Author: Ekmekjian Janet

                                        Monday, 
Government Panel Wants To Abolish Armenia’s Constitutional Court
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia -- The Constitutional Court building in Yerevan, December 27, 2019.
A government commission on constitutional reform has recommended the abolition 
of Armenia’s Constitutional Court which has been locked in a standoff with Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s administration.
The 15-member commission voted narrowly over the weekend for a draft amendment 
that would merge the Constitutional Court with the Court of Cassation, the 
country’s highest body of criminal and administrative justice. Armenia would 
have a U.S.-style Supreme Court as a result.
Pashinian said in June that the ad commission body formed by his government in 
January should “very seriously” such a merger.
Daniel Ioannisian, one of the eight commission members who backed the idea, said 
on Monday that the Supreme Court would make it easier for Armenians to challenge 
the legality of decisions made by various state bodies.
Ioannisian also argued that many Constitutional Court rulings have been ignored 
by other Armenian courts. “We will address this problem as well,” he told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “Courts will now know that [every Supreme Court 
ruling] is the position of a court to which they are subordinate.”
But Artur Ghambarian, one of the seven other members who oppose the merger, 
insisted that the commission majority failed to substantiate the need for such a 
dramatic change. “They should come up with serious arguments and grounds in 
favor of dissolving major constitutional institutions and creating new ones in 
their place,” he wrote on Facebook.
Other critics, notably supporters of Armenia’s former leadership, claimed that 
the proposed dissolution of the Constitutional Court is part of Pashinian’s 
efforts to gain control over the judiciary.
For almost a year, Pashinian was at loggerheads with seven of the nine members 
of the Constitutional Court, accusing them of being linked to the former regime 
and impeding judicial reforms.
In June, the Armenian parliament controlled by his My Step bloc passed 
constitutional changes calling for the gradual resignation of those judges. They 
all had taken the bench before April 2018.
The amendments required two of them to resign with immediate effect. They also 
stipulated that Hrayr Tovmasian must quit as court chairman but remain a judge.
Tovmasian and the ousted judges have refused to step down, saying that their 
removal is illegal and politically motivated. They have appealed to the European 
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to have them reinstated.
Despite the legal action, Pashinian, President Armen Sarkissian and a nationwide 
assembly of Armenian judges have nominated candidates to replace the ousted 
judges. Under the Armenian constitution, all new members of the Constitutional 
Court must be appointed by the parliament.
The government nominee, Vahram Avetisian, last week withdrew his candidacy 
opposed by some lawmakers affiliated with Pashinian’s bloc. The government has 
yet to formally pick another candidate.
Armenian Soldier Captured By Azerbaijan
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
ARMENIA -- Armenian soldiers take their position on the front line in Tavush 
region, July 14, 2020
An Armenian army officer was taken prisoner by Azerbaijani forces over the 
weekend in disputed circumstances.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry said the junior officer, Gurgen Alaverdian, lost his 
way due to “extremely unfavorable weather conditions” as he was about to inspect 
an Armenian frontline position on Saturday evening. It did not specify whether 
the position is located on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border or the “line of 
contact” around Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani military claimed, meanwhile, that its troops deployed in the 
Goranboy district just north of Karabakh captured Alaverdian while fighting back 
an Armenian commando attack early on Sunday.
Shushan Stepanian, the spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry in Yerevan, 
dismissed the claim as “disinformation.”
“There was no [Armenian] sabotage attack,” said Stepanian. “They are just trying 
to portray the officer who lost his way as a saboteur.”
As of Monday afternoon it was not clear whether the Armenian government has 
asked representatives the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to 
visit Alaverdian in Azerbaijani custody or ascertain his whereabouts. The ICRC 
has offices in Baku and Yerevan.
Russian Firm To Modernize Armenian Warplanes
Armenia - Armenian Su-25 combat aircraft fly during a military parade in 
Yerevan, 21 September 2016.
Nine months after acquiring sophisticated fighter jets from Russia, the Armenian 
military has contracted a Russian defense company to modernize its older combat 
aircraft.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry signed on Monday a relevant agreement with Russia’s 
United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) at a ceremony in Moscow attended by Defense 
Minister Davit Tonoyan.
A ministry statement said UAC will repair and upgrade Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft that 
formed until recently the backbone of Armenia’s small Air Force. It released no 
financial or other details of the deal.
UAC is a state-owned holding company that comprises Russia’s leading civilian 
and military aircraft manufacturers.
Su-25, also known by the NATO reporting name Frogfoot, went into service with 
the Soviet Air Force in the early 1980s and has been repeatedly modernized since 
then. Russia’s official TASS news agency reported last year that the latest 
upgraded version of the low-flying warplane will be equipped with new target 
sighting and precision bombing systems.
Armenia -- A Su-30SM fighter jet of the Armenian Air Force flies over Yerevan, 
May 4, 2020.
The Armenian Air Force has 15 or so such aging jets designed for close air 
support and ground attack missions. It was significantly reinforced late last 
year by four Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets purchased from Russia.
Su-30SM can perform a much broader range of military tasks with more long-range 
and precision-guided weapons. It is a modernized version of a heavy fighter jet 
developed by the Sukhoi company in the late 1980s. The Russian military first 
commissioned Su-30SM in 2012.
Tonoyan told reporters in January that Armenia will receive more such jets 
“soon.” He had said earlier that the Armenian military plans to have 12 Su-30SMs 
in the coming years.
Russia has long been the principal source of military hardware supplied to the 
Armenian army. Membership in Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization 
(CSTO) allows Armenia to acquire Russian weapons at knockdown prices and even 
for free.
Armenian Defense Chief Visits Moscow
Russia -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) and his Armenian 
counterpart Davit Tonoyan meet in Moscow, .
Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in 
Moscow on Sunday to discuss the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone 
and Armenia’s close military ties with Russia.
The two men held talks on the sidelines of a security forum timed to coincide 
with the start of the annual International Army Games organized by the Russian 
military.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said they discussed the aftermath of last month’s 
deadly fighting on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan and the current situation 
there as well as the Armenian-Azerbaijani “line of contact” around Karabakh.
“Davit Tonoyan emphasized that the aggressive rhetoric of some countries and 
steps of military nature taken by them are aimed at destabilizing and 
militarizing the regional situation,” read a ministry statement.
Tonoyan appeared to refer to not only Azerbaijan but also Turkey which has 
blamed Yerevan for the border clashes and voiced support for Baku in unusually 
strong terms. Ankara’s reaction, strongly condemned by the Armenian government, 
has raised the possibility of Turkish military intervention in the Karabakh 
conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned against attempts to further heighten 
tensions in the conflict zone when he spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep 
Tayyip Erdogan by phone on July 27.
Russia has up to 5,000 troops stationed in Armenia. Successive Armenian 
governments have regarded the Russian military presence as a crucial deterrent 
against possible Turkish aggression.
The clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces broke out on July 12 and 
continued for several days, leaving at least 17 soldiers from both sides dead. 
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that “active Russian 
mediation” helped to stop them.
According to the Defense Ministry statement, Shoigu and Tonoyan also discussed 
bilateral ties and reached understandings on “upcoming steps towards military 
cooperation” between their countries. The statement did not elaborate.
The Russian Defense Ministry similarly gave no details of their discussion of 
“pressing issues of bilateral cooperation in the military sphere.”
Tonoyan’s press office also reported that during his latest trip to Moscow the 
Armenian defense minister will meet with top Russian defense industry executives 
and government officials overseeing Russian arms exports. Russia has long been 
the principal sources of weapons and other military hardware supplied to the 
Armenian army.
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.
 

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                                        Monday, 
Tobacco Firm Remains Armenia’s Top Taxpayer
Armenia -- Workers at a tobacco fermentation factory in the town of Masis.
An Armenian tobacco company remained the country’s number one corporate taxpayer 
in the first half of this year, the State Revenue Committee (SRC) said on Monday.
The government agency comprising the national tax and customs services reported 
that the company, Grand Tobacco, paid 26.3 billion drams ($54 million) in 
various taxes in January-June.
The national gas distribution company owned by Russia’s Gazprom giant was the 
second most important contributor to Armenia’s state budget, followed by the 
country’s largest mining company, the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC). 
The SRC collected 26 billion drams and 21.6 billion drams respectively from 
these companies.
Armenia’s 20 leading businesses also include other tobacco and mining firms, 
fuel importers, telecommunication operators, a supermarket chain, two banks and 
the Metsamor nuclear plant. The SRC detailed their fiscal payments in a 
quarterly report listing the country’s 1,000 largest corporate taxpayers. The 
latter paid a combined 492.7 billion drams (just over $1 billion) in taxes in 
the six-month period, according to the report.
The figure accounted for more than 72 percent of all taxes and other duties 
collected by the SRC. The Armenian government’s first-half tax revenue was down 
by 4.6 percent year on year, reflecting the coronavirus-driven recession in the 
country.
Armenia - A tobacco field.
Grand Tobacco and two other local tobacco firms are part of the Grand Holding 
group founded by Hrant Vartanian, a prominent businessman who died in 2014.The 
conglomerate, which also comprises the country’s largest chocolate and 
confectionery manufacturer, is now owned and run by Vartanian’s two sons. Much 
of the tobacco used by it is grown in Armenia.
The Armenian cigarette manufacturers have rapidly expanded since 2013 on the 
back of their soaring cigarette exports to the Middle East and Iraq in 
particular. According to government data, Armenian exports to Iraq stood at 
about $58 million in the first five months of this year. Cigarettes accounted 
for most of those exports.
Grand Tobacco became Armenia’ second largest taxpayer in 2018 and topped the tax 
rankings last year with 57 billion drams ($118 million) in total payments.
Armenian Government Vows To Expand Coronavirus Testing
        • Tatevik Lazarian
Russia -- A staff member of AltraVita fertility clinic takes a swab from an 
outdoor booth as a woman undergoes a test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) 
in Moscow, June 11, 2020
Health authorities in Armenia pledged on Monday to sharply increase the number 
of coronavirus tests as part of their ongoing efforts to stop the spread of 
COVID-19.
The authorities have carried out an average of more than 2,000 tests a day for 
the past month.
“Efforts are underway to increase the number of tests to about 3,000-4,000,” 
said Alina Nikoghosian, the spokeswoman for the Armenian Ministry of Health. 
“That will lead to the detection of more coronavirus and pneumonia cases.”
According to the ministry, the total number of tests carried out in Armenia 
since the start of the coronavirus pandemic reached 147,108 on Sunday. Nearly 
35,000 infections were detected as a result.
Critics have for months urged the government to significantly expand coronavirus 
testing, saying that is vital for tackling the pandemic in the virtual absence 
of lockdown restrictions in the country of about 3 million.
The government has put the emphasis of getting Armenians to practice social 
distancing, wear mandatory face masks in public and follow other anti-epidemic 
rules. Government officials insisted last week that this strategy is working.
They argued that the daily number of COVID-19 cases has averaged between 500 and 
600 in the last few weeks after growing steadily since mid-April. Deputy Prime 
Minister Tigran Avinian said it is projected to shrink by more than half by 
early September.
Armenia -- A doctor wearing a face mask and protective gear gives a call as she 
stands next to an ambulance at the Grigor Lusavorich Medical Centre in Yerevan, 
June 1, 2020
Nikoghosian likewise spoke of a decreased number of infected people requiring 
hospitalization. The authorities therefore do not need to set up more hospital 
beds for COVID-19 patients, she said.
“Until recently we discharged 20-25 people a day and as many hospital beds were 
immediately occupied by new patients,” said Karen Poghosian, the deputy director 
of one of the Yerevan hospitals treating such patients. “But now 8 to 10 beds 
remain vacant. This suggests that the overall number of infected people who need 
hospitalization has fallen.”
“So we too see a downward trend,” Poghosian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “We 
hope that it continues and we successfully complete our mission.”
So far there has been no noticeable drop in Armenia’s coronavirus mortality 
rate. The Ministry of Health reported on Monday morning that that 13 more people 
infected with the virus died in the past day. The ministry said COVID-19 was the 
primary cause of 9 of those deaths.
The official death toll thus rose to 650. The figure does not include the deaths 
of 209 other infected people which the ministry says were caused by other, 
pre-existing illnesses.
Armenia Says In Touch With Russian Military On Azeri Border Clashes
        • Artak Khulian
Armenia - Soldiers at a military base in Tavush province, October 30, 2018.
The Armenian and Russia militaries have communicated with each other in 
connection with deadly clashes that broke out on Armenia’s border with 
Azerbaijan on July 12, official Yerevan said on Monday.
The hostilities, which left at least 12 Azerbaijani and 4 Armenian soldiers 
dead, largely ground to a halt on July 16. The two conflicting sides have 
reported no serious ceasefire violations along the heavily fortified border 
since then. Each side continued on Monday to accuse the other of sporadically 
shooting small arms at various sections of the frontier, including the scene of 
last week’s fighting.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, said the American, 
French and especially Russian co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have been 
“actively involved” in efforts to restore the ceasefire in Armenia’s Tavush 
province bordering the Tovuz district in western Azerbaijan.
“The Armenian foreign minister [Zohrab Mnatsakanian] has been in constant 
contact with his Russian counterpart,” Naghdalian told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
service. “There have also been contacts at the level of military officials of 
the two countries”
Naghdalian did not give details of the Russian-Armenian military contacts.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani militaries established a new direct channel of 
communication after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani 
President Ilham Aliyev agreed in 2018 to boost the ceasefire regime along the 
internationally recognized border between their countries and “the line of 
contact” around Karabakh. Truce violations there decreased significantly as a 
result.
Yerevan and Baku blame each other for the July 12 flare-up which marked the 
worst escalation of the conflict since 2016. They also accuse one another of 
dealing a severe blow to the Karabakh peace process mediated by the Minsk Group 
co-chairs.
Aliyev on Thursday again threatened to withdraw from peace talks with Armenia, 
saying that they have been “meaningless” so far. He said the U.S., Russian and 
French mediators should do more to make the talks “substantive” in addition to 
trying to prevent violence.
In a weekend interview with the Sky News Arabia TV channel, Mnatsakanian said 
that last week’s hostilities demonstrated that “there can be no military 
solution to the conflict” and that continued negotiations are the only viable 
option.
Russia Said To Reassure Azerbaijan Over Military ‘Check’
Russia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu 
attend a military parade, which marks the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory 
over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, June 24, 2020
Russia has reportedly assured Azerbaijan that a snap "combat readiness check" of 
Russian troops ordered by President Vladimir Putin is not connected with the 
latest hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu announced the start of the "check" on 
Friday, saying that it will test the readiness of Russian armed forces for the 
Caucasus-2020 military exercises scheduled for September. He said it involves 
150,000 personnel and hundreds of aircraft and naval vessels deployed in 
Russia’s southern and western military districts bordering Ukraine, Georgia and 
Azerbaijan.
The state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that Azerbaijani Defense 
Minister Zakir Hasanov telephoned Shoygu on Saturday to discuss this military 
event and other issues of mutual interest.
“The Russian defense minister emphasized that this event was planned and is not 
connected in any way with the current situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani 
border,” it quoted an unnamed “military-diplomatic source” as saying.
The “check” began as Putin chaired a session of Russia’s Security Council that 
discussed deadly clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces that broke out 
on July 12 and left at least 16 soldiers dead. According to the Kremlin, Putin 
and other top Russian officials expressed “deep concern” over the fighting and 
stressed the “urgent need” to stop it.
The United States, the European Union as well as Iran have also urged Baku and 
Yerevan to show restraint without holding either side responsible for the 
escalation.
Armenia -- Armenian and Russian troops hold a joint military exercise, April 12, 
2019.
By contrast, Turkey, Azerbaijan’s closest ally, has blamed the Armenian side and 
promised military aid to Baku, raising the prospect of a more direct Turkish 
involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi 
Akar said on Thursday that the Armenians will “certainly pay for what they have 
done” to Azerbaijan.
As part of its military alliance with Russia, Armenia hosts about 5,000 Russian 
troops mostly stationed along the South Caucasus state’s closed border with 
Turkey. The Russian military base headquartered in the Armenian city of Gyumri 
is technically part of Russia’s Southern Military District.
Commenting on the “check” ordered by Putin, an Armenian military spokesman, 
Artsrun Hovannisian said: “Russia is a big country with a powerful military and 
it may often organize such activities. I cannot comment on their connection with 
political or other events.”
Hovannisian also told reporters that Russian troops stationed in Armenia as well 
as an Armenian army regiment will take part in Russia’s upcoming Caucasus-2020 
war games.
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.