Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Politician: This is a watershed moment for Armenia

Emil Lazarian
ARMINFO
Armenia – Aug 25 2022
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo.. Armenia does not have such a task as spoiling or worsening relations with Russia at all. I think that an elementary calculation of our available resources  speaks in favor of this opinion. Leader of the Just Armenia Party  Norayr Norikyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.

“I believe that no one needs a new enemy in the person of Russia in  Armenia, which is already surrounded by enemies. Taking into account  our extremely limited resources, the formation of anti-Armenian  sentiments in the Russian Federation is certainly not in our  interests. It is in our interests only to set and implement the task  of regulating relations with Moscow within the red lines of Yerevan.  I have been repeating this since 2018,” he said.

The politician is convinced that the task of the political elite of  Armenia, starting from the Velvet Revolution itself, should have been  to prevent Moscow from considering other countries, primarily  Azerbaijan, as an alternative strategic ally. Accordingly, given the  failure of this task, in his opinion, now the leadership of Armenia  needs to work on its mistakes. In order to understand where exactly  the errors took place.  Noting that Armenia today is in a virtual  state of external dependence, Norikyan stressed that the country has  very few alternative opportunities. In his opinion, the need to make  every effort to completely eliminate the corridor logic in the  process of providing Azerbaijan with communication routes with  Nakhichevan and Turkey comes from here.

In his opinion, the situation today is truly critical and fateful.  This is a watershed moment for Armenia.  Based on a number of  international and domestic alarms, it becomes clear that the issue of  the corridor is extremely acute for Armenia today. And the leadership  of Armenia will have to make a fateful decision.

“We see that the Pashinyan government is trying to put forward an  alternative to the corridor logic. But it is clear that the idea of a  corridor will not be abandoned so easily by Ankara or Baku. One way  or another, we should convey to the world that regardless of who is  in power in Armenia, we do not intend to agree to corridor logic. The  establishment of a corridor in Syunik means the loss of Armenian  sovereignty in relation to this region,” the politician summed  up.

Newspaper: Armenia PM is preparing changes in government

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 25 2022
10:00, 25.08.2022

YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: Nikol Pashinyan is insuring his power ahead of possible political developments or heated fall.

Yesterday, the government decided that as of September 1, pensions [in Armenia] will increase by 2-3 thousand drams. Of course, against the backdrop of enormous inflation, this small increase in pensions cannot have any significance in people’s lives. Especially against the backdrop of their [i.e., the government members] million-[dram] salaries, this is a mockery of the public at the least, but it’s enough for PR.

There are also reports that Pashinyan is preparing changes in the government, too. He awaits that the street will become active again and when it presents a slight threat to the authorities, he will contain public dissatisfaction with the resignation of some ministers, members of the government; the steps of forming a so called national accord or compromise government.

Armenia MFA replies to Russia embassy note on Yerevan market explosion accusations

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 25 2022
14:22, 25.08.2022

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia has responded to the note of the Russian embassy in the prescribed manner. Vahan Hunanyan, the MFA spokesperson, told Armenian News-NEWS.am about this—but did not disclose the content of this note.

“The content of the note is part of the internal diplomatic record; therefore, we do not consider its publicizing correct,” said Hunanyan.

On August 17, the Russian embassy in Armenia sent a note to the Armenian MFA due to the false anti-Russian accusations circulating against Russia in the Armenian local information domain.

In the statement of the embassy, it was noted that they are upset by the cynical speculations circulating in the local information domain, and which contain disrespectful and false accusations of the Russian organizations’ complicity in the tragic explosion that occurred in the Surmalu shopping market in Yerevan on August 14.


Armenia’s domestic debt is up by 18.4%

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 25 2022
Armenia’s domestic debt is up by 18.4%
20:16, 25.08.2022

By Aram Achemyan

To mitigate the consequences of the 2020 economic crisis and solve political problems, the Armenian government increased the public debt, which reached $9.97 billion.

In 2021 alone, it increased by $1.3 billion or 16%, while GDP increased by only 5.7%.

The current government increased the public debt by $3.1 billion or 45.2%. In January-July of this year alone, it increased by $748.36 million or 8.1%.

Within 7 months, the internal debt increased by 219.4 billion drams or 18.4%, while the external debt decreased by 336.7 million dollars or 5.4%. It is important to emphasize that servicing domestic debt is more expensive for the state than external debt.

External debt decreased, while internal debt increased, as a result of which its structure changed. In particular, in July 2022, 58.6% of Armenia’s public debt was external debt, and 41.4% was internal debt.

In December 2021, 66.9% was external debt and 33.1% was internal debt.

Ceteris paribus, an increase in domestic debt has a negative impact on the amount of investment in the country. The amounts provided for servicing the public debt will increase in the coming years, which requires a revision of the financial-credit and fiscal policies.


West and Russia are competing: Expert describes atmosphere of Aliyev-Pashinyan meeting

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 25 2022
22:00, 25.08.2022

Today it became known that the next meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev will be held on August 31 in Brussels. A trilateral meeting was reported, no separate meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev has been announced yet.

Azerbaijan increases the level of aggression

According to Azeri expert Taron Hovhannisyan, many problems were accumulated in the run-up to the meeting, including the aggressive behavior in Artsakh in early August.

Aliyev officially declares that the residents of Akhavno, Susa and Berdzor must and must leave their homes. This is, in fact, a forced deportation and contradicts Azerbaijan’s false thesis that Armenians can supposedly live peacefully under Azerbaijani leadership. The authorities in Baku are forcing Armenians to leave their homes.

“I am convinced that the meeting will not take place in a constructive way because Baku is not in the mood for it, otherwise it would not pursue an aggressive policy. Azerbaijan’s actions are becoming more and more aggressive against both the people of Artsakh and Armenia. Therefore, there is no chance for positive developments following the results of the meeting,” the political analyst told NEWS.am.

In parallel, there are other issues such as unblocking communications, delimitation and demarcation, and humanitarian issues.

One day before the meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan in Brussels, the members of the commission for the Armenian-Azerbaijani border demarcation and security will have their second meeting in Moscow on August 30. The first such meeting was held on May 24 on the interstate border between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Yeraskha section.

Baku fails to honor its commitments

According to Hovhannisyan, Azerbaijan has no desire to unblock communications. They are conditioned not by economic but political factors. Baku has shaped it into the idea of the so-called Zangezur corridor via Armenia.

Azerbaijan sees this not as an event aimed at creating a constructive atmosphere. The fact that there will be no such approach on the part of Azerbaijan is evidenced by Baku’s position on the issue of fulfilling its obligations on the return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages, which (position) boils down to the initiation of false criminal cases. Azerbaijan refuses to fulfill its obligations to return all detainees.

This is the kind of step that could help build confidence, if there were such a desire, but Azerbaijan does not have it.

“I think the meeting will be reduced to an exchange of views,” the expert believes.

Restrained competition between Russia and the West

The meetings are not initiated by Azerbaijan or Armenia. The mediator in this case is Brussels, but, as the political scientist noted, no one restricts the organization of meetings with the same intensity in Moscow.

“It is unrealistic to think that Brussels has leverage and can limit the organization of the meeting at the initiative of the Russian side.

The EU is undoubtedly an important player, but everybody is aware of Russia’s military presence in the region, including in Karabakh, understands that the trilateral formats after November 9, 2020 were initiated with the mediation of Moscow.      

I do not think that the EU can even partially push Moscow out of the current processes, because only Russia has a real presence on the ground. Another thing is that there is competition between the West and Russia. Each side is trying to show that it is the most active mediator and is trying to resolve problems. This competition is also between the co-chairs of the OSCE MG (Russia on the one hand and the US and France on the other hand).

But all this doesn’t mean that any of the sides leaves the process”, Hovhannisyan said.

Aram Danielyan


In pictures: Aghavno residents bid final farewell to their hometown

Emil Lazarian

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 16:50,

Aghavno residents Avetis and Anahit swimming in the village river

AGHAVNO-YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. Every time visiting Artsakh through Berdzor, probably all of us have paid attention to the houses with red roofs in Aghavno, a village with a beautiful and amazing view. However, current times are not so “good times” for the village residents as August 25 is the last day and they have to leave their homes…

Photography is often called a “universal language” as the photos taken sometimes tell more than words can convey.

In order to capture the moment and tell the world about these pictures through a camera, ARMENPRESS photographer visited Aghavno, that cozy corner, which has recently became under the focus of everyone.

Russian peacekeepers have already deployed a checkpoint at the entrance of the village and only let residents and their families in, but are not very kind to reporters and cameras. However, one of the main figures of the Azerbaijani propaganda machine, presenting himself as an international reporter, very quietly took a photo of the village and the people living there, with the accompany of the Russian peacekeepers.

The residents of Aghavno mainly stay silent these days. Many of them are engaged in taking out their last things from their homes. This silence is sometimes broken by the sounds of children playing in the river Aghavno. The youngest ones may not even realize that after a few days they will no longer hear the sound of the river and will not be able to cool off in the cold water of the river during hot summer. Teenagers, who more or less understand what is happening, are trying to keep the last warm moments in their memory…

Going up from the river, you again see the houses with red roofs of Aghavno, and outside houses – the people placing their items in trucks, for whom the most valuable and important thing will never fit in any truck…

Soul-stirring scenes…On the one hand, houses being emptied, and on the other hand, “We will return again and will live in Aghavno” written on walls. You can’t take away hope from people…

While residents of Aghavno are taking their last items out of homes, Avetis is playing as usual in his home village

Women in Aghavno try to take everything with them, even the mirror

Recently, Aghavno was deprived of electricity. Village head Andranik Chavushyan turns on the only electricity of these days – the power generator

Family is also taking the piano out of home

A woman preparing to leave her home in Aghavno. The Russian-language writing on the wall says ‘I want to live in peace’

Local men loading their belongings into a truck before departure

A baffled toddler watches his family burn pieces of their furniture

Aghavno residents prefer to burn their belongings which are too difficult to transport

A distraught woman crying outside her home

A dog confusingly watches everyone leaving the village

Children’s toys lay on the ground of the local school

Uphill view of Aghavno

Photos by Tatev Duryan




RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/24/2022

Emil Lazarian 
                                        Wednesday, 
Government Increases Stake In Armenian Mining Giant
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - A view of ore-processing facilities of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum 
Combine in Kajaran, August 12, 2019.
Another private firm has ceded shares in Armenia’s largest mining enterprise, 
the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC), to the Armenian government, it 
emerged on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian revealed that the obscure firm called AMP Holding 
secretly “donated” its 6.8 percent stake in March this year. Pashinian said AMP 
asked the government at the time not to publicize the transfer “because of 
commercial issues.”
He did not shed light on those issues or give a reason for the lavish donation. 
The government’s press office declined to comment on the unusual move.
“The main thing is that since March 24 the government of Armenia holds a 21.875 
percent stake [in ZCMC,] which is a very important development,” Pashinian told 
a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
Pashinian’s government already got hold of 15 percent of ZCMC’s stock through a 
similar donation announced last fall. The Russian metals group GeoProMining said 
on October 1, 2021 that it has acquired 60 percent of the Armenian mining giant 
and “granted” a quarter of that stake to the government.
The transfer followed a government crackdown on ZCMC’s former owners and 
management. The company based in southeastern Syunik province was believed to be 
controlled by individuals at odds with Pashinian’s government. One of them, 
former Syunik Governor Vahe Hakobian, is a senior member of the main opposition 
Hayastan alliance.
Armenia - A copper ore-processing plant in Kajaran, 6Feb2016.
Campaigning for the June 2021 parliamentary elections, Pashinian pledged to 
punish ZCMC’s “corrupt shareholders” and make sure that their shares are 
“returned to the people.” In July 2021, Armenia’s National Security Service 
(NSS) raided ZCMC’s offices and detained thee company executives.
Pashinian said on Wednesday that the acquisition and subsequent increase in the 
government’s stake in ZCMC means he has fulfilled his campaign pledge.
According to the Armenian state registry of legal entities, AMP Holding, the 
company that transferred the 6.8 percent stake to the government, belongs to 
another firm called Stardust. The latter is in turned co-owned by two 
individuals. One of them is opposition politician Hakobian’s brother Karen.
The registry also shows that Stardust is managed by Mher Poloskov, ZCMC’s former 
chief executive. Poloskov faced criminal proceedings after tax and 
law-enforcement authorities accused the former ZCMC management of large-scale 
tax evasion last fall.
The authorities dropped the case earlier this year after Poloskov transferred 15 
billion drams ($37 million) in what they called unpaid taxes to the state. It is 
not clear whether the increase in the government’s ZCMC stake was also part of 
that settlement.
The mining giant employing about 4,000 people is Armenia’s leading corporate 
taxpayer. It paid almost 105 billion ($260 million) in various taxes in the 
first half of this year.
Rescue Operations At Site Of Yerevan Market Blast End
        • Narine Ghalechian
Armenia - Armenian emergency employees work at the Surmalu market in Yerevan 
partly demolished by an explosion, August15, 2022.
Armenian authorities announced on Wednesday the end of search and rescue 
operations at a market in Yerevan where a powerful explosion killed at least 16 
people and injured dozens of others on August 14.
Rescue teams managed to extract 10 survivors and 16 dead during the ten-day 
operations. But they failed to find the last person still listed as missing 
following the explosion that partly demolished the sprawling Surmalu market.
“The works were carried out in full,” said Hayk Kostanian, the spokesman for the 
Ministry of Emergencies. “Unfortunately, the citizen's body or his remains were 
not found.”
The 55-year-old missing man, Vanik Amirkhanian, worked at Surmalu.
The deadly explosion and subsequent fire reportedly occurred in a market area 
where fireworks and other pyrotechnics were stored. It is still not clear what 
caused it.
Law-enforcement authorities were quick to launch a criminal investigation into 
the blast. But they have not arrested or charged anyone so far. The market’s 
owner, Razmik Zakharian, has still not been questioned by investigators.
Fire inspectors said on August 17 that they had identified two dozen violations 
at Surmalu and given the market administration until the end of 2021 to comply 
with city-planning norms and fire-safety rules. They admitted that no follow-up 
inspection was carried out there.
Irina Madatova, the manager of Surmalu, claimed that the administration 
addressed the violations. But she did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, the Armenian government made clear on Wednesday that while it is 
considering providing financial assistance to the families of the people killed 
or injured by the blast it will not compensate Surmalu traders for the loss of 
their goods and commercial space not covered by business insurance. Economy 
Minister Vahan Kerobian argued that the state is not responsible for their 
failure to buy insurance.
Armenian Government Raises Pensions Amid High Inflation
        • Robert Zargarian
Armenia - A weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan, .
The Armenian government approved on Wednesday a roughly 7 percent increase in 
pensions and other benefits which is designed to mitigate the impact of 
higher-than-projected inflation in the country.
The decision will benefit around 500,000 Armenians aged 65 and older. The 
average amount of monthly pensions paid to them has stood at 41,000 drams ($100) 
until now.
The government also announced similar rises in benefits for citizens with 
various disabilities. They too will take effect next month.
The government had earlier planned to raise the pensions in January 2023. Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian said the planned rises were brought forward to 
September because the State Revenue Committee collected more taxes than were 
projected in the first half of this year.
The higher pensions and benefits will clearly not offset the increased cost of 
living for the socially vulnerable citizens covered by the government’s decision.
According to government data, inflation in Armenia rose steadily in the first 
half, reaching an annual rate of 10.3 percent in June. It eased to 9.3 percent 
in July thanks to a seasonal drop in the cost of fruits and vegetables. Even so, 
overall food prices were up by an average of 13.5 percent year on year.
Pashinian Again Phones Putin
Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Armenian Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian in his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, April 19, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
again discussed the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone on Wednesday 
when they spoke by phone for the third time in as many weeks.
The two leaders “continued the discussion of the situation around 
Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Kremlin reported in a statement on the phone call which 
it said took place “at the initiative of the Armenian side.” It said they 
reaffirmed the importance of “consistent implementation” of Armenian-Azerbaijani 
agreements brokered by Moscow during and after the 2020 war in Karabakh.
Putin and Pashinian also touched upon “some topical issues of further 
development of the relations of strategic partnership and alliance” between 
their countries, the statement added without elaborating.
The Armenian government’s press office released a virtually identical readout of 
the call.
The phone conversation followed reports that Putin is poised to host a fresh 
meeting of Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The Russian 
president’s most recent trilateral talks with them were held in Sochi last 
November.
Aliyev and Pashinian held three face-to-face meetings in Brussels in the 
following months. Russia has repeatedly accused the West of trying to hijack the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process as part of the ongoing standoff over Ukraine.
Early this month, Putin and Pashinian spoke twice by phone in the space of one 
week amid an upsurge in violence in Karabakh. At least one Azerbaijani and two 
Karabakh Armenian soldiers were killed in fighting that broke out on August 3.
Pashinian complained on August 4 that Baku has been stepping up ceasefire 
violations in Karabakh “in the presence of” Russian peacekeeping troops deployed 
there. The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism.
According to the official readouts of Putin’s latest call with Pashinian, the 
Russian and Armenian leaders “noted the role of the Russian peacekeeping 
contingent in ensuring stability in the region.”
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

New route connecting Artsakh to Armenia will have legal status of corridor

Emil Lazarian

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 15:11,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Heads of 5 parliamentary factions of Artsakh met today with the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, the Parliament of Artsakh said.

The reason for the meeting was the recent statement of Minister-Counsellor of the Russian Embassy in Armenia Maksim Seleznev, as well as the ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan in early August and the security issues.

The representatives of the Russian peacekeeping contingent provided clarifications over the aforementioned issues. Particularly, citing the 2020 November 9 statement it was stated that the new route will have the legal status of the same corridor and all security components will be maintained, starting from the 5km security zone to the deployment of checkpoints of Russian peacekeeping forces.

As for the latest incidents, the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping contingent said that they have made necessary conclusions over the August incidents, at the same time assuring that they will make additional efforts to prevent such violations in the future and ensure the proper security of the population of Artsakh.

18 foreign nationals among participants of Prime Minister’s Cup Swimming Tournament in Sevan

Emil Lazarian

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 16:03,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Over 133 participants are competing in the Prime Minister’s Cup Swimming Tournament in Lake Sevan.

Photos by Hayk Manukyan

An 82-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman are the eldest participants.

Participants include 18 foreign nationals (6 women and 12 men).

Lifeguards from the Ministry of Emergency Situations are on patrol on 6 boats to ensure safety.

4 winners in the two age groups of the men’s and women’s divisions will receive 1,000,000 dram prize each. The runner-ups will receive 600,000, while those finishing 3rd will be awarded 400,000.

150,000 dram prize is envisaged for the 4th place, 100,000 for the 5th place and 75,000 for the 6-10 places.

The tournament features 2 age groups:

I) Women aged 18-35 and Men aged 18-40;

II) Women above 35 and Men above 41;

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Karen Giloyan said in remarks that the purpose of the Prime Minister’s Cup is to “promote healthy lifestyle and sports in Armenia.”

The lengths of the lanes are 1000 and 1500 meters for women and men respectively.