and projected figures for
the 2012-2017 forecast period.

– It offers a detailed analysis of the key segments and categories
in the Armenian insurance industry, along with forecasts until 2017.

– It covers an exhaustive list of parameters, including written
premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined
ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions.

– It profiles the top insurance companies in Armenia, and outlines
the key regulations affecting them.

The report provides in-depth industry analysis, information and
insights of the insurance industry in Armenia

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary Introduction Industry Segmentation Governance, Risk
and Compliance Competitive Landscape Economic Indicators Appendix
List of Tables List of Figures

Companies Mentioned

Rosgosstrakh Armenia Ingo Armenia Nairi Insurance Reso Insurance
Garant-Limence Armenia Armenia Insurance SIL Insurance

For more information visit

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA DENIES PLANS TO ABANDON NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PROJECT

Business New Europe
March 28 2014

bne
March 28, 2014

The Armenian government on March 27 sought to squash speculation
that it could drop a project to expand its nuclear power plant,
but admitted it is having trouble raising the cash.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisyan rejected recent
reports questioning Yerevan’s commitment to the project to replace the
Soviet-era Metsamor plant. However, he acknowledged that Yerevan is
struggling to find the estimated $5bn needed to build a new facility,
despite hopes of Russian finance.

The official told journalists that due to conditions on international
markets, together with “some geopolitical developments”, Yerevan has
not so far been able to raise the funds to start construction of a new
unit. However, the finance ministry has been instructed to accelerate
work to secure an intergovernmental loan from Russia for the project,
Arka reports.

Yerevan is already working with Russia to extend the life of the
existing units at the power plant and is hopeful of receiving further
support following President Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to enter the
Russian-led Customs Union in September 2013.

Metsamor, which is 36km from Yerevan, was built in the 1970s, but
closed after the devastating 1988 earthquake raised fears about the
security of the plant. However, one of the two reactors was restarted
in 1995, as sanctions imposed by neighbours Azerbaijan and Turkey
forced Yerevan to find new power sources.

Two years ago, the government decided to extend the service life of
Metsamor, which provides around 40% of Armenia’s electricity, for
ten years, which would keep the plant in operation until 2026. The
decision provoked safety concerns elsewhere in the Caucasus region.

Both Armenian environmental groups and Armenia’s neighbours have
called for Metsamor to be shut down altogether.

Preliminary work on extending the life of the reactor is currently
underway, and is due to be completed by September 2016, the reactor’s
expiry date. The Metsamor management company is expected to sign an
agreement with Russia’s Rosatomservice on the project in 2014.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY FEARS ‘DEEP STATE’ RETURN

Voice of America News
March 19, 2014

by Dorian Jones

March 19, 2014

ISTANBUL – The release of retired senior military figures and crime
bosses in Turkey is prompting concern that the country’s so-called
“deep state” could return.

A legal reform introduced by the Turkish government has seen dozens
of retired military officers and members of the country’s criminal
underworld released from jail. Many have been convicted of crimes
linked to what prosecutors have termed “Derin Devlet” or deep state –
unofficial networks of power that prosecutors claim are responsible
for political assassinations of people considered enemies of the state.

Cengiz Aktar of Istanbul Policy Forum said the releases were worrisome.

“The Turkish public opinion is extremely worried about these releases
because these people might think about taking revenge in the months
to come,” said Aktar.

Among those released are people convicted of assassinating prominent
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Prosecutors allege that the killers
of three missionaries also have been released. Others are accused of
forming death squads within the security forces.

But human rights groups said most of the victims of crimes committed
by Turkey’s so-called “deep state” were activists fighting for Kurdish
minority rights, especially during the 1990s at the height of fighting
between the Turkish state and the Kurdish rebel group PKK.

Several offices of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party have been
attacked by Turkish nationalists this month during local election
campaigns. The party’s leader, Ertugrul Kurkcu, said the deep state
organization was involved.

“This group is the major mastermind behind these attacks. They, of
course, did not lead those attacks, while they were in prison. But
this is the remnants of this group which has been very active in the
past atrocities against the Kurds and democrats,” he said.

Kurkcu and many other political observers said the government has
released individuals linked to Turkey’s deep state in a bid to enlist
its support in its battle against followers of an Islamic cleric,
Fetullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States.

The government accused his followers of infiltrating sections of
judiciary and police.

Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar of Carnegie Europe, doubted the
government would take such a risky move. He blamed the releases on
shortcomings within the judiciary.

“From the standpoint from the government this was also an unwanted
development because most of Turkish society is critical with this
development,” he said. “Certainly some of the people have been
associated with Turkey’s deep state, can regroup. But I don’t think
that’s possible anymore because there has been fundamental change in
the civil military relationship and that will not change.”

Political scientist Aktar acknowledged that Turkey has changed from
the time when the military directly intervened in politics. But he
said with the government having purged thousands of polices officers
and members of the judiciary in its battle against Gulen’s followers,
Turkey remains vulnerable to political intrigue.

“The police and justice have been shaken and destabilized. Therefore we
don’t know who will ensure the public order, with that many criminals
there in the streets of the country. It’s very worrisome,” said Aktar.

Human rights groups accused Turkey’s “deep state” of thousands of
political deaths and disappearances during the 1990s.

From: Baghdasarian

NEW ACADEMY FOR JUDGES, PROSECUTORS OPENED IN ARMENIA

Legal Monitor Worldwide
March 19, 2014 Wednesday

Armenian Justice Minister Hrair Tovmasyan hopes that the newly
opened Justice Academy will manage “to deepen the sense of justice”
among judges and prosecutors and prepare qualified and skilful
professionals. “The times when we blamed our mistakes, omissions in
this field on the lack of time and experience are over. We should
reach the rational stage, and that rational stage means having a
really full-fledged judicial authority, a judicial authority under
which when you say a judge or a court there is immediately a sense of
justice, fairness, confidence, impartiality, certainty. We, indeed,
should be able to reach the point where the judge is a wise and
virtuous man. This academy should contribute to it,” Tovmasyan told
media during the Tuesday opening of the academy situated in Yerevan’s
Davidashen community.

The Academy building on an area of 2,700 square meters was built at
the expense of World Bank loan funds. The construction project cost
830 million drams (about $2 million). This educational institution
was built as part of the 2012-2016 Legal and Judicial Reform Strategy
Program. The Academy’s Board of Directors includes the Minister of
Justice, three judges and three prosecutors, it has operated since
January 1, but the official opening ceremony, which was also attended
by President Serzh Sargsyan, took place only on March 18.

“We will conduct professional training of persons included in the list
of judges and prosecutors, as a result of which these people will get
an opportunity to occupy positions of judges or prosecutors. The other
sphere of our activities is annual retraining for all acting judges
and prosecutors,” said Academy Rector Ruben Melikyan, who previously
served as deputy minister of justice.

There is an ambiguous attitude in Armenia towards the judiciary and
the justice system in general. Late last year a report by Ombudsman
Karen Andreasyan caused a real stir among justice system officials.

The Office of the Ombudsman, in particular, argued that in passing
verdicts the Court of Cassation and the Justice Council apply double
standards, which sometimes is accompanied with violations of the
requirements of the law.

The authors of the report also argued that there is a ‘kickback price
list’ in the Armenian judicial, which is usually 10 percent of the
lawsuit value. The Ombudsman’s report also referred to pressures put on
judges and raised the issue of lack of independence of the judiciary.

Armenian human rights activists believe that additional professional
training will not be superfluous for judges and prosecutors. But,
at the same time, they doubt it will help them get rid of pressures
from the government in certain cases and become more independent.

Human rights activist Mikael Danielyan says that opening academies
for “deepening justice” is not enough. What is needed to change
the situation, according to the chairman of the Armenian Helsinki
Association, is demonstrating political will.

“The government should reconsider its approach to justice. The courts
must become independent, the government must not interfere with the
course of justice at all. But our government, unfortunately, does,
and judges become corrupt. Besides financial relations there is also
so-called ‘telephone relationship’ that the authorities reserve
for themselves. The prosecutor’s office works in the same manner
and can influence the courts, and at the same time it depends on the
government,” says Danielyan. “The government should be able to change
from within and not just open academies and train fair and impartial
judges and prosecutors there. This is ridiculous. The impression is
that the minister of justice does not live in Armenia.”© 2014 Legal
Monitor Worldwide.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA’S GOVERNMENT MUST RESIGN – PROSPEROUS ARMENIA MP

15:21 * 28.03.14

The Prosperous Armenia parliamentary group warns the authorities
against any attempts to prevent the Armenian government’s resignation.

Otherwise, it promises “barricades” and “shocks,” Prosperous Armenia
parliamentary group member Vahan Babayan told reporters on Friday.

“The government has failed in all the areas of vital importance. We
have no choice and we are launching a monthly no confidence campaign
today. The government must resign – not only Premier Tigran Sargsyan,
but all the ministers,” Babayan said.

“We will struggle for radical changes. A government of national
consent must be Armenia’s next government,” he added.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

‘ROGUE’ VOTE: ARMENIA BACKS ALLY RUSSIA OVER UN RESOLUTION ON UKRAINE

ANALYSIS | 28.03.14 | 09:39

UN Photo

By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday reaffirmed Ukraine’s
territorial integrity and recognized as illegal the referendum in
Crimea that led to the peninsula’s annexation by Russia.

Armenia voted against the anti-Russian resolution among 11 other
nations most of which are classed by the West as ‘rogue regimes’.

Among them are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Syria,
Sudan, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Nicaragua. A hundred nations voted in
favor of the resolution, while 58 countries, including Brazil, South
Africa, China, India, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Vietnam, Egypt,
Uzbekistan and others, abstained from the vote. Several traditional
allies of Russia decided to opt out of the vote at all.

Among them are Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Israel, Serbia
and others.

Many observers have described yesterday’s vote at the UN as ‘political
segregation’ as countries must decide who they side with – Russia,
which is being subjected to increasingly stringent sanctions, or the
West. Armenia has apparently chosen Russia and got itself in the list
of countries that the Western community considers to be ‘rogue states’
and periodically subjects them to various sanctions.

The day before the vote RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, quoting a source at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published a report according to which
Armenia had decided to abstain during the UN vote on Ukraine. This
caused a sigh of relief in Armenia as many considered such a position
to be optimal. However, later Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran
Balayan in an interview with the Russian news agency Regnum said
that Armenia is not in the habit of declaring in advance about how
it will vote. It became clear that Armenia would vote against the
anti-Russian resolution.

In an explanatory note before the vote Armenia’s Representative
to the UN Karen Nazaryan said: “Armenia has consistently and over
years taken a principled position on the promotion of democracy,
freedoms and rights, including and in particular the equal rights
and self-determination of peoples as universal values and principles,
embraced by this Assembly, based on the UN Charter.”

Some Armenian experts also pointed out that Armenia could not
vote “for” the UN resolution, because having the problem of a
self-determined, but unrecognized Karabakh, it could not support the
priority of the principle of territorial integrity over the right of
peoples to self-determination. However, a vote “against”, according
to some observers, may result in the West extending its sanctions
also to Armenia.

It is even more so alarming considering that such votes are also
planned at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) session
in Strasbourg on April 7. The Assembly will consider depriving Russia
of its right to vote or suspending its membership. Deputy head of the
Russian delegation to the PACE Leonid Slutsky said that Russia itself
may move to withdraw from the PACE so that it is not “expelled under
enthusiastic hooting”. Armenia will also need to clarify its position
in this upcoming vote.

Armenia is connected with Russia with very binding treaties, moreover,
the Armenian authorities evince a sort of personal loyalty to the
Russian leadership. Each vote at the UN was very important to Moscow.

After the vote representative of the Russian Federation to the
UN Vitaly Churkin noted with satisfaction that Russia was not in
isolation.

However, everyone seems to understand that too close ties with Russia
will inevitably lead to the worsening of the situation in Armenia.

Armenian Economy Minister Vahram Avanesyan said that if the sanctions
against Russia continue, Armenia will have to revise some of its
economic indicators.

From: Baghdasarian