Represemtatoves Judy Chu and Jackie Speier meet with Armenia’s Foreign Ministry Zohrab Mnatsakanyan
YEREVAN – Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Jackie Kanchelian Speier and leading proponent of Artsakh security, Congresswoman Judy Chu, kicked off their visit to Armenia and Artsakh Monday, focusing attention on recent Congressional amendments spearheaded by the two California legislators, and backed by the Armenian National Committee of America – appropriating an additional $40 million in U.S. assistance to Armenia and implementing Royce-Engel peace proposals to reduce tension along the Artsakh – Azerbaijan border.
“These visits by Reps. Speier and Chu are all the more meaningful – for all Armenians, from their home Congressional Districts to the farthest reaches of our Armenian homeland – in light of their recent legislative leadership in securing the adoption of House amendments supporting Armenia’s democracy and strengthening Artsakh’s security,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We look forward to their successful visits, and of course, to continuing to engage here in Washington, DC with House and Senate leaders to ensure that these provisions remain in the final bills signed into law by the President.”
Rep. Speier, with the support of Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), introduced the Speier amendment to the House version of the Fiscal Year 2020 Foreign Aid Bill, appropriating $40 million in democracy aid to Armenia. “It is very important at this point in time that we do everything in our power to support this new democracy,” stated Rep. Speier during House floor debate in June. “Armenia has a rare and potentially fleeting window of opportunity to consolidate and build upon its democratic gains. […] Armenia has earned a clear signal that the United States supports its democratic transformation and resources will be brought to them to carry out that transformation.”
Representatives Jackie Speier and Judy Chu meet with Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan
Thousands of ANCA Rapid Responders and Armenian Americans across the U.S. reached out to their U.S. Representatives in support of the Speier Amendment for Armenia assistance through the ANCA’s March to Justice portal. In the days leading up to the vote, ANCA Leo Sarkisian Summer Interns amplified the nationwide constituent advocacy, visiting with every U.S. House office in support of the measure, which was adopted by a vote of 268 to 153 in June.
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, who invited the two Congressional leaders from California, welcomed the American lawmakers, and thanked Representatives Speier and Chu for their efforts in advancing support for Armenia in Congress, especially highlighting Rep. Speier’s efforts to secure $40 million of additional financial assistance to Armenia to improve democratic institutions.
Mirzoyan added that the United States is among the key partners for Armenia, and Armenia is eager to develop U.S.-Armenia relations in all directions. Mirzoyan emphasized the importance of cooperation between the legislatures of the two countries.
Representatives Jackie Speier and Judy Chu meet with Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council
The parliament speaker said that after the 2018 “Velvet Revolution,” Armenia was confidently moving in the direction of democratic reforms and free elections with human rights, free competitive economy, transparency, accountability, independent judicial system and fight against corruption as fundamental goals for the new government of Armenia.
Representatives Speier and Chu also met with Armenia Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan where they reviewed Armenia’s foreign policy priorities and progress in the Artsakh peace process.
Mnastakanyan emphasized the need for ongoing U.S.-Armenia dialogue at all levels, and thanked the visiting lawmakers for their efforts to strengthen U.S.-Armenia relations.
In a meeting with Supreme Judicial Council President Ruben Vardazaryan, and Council members Grigor Bekmezyan, Sergei Chichoyan and Hayk Hovhannisyan, the Members of Congress received an update on judicial reforms in Armenia.
The council members briefed the visiting U.S. lawmakers about the steps being taken to ensure the efficiency and reasonable timeframes for investigation of cases. Vardazaryan said that three times more qualified judges were needed to make the judiciary more effective stated that in order to make all judicial matters effective, explaining that there were 13 vacant positions on various benches across the country.
Speier and Chu said that they would follow the developments of the Supreme Judicial Council in Armenia in hopes of providing assistance and solutions to the ongoing process.
Chu and Speier are scheduled to travel to the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), where they will be meeting with government leaders and visiting the U.S. funded de-mining program, led by The HALO Trust. Central to the day’s discussions will be the Chu Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Bill, led by Congresswoman Chu with the support of Congressional Armenian Caucus Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Vice-Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA).
“The campaign of terror against the people of Artsakh must end,” Rep. Chu told the ANCA following House passage of her measure in July. “That’s why I introduced my amendment to support the cease-fire strengthening proposals originally put forward by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel and his predecessor, Ed Royce. The Royce-Engel proposals include gunfire locators, new observers, and a ban on snipers, heavy arms, and new weaponry along the line-of-contact. Adopting them is necessary for ensuring those who violate the peace are caught and stopped, and that is what my amendment encourages. I am pleased it was adopted in the NDAA and hope to see these proposals implemented,” concluded Rep. Chu.
ANCA summer interns worked across Capitol Hill advocating in support of passage of the Chu amendment throughout the days leading up to the July 11th House adoption of the measure. Since her first election to the U.S. House a decade ago, Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) has enjoyed a strong relationship with the ANCA chapters in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley.
The Royce-Engel initiative, first proposed in Fall of 2015, received the support of over 100 U.S. House members through a series of Congressional calls to the U.S. Administration and the OSCE to take concrete action to ensure Artsakh peace as Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group mediated negotiations continue. The ANCA has launched multiple nationwide grassroots campaigns in support of the initiative, which has gotten support from the U.S. State Department and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, in addition to the Republics of Artsakh and Armenia. Azerbaijan remains the only obstacle to their practical implementation.
Sports: Eurasian Basketball League: Armenia’s Aragats loses to Arsenal Tula
In the last game of the first round of the Eurasian Basketball League being held in Yerevan, Armenia’s Aragats lost to Russian Arsenal Tula 74-79 in a tough fight.
After two rounds, Aragats, Urartu, Arsenal Tula and Barsy Atyrau of Kazakhstan have 3 points apiece, the National Olympic Committee’s press service reported.
A total of six teams from Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are taking part in the tournament.
Armenia on the way to ratification of the key Air Convention protocols with help from UNECE
Our task is to make profound changes in Armenia. Pashinyan
- 25.09.2019
- Armenia:
- arm
- rus
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan is on a working visit to the United States of America.
As Armenpress was told by the Information and Public Relations Department of the RA Prime Minister’s Office, at the end of the first day of their visit to New York, Nikol Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan met with around 500 representatives of the local Armenian community in New York’s Saint Vardan Church.
At the entrance of the church, the Prime Minister of Armenia and his wife were welcomed by the leader of the Armenian Eastern Diocese of the USA, Bishop Daniel Fendikyan, Archbishop Vigen Aikazyan and Reverend Mesrop Parsamyan. Representatives of Armenians in New York welcomed Nikol Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan with warm applause and great enthusiasm.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed hundreds of representatives of Armenians in New York and delivered a speech.
“Dear compatriots,
it is really a great honor and pleasure for me to meet you. Last year, when we visited the church, which was not planned because we thought it would be a problem of time, but it turned out that we visited, I had a great feeling of regret that we did not plan a meeting with the Armenians of New York. This year we thought we wouldn’t leave New York without meeting you. So I am very happy.
Not yesterday, on the first day, we had quite a good and impressive meeting in Los Angeles, and I gave a speech at that meeting, where I spoke about several important aspects of our national life. I don’t want to repeat what I said the other day in Los Angeles. In general, I would like to share the following impressions of the past 1 year and 5 months since the revolution.
The most important impression is the following. in general, the path of change is quite a difficult path, and when the revolution happened, the most important challenge that we are witnessing after the revolution is to make people understand that everything that is said and happened is really reality, because as strange as it may seem, not everyone and not always registers that it is really reality.
For example, I don’t understand how it is possible to be a public official in the Republic of Armenia after all these events and political changes and think that it is possible to take a bribe again, commit some illegality. That is the most surprising question for me, the answer to which I cannot find. You know that very often, every month, sometimes every week, some official is arrested with a bribe, and I cannot understand the logic of the work of those people’s minds. I always ask that question: don’t those people watch TV, don’t those people read the news, are those people from the Republic of Armenia or not?
This is perhaps the biggest challenge, because after the revolution, when the celebration is over and you go to your daily work, sometimes you come across views, suggestions: what happened, all this is good, but when are we going to divide our money, sectors, import quotas, and you realize that, in reality, this phenomenon is not widespread among a small group. This is perhaps the biggest challenge.
I want to repeat once again that everything that has happened and is happening is a reality, and those who will not record this, in their case, regardless of where they are, cannot be compromised. It seems to people that everything will remain the same, but instead of Serzh Sargsyan, another person will be sitting there. From the beginning, there was such an expression: Is this why we are making a revolution, that is, people who violate traffic rules, are fined, get upset, say, “We were making a revolution for this?”, a thief commits a theft, is caught, and says, “We were making a revolution for this,” a bribe taker takes a bribe, is caught, says, “We were making a revolution for this,” another cannot hire his friend. he says: was this why we were doing the revolution? That is, there was such a perception of the revolution that we could assume that those who worked for many years to get a fat position or to place their friends in a fat position and it didn’t work out, and they think that the revolution happened, what we wanted and couldn’t do, we will do now, we should have earned that money, we should be unpunished.
This is perhaps the biggest challenge that exists, but I also want to record that, as I said, I do not imagine compromising with such phenomena, because if I suddenly enter into a compromise with such phenomena, it will mean that these changes, the revolution that took place, are simply meaningless.
Therefore, our mission is not to reach some status and enjoy that status, but our task is to bring deep, substantial, institutional changes in the country, and to change the quality of our country, the quality of life in our country, the quality of the work of institutions in our country. This is a path where there will be no compromises. I consider that I have received a very strong mandate from the people of the Republic of Armenia, so that corruption, illegalities, patronage, and monopolies are eradicated from Armenia, and this should be done to the end and unreservedly.
I want to assure you that now I am even more determined than a year ago, because I understand that this determination is the only method by which we should solve all the problems facing our country, the result of which should be the following: Armenia should be a truly democratic, truly sovereign, truly social, truly legal state. This is our problem. Thank you for supporting us, supporting me in solving this problem. Now I will gladly answer all the questions that interest you. Thank you.”
After the speech of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the representatives of the Armenian community in New York asked him questions. Nikol Pashinyan answered the fight against bribery, improving the quality of public administration in Armenia, priorities of the economy, overcoming unemployment, creating new jobs, encouraging people’s economic activity, reforms and vision of the education sector in Armenia, priorities for the development of the technology sector, strengthening the connection of Diaspora Armenian youth with the homeland and preserving the Armenian identity, introducing innovative medical technologies and a number of other questions.
Attached is the video of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s meeting with representatives of the Armenian community in New York.
An exhibition dedicated to the velvet revolution was also opened in the territory of St. Vardan Church in New York.
Artsakhs President, Secretary of Security Council of Armenia discuss security issues
Artsakhs President, Secretary of Security Council of Armenia discuss security issues
19:27, 6 September, 2019
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received secretary of the Republic of Armenia Security Council Armen Grigoryan on September 6, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of Artsakh President’s Office.
Issues related to the cooperation between the two Armenian republics in the security sphere were on the meeting agenda. Artsakh Republic Security Council secretary Arshavir Gharamyan partook at the meeting.
Sports: Video: ‘Game of his life’ – These Arsenal fans react to Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s masterclass for Armenia
Arsenal will be hoping that the 30-year-old attacking midfielder can carry this form into his loan spell with Roma, perhaps the Gunners can sell the ace to the Italian giants after a successful loan.
Alternatively, Mkhitaryan could return to north London and finally become the player that fans expected when he was brought to the Emirates in a swap deal involving Alexis Sanchez.
General Prosecution refrains to comment Constitutional Court’s Kocharyan decision for now
General Prosecution refrains to comment Constitutional Court’s Kocharyan decision for now
17:21, 4 September, 2019
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The General Prosecution of Armenia will express its position over the Constitutional Court’s decision on ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s motion after it receives the complete decision, General Prosecution spokesperson Arevik Khachatryan told ARMENPRESS.
“We can speak about the possible consequences of the Constitutional Court’s decision only after having the complete decision. Therefore, we can’t say anything until then,” Khachatryan said.
The Constitutional Court of Armenia issued its verdict over ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s appeal regarding his arrest.
Robert Kocharyan, currently in pre-trial detention on charges of “overthrowing constitutional order” during the 2008 Yerevan unrest, requested the Constitutional Court to determine whether or not his arrest is constitutional, i.e. whether paragraph 2 of Article 135 and Article 35 of the Criminal Procedures Code are in conformity with the Constitution.
On September 4, the Constitutional Court delivered a verdict, partly approving Kocharyan’s motion.
The Constitutional Court ruled that Article 35 of the Criminal Procedures Code contradicts respective articles of the Constitution and is invalid in terms of not envisaging official immunity among the circumstances which exclude criminal prosecution.
The Constitutional Court, however, ruled that paragraph 2 of Article 135 is constitutional.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Alen Simonyan provides no details of “Civil Contract” Party board meeting
Alen Simonyan provides no details of “Civil Contract” Party board meeting
21:17, 3 September, 2019
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The board meeting of “Civil Contract” Party lasted for about 2 hours, but Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, board member of the party Alen Simonyan refused to answer the questions of the reporters. ARMENPRESS reports Simonyan said that he will not comment on the meeting.
The board meeting of “Civil Contract” Party took place in the party’s headquarter.
PM Pashinyan, also a board member of the party, attended the meeting. Before the board meeting, “My Step” parliamentary faction had already held a meeting.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
ANCA Sponsors In Defense of Christians National Leadership Conference
The ANCA has been partnering with In Defense of Christians since their inaugural conference in 2014. Seen here are ANCA and IDC advocates on Capitol Hill during the 2017 advocacy days
WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America will, once again, serve as a major sponsor of the In Defense of Christians National Leadership Conference. The conference will held from September 10 to 11, in Washington, D.C. During this national gathering, prominent faith leaders will join human rights advocates from across the United States in urging elected officials to take concrete action to preserve Christianity in the Middle East.
“The ANCA is proud to be a sponsor of the In Defense of Christians National Leadership Conference,” remarked ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. “IDC has accomplished so much over the past six years in shaping U.S. policy regarding the plight of Christians and other vulnerable minorities in the Middle East. The ANCA is pleased that the conference will once again advocate for—as a major policy goal—Congressional passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,” added Yerimyan.
The ANCA team with Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), a leading voice for Christian and minority communities in the Middle East and outspoken advocate for a principled U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide, at the 2017 IDC Solidarity Dinner
U.S. Senate and House Armenian Genocide legislation (S.Res.150 and H.Res.296) aim at establishing, as a matter of U.S. policy: the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, ongoing official U.S. government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and the importance of education about the Armenian Genocide in preventing modern-day atrocities. Over 100 U.S. Representatives have cosponsored H.Res. 296, which was spearheaded by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). The Senate version, led by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), currently has 18 cosponsors. The ANCA supports immediate consideration and passage of both measures.
The IDC National Leadership Conference—titled “Fighting for Equality, Freedom, and Security”—will begin on the evening of September 10, with a VIP reception and annual Solidarity Dinner to be held at The Hamilton LIVE. The following day, the conference will feature a National Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, where participants will meet with members of Congress to highlight the plight of Christians and other minorities across the Middle East. ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian will be among speakers at the breakfast panel on September 11th.
The ANCA’s Aram Hamparian offering remarks at the In Defense of Christians Solidarity Dinner in 2018
Individuals who are interested in attending the In Defense of Christians Conference with ANCA leaders are encouraged to contact the ANCA offices at (202) 775-1918 or by email. Additional information is available on the In Defense of Christians website.
The ANCA’s cooperation with In Defense of Christians dates back to their inaugural conference in 2014 when His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, joined with Christian leaders from throughout the Middle East, offering a powerful call for unity in the face of the existential threat against historic Middle Eastern Christian communities. Video of His Holiness Aram I’s remarks are available below:
The ANCA worked closely with IDC and a coalition of over 100 organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in a grassroots campaign to have Congress and the Obama Administration declared the slaughter that Christians and other minorities in the Middle East are facing modern-day genocide. In March 2016, with a vote of 393 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously condemned as genocide the ongoing ISIL/Da’esh crimes against Christians—including Armenians and Assyrians – as well as Yezidis and other religious minorities in the Middle East by adopting H.Con.Res.75, spearheaded by Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE). Two days later, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry clearly and unequivocally characterized the ongoing ISIL / Da’esh attacks and killings of the Christians, Yezidis, and Shiite Muslims in the Middle East as genocide, with specific mention of the destruction of Armenian churches as part of the cultural destruction of these historic communities. The Senate adopted a similar resolution (S.Res.340) on July 7.
In July 2019, Christian leaders offered prayers in their native languages of Arabic, Aramaic, Assyrian, Greek, Syriac, and Armenian, in a first ecumenical service of its kind held in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The historic presentation of hymns included a moving rendition of Der Voghormia (Lord Have Mercy) sung by Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Very Rev. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar of the Eastern Prelacy, Rev. Sarkis Aktavoukian, pastor of Soorp Khatch Armenian Church of Bethesda, MD, and Archpriest Nerses Manoogian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church of Philadelphia, PA. Video of the Armenian hymn is available below:
In Defense of Christians is a 501(c3) U.S. non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the protection and preservation of Christianity and Christian culture in the Middle East. They work to foster global awareness of the on-going plight of Middle Eastern Christians, encourage political advocacy in order to educate national and international policymakers so as to act toward this goal, and promote programs of humanitarian aid in solidarity with suffering Christian communities in the Middle East.
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/29/2019
Thursday,
Armenian, Azeri FMs To Meet Again
• Astghik Bedevian
U.S. -- Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian of Armenia and Elmar Mammadyarov
of Azerbaijan and international mediators meet in Washington, June 20, 2019.
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian said on Thursday he will meet with his
Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov again soon for fresh talks on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“Our objective is to continue the dialogue at the level of the foreign
ministers,” he told reporters.
Mnatsakanian did not specify the date or venue of the talks. But other sources
told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that they are likely to be held in New York in
September.
The two ministers most recently met in Washington on June 20 in the presence of
the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group. The
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry described that meeting as “positive.”
The mediators said it focused on recent armed incidents around Karabakh and
“core issues of the settlement process.” In a joint statement, they said they
urged the conflicting parties to “restore an atmosphere conducive to peace and
favorable to substantive talks.”
Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov have met on a regular basis over the past year.
There have also been a series of face-to-face negotiations between Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Deadly
truce violations along “the line of contact” around Karabakh and the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border decreased significantly following the first
Aliyev-Pashinian talks held in September 2018.
According to Mnatsakanian, another Armenian-Azerbaijani summit is not being
“planned” yet.
In a speech delivered before senior Armenian diplomats on Tuesday, Mnatsakanian
charged that “Azerbaijan’s unchanged policy of Armenophobia continues to
threaten the existence of the Karabakh people.” He also said that Yerevan will
never accept a peaceful settlement limiting the Karabakh Armenians’ right to
self-determination.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry condemned these remarks on Wednesday, saying
that they could reignite tensions in the Karabakh conflict zone. “The Armenian
authorities must finally decide whether they want peace or an escalation of the
situation,” it warned in a statement.
Mnatsakanian shrugged off Baku’s reaction. “I don’t want to pay much attention
to that because it would mean entering a field which is not interesting for
me,” he said.
Former Tax Chief Faces More Corruption Charges
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian speaks in the parliament in
Yerevan, March 16, 2016.
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) formally charged former Finance
Minister Gagik Khachatrian with abuse of power and misuse of public funds on
Thursday two days after arresting him.
He was already indicted shortly before his arrest as part of a separate
corruption investigation conducted by another law-enforcement body, the Special
Investigative Service (SIS).
The SIS revealed the indictment on Tuesday as NSS officers searched
Khachatrian’s and his relatives’ homes and offices. The once influential
ex-minister and his nephew Karen were taken into custody a few hours later.
Karen Khachatrian used to run an internal security division of the State
Revenue Committee (SRC). The government agency comprising Armenia’s tax and
customs services was headed by Gagik Khachatrian from 2008-2014, during former
President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule.
According to one of Khachatrian’s lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, the NSS has asked a
court in Yerevan to remand both men in custody pending investigation.
It was not yet clear whether they will plead guilty to the charges brought by
the NSS. The lawyer on Wednesday appealed against his client’s detention.
The NSS has so far released very few details of the high-profile criminal case.
The head of the powerful security service, Artur Vanetsian, said on Tuesday
that the former tax chief is suspected of misusing “millions of dollars” worth
of taxpayers’ money while in office. He did not elaborate.
The current SRC chief, Davit Ananian, told reporters on Thursday that his
agency has provided “some documents” to NSS investigators. But he refused to
shed light on them.
Khachatrian, 53, had held various positions in the Armenian tax and customs
services before being appointed as SRC chief in 2008. He served as finance
minister from 2014-2016.
Armenian media outlets have long regarded Khachatrian as one of the country’s
richest men. He has always denied illegally enriching himself and his family.
Pashinian Aims For Faster Economic Growth
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian visits a newly refurbished textile
factory in Maralik, August 10, 2019.
Economic growth in Armenia could reach double-digit rates in the coming years,
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian claimed on Thursday.
The Pashinian government’s comprehensive policy program adopted by the
parliament early this year envisages that the Armenian economy will grow by at
least 5 percent annually for the next five years. The World Bank forecast in
January slightly lower growth rates for 2019 and 2020.
The government recorded a growth rate of 5.2 percent last year. Official
statistics shows growth accelerating to over 6.5 percent in the first half of
this year.
Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, Pashinian cited “good” macroeconomic
indicators registered in July. Those include a 16 percent year-on-year surge in
industrial output.
“What does analysis of this year tell us?” he told government ministers. “My
personal conclusion is that recording double-digit economic growth is not a
science fiction thing.”
Pashinian said that GDP would have increased more rapidly this year had the
government’s major capital spending projects not fallen behind schedule because
of delays in the selection of contractors and signing of contracts with them.
He said government agencies should therefore do a better job of organizing this
infrastructure spending next year.
The Armenian economy grew at double-digit rates for seven consecutive years in
the 2000s. That growth came to an end with the onset of a global financial
crisis in 2008. It averaged 2.7 percent per annum from 2008-2018.
Economy Minister Tigran Khachatrian sounded cautious about chances of renewed
double-digit growth in the country. “Bear in mind that everything will depend
on the introduction of new technologies and the volume of investments in
various sectors of the economy,” he told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
Press Review
“Haykakan Zhamanak” is disappointed with opposition and media reactions to the
arrest of Gagik Khachatrian, a former finance minister accused of corruption.
In particular, the pro-government paper laughs off claims that Khachatrian’s
arrest is a ploy designed to distract the public from government plans to allow
mining operations at the Amulsar gold deposit and that more such “scandalous”
arrests will be made if the situation becomes more tense. “The most pathetic
thing is that the authorities are faulted for taking positive steps,” it says.
“Exposing abuses committed in the past and recovering damages caused to the
state are definitely positive steps from the standpoint of both state and
public interests.”
“Zhoghovurd” reports on Wednesday’s meeting of the parliamentary group of Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step alliance. The paper says that My Step
lawmakers disagreeing with some government policies were warned that they have
to be “guided by the majority’s views.” “In other words, if the majority
decides something the few dissenting parliament deputies [from My Step] must
vote for it,” it says. “In other words, they are attempting to pressure
dissenters within the parliament faction.”
“Past” says that Pashinian has turned down an invitation to participate in an
upcoming international economic forum in Poland. “The aim of the forum is to
create a favorable environment for developing political and economic
cooperation between the European Union’s member and partner states,” writes the
paper. “It is not clear why the invitation was declined.” It notes in this
regard that the Russian government will host a similar gathering at around the
same time.
“Zhamanak” reports that it is still not clear whether Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani will accept Pashinian’s invitation to attend a summit of the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU) member states that will be held in Yerevan in October. The
paper says that Rouhani’s presence would give the summit an “unprecedented
significance.” It speculates Rouhani will travel to Yerevan only if “very
concrete economic” issues are on the summit agenda. “Will Yerevan manage to set
it?” it asks.
(Anush Mkrtchian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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