Author: Garo Vardanian

                                        Wednesday, 
Georgia Extradites Key Suspect In High-Profile Armenian Case
 . Anush Muradian
Georgia - A screenshot of official video of the arrest in Tbilisi of
an Armenian man suspected of smuggling weapons to Armenia, 27Mar2017.
Law-enforcement authorities in Georgia have extradited to Armenia a
man accused of providing a sophisticated weapon to Samvel Babayan, the
jailed army general linked to an Armenian opposition group, it emerged
on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old Armenian national, Robert Aghvanian, was detained in
Tbilisi in late March just days after Babayan's controversial arrest.
Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) said at the time that the
former commander of Nagorno-Karabakh's army paid two other arrested
suspects to smuggle a shoulder-fired surface-to-air rocket from or
through Georgia. It claimed to have found and confiscated the
Russian-made Igla system in Karabakh.
Subsequent NSS statements were more ambiguous about the origin of the
weapon. Investigators said only that Aghvanian delivered the weapon in
return for $38,000 that was promised by Sanasar Gabrielian, a longtime
Babayan associate. Gabrielian allegedly acted on the general's orders.
Babayan repeatedly denied the accusations as baseless before being
sentenced to six years in prison by a Yerevan court late last
month. Gabrielian, who received a three-year prison sentence, insisted
at their trial that it was he, not Babayan, who commissioned the
confiscated Igla.
The two men were arrested about two weeks before Armenia's last
parliamentary elections. Babayan was unofficially affiliated with the
ORO alliance led by former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian and two
other opposition politicians. ORO condemned the criminal case as
politically motivated. The opposition bloc failed to win any
parliament seats.
Armenia - Samvel Babayan (R), Nagorno-Karabakh's former military
leader, stands trial in Yerevan, 20Nov2017.
According to Armenia's Office of the Prosecutor-General, Aghvanian was
extradited from Georgia on Monday. He has already been formally
charged with illegal arms acquisition and smuggling, the
law-enforcement agency said in a statement.
Babayan's lawyer, Avetis Kalashian, said he does not expect the
extradition to seriously influence his client's fate. "It cannot have
any impact on Samvel Babayan because they definitely did not know each
other," he told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
"Samvel Babayan did not know personally any of the other suspects
except Sanasar Gabrielian," insisted Kalashian.
Neither the NSS nor the prosecutors have clarified yet why the once
powerful general would seek to get hold of the rocket designed to
shoot down planes and helicopters.
Babayan, who led Karabakh's Armenian-backed army from 1993-1999,
emigrated to Russia in 2011 and returned to Armenia in May 2016,
citing the increased risk of renewed war with Azerbaijan. He strongly
criticized Armenia's and Karabakh's current governments in the
following months.
Babayan was already arrested in 2000 and subsequently sentenced to 14
years in prison for allegedly masterminding a botched attempt on the
life of the then Karabakh president, Arkady Ghukasian. He was set free
in 2004.
Ruling Party Urges Caution Over Russian Tycoon Blacklisted By U.S.
 . Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Eduard Sharmazanov, the spokesman for the ruling Republican
Party, at a press conference in Yerevan, 27Dec2017.
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) on Wednesday urged media
to respect "the presumption of innocence" of a Russian businessman of
Armenian descent blacklisted by the United States for his alleged ties
to an organized-crime syndicate.
The controversial businessman, Ruben Tatulian, is one of 10 Russian
nationals on whom the U.S. Treasury Department imposed financial
sanctions late last week. The department's Office of Financial Assets
Control (OFAC) accused them of involvement in "serious transnational
criminal activities."
Tatulian holds an Armenian diplomatic passport. He was also one of
three dozen Russian-Armenian entrepreneurs who pledged last January to
support Prime Minister Karen Karapetian with large-scale investments
in Armenia's economy. Tatulian's inclusion on the U.S. blacklist
therefore raised questions about his ties to the Armenian government.
"Democracy requires respect for the presumption of innocence," the HHK
spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov, told reporters, commenting on the
U.S. sanctions against Tatulian. "If a person has not been convicted
by a judicial body then that person cannot be considered a
criminal. I'm neither defending nor not defending him. I'm just noting
a fact."
Asked whether the very fact of U.S. accusations levelled against
Tatulian is not significant in itself, Sharmazanov said: "This is
beyond the scope of my responsibilities."
The official also would not say whether the authorities in Yerevan
would now welcome any investments from Tatulian. "Financial
investments in Armenia and their sources must be legal," he said. "But
in order to judge whether they are legal or not you must not hand down
a [guilty] verdict against any citizen as long as there is no official
decision."
According to media reports, Tatulian is based in the Black Sea city of
Sochi and has extensive business interests as well as strong
government connections in southern Russia. An OFAC statement released
on December 22 described him as a regional "overseer" of the criminal
group in question. The Russian-Armenian tycoon has not yet publicly
reacted to the U.S. accusations.
Karapetian Laments Economist Cost Of Armenian Political Limbo
 . Emil Danielyan
Nagorno-Karabakh - Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetian visits a
manufacturing firm in the Martuni district, 16Dec2017.
The lingering uncertainty over who will govern Armenia after President
Serzh Sarkisian completes his final term in April is adversely
affecting the country's economy, Prime Minister Karen Karapetian said
in an interview published on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately that is the case," he told the "168 Zham"
newspaper. "We have to acknowledge that and # ensure that there are
not many [business-related] expectations based on those [political]
factors. But the approach that `let's wait for Monday and see what
happens' is definitely having a certain impact on the economy."
Karapetian referred to unnamed entrepreneurs who he said are delaying
their planned investments until after April 9, the final day of
Sarkisian's decade-long presidency.
The president, who holds a tight grip on the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (HHK), has still not clarified what he is planning to do
afterwards. Sarkisian said on December 15 that "the time has not yet
come" for him to announce whether he will become prime minister or
take up another state post.
The HHK spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov, again made clear on Wednesday
that Sarkisian will remain the party's top leader in any case. He said
that nobody else can do a better job of dealing with security and
foreign challenges facing Armenia. Several other senior HHK figures
have openly stated in recent weeks that Sarkisian should stay in power
as prime minister.
Also in April, Armenia will switch to a parliamentary system of
government, meaning that most of the sweeping powers currently enjoyed
by the head of state will be given to the prime minister. Karapetian
has repeatedly indicated his desire to retain his post.
Armenia -- Prime Minister Karen Karapetian gives an interview to "168
Zham" reporter Babken Tunian in Yerevan, 27Dec2017
Speaking to "168 Zham," the premier again said that the HHK leadership
will decide in April "who will occupy what post." "Of course,
individuals always play a [major] role," he said. "But the more the
role of individuals is minimized # the more predictable and promising
that [government] system becomes."
Joined by key members of his team such as Finance Minister Vartan
Aramian and Economic Development Minister Suren Karayan, Karapetian
spent most of the extensive interview defending his more than yearlong
track record. In particular, he argued that economic growth in Armenia
is on track to beat a 4.3 percent target that was set by his cabinet
for 2017. He also claimed to have significantly improved tax and
customs administration.
"We are committed to creating the kind of a business environment in
Armenia that will make it easy to do business # so that our
businessmen feel safe and secure, so that our domestic investors get
buoyed and bring in many other investors," he said.
Opposition politicians and other critics say that Karapetian's
government has not eased socioeconomic hardship so far. They have also
strongly criticized its decision not to raise public sector salaries,
pensions and poverty benefits despite a sizable rise in public
spending envisaged by the 2018 state budget.
Most of that spending increase will be channeled into infrastructure
projects. Government officials say this, coupled with continued
economic growth, is a better way to boost living standards in the
country.
"I think that by 2019 many more people will feel that we have moved
and are moving the economy in the right direction," said Karapetian.
The 54-year-old former business executive vowed to speed up economic
growth through major reforms and a fight against corruption when
Sarkisian named him prime minister in September 2016. The ruling HHK's
governing board gave a largely positive assessment of his track record
a year later.
Press Review
"That official Yerevan hopes Tbilisi will express readiness to make
use of Armenia's [commercial] potential seems to suggest that Serzh
Sarkisian regards Armenian-Georgian relations on a new plane and
expects a new quality and level of cooperation from Georgia," writes
"Aravot." "This is a very important message. It must be pointed out
that Sarkisian's latest visit to Tbilisi took place in a noteworthy
atmosphere." The paper cites last week's statement by Georgian Prime
Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to the effect that that Armenia could be
able soon to use a road passing through South Ossetia in its trade
with Russia.
"Whether this move by the Georgian government is the result of
Armenian-Georgian negotiations will probably be clear later on,"
"Aravot" goes on. "A new situation that has emerged around Armenia has
played a role in that. In all likelihood, the signing of the
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between
Armenia and the European Union, the start of a new phase of Armenia's
European integration, and Armenia's increased role in the region have
created a new situation."
"Hraparak" says that the November 24 signing of the CEPA was one of
the two most important events of 2017 for Armenia. The paper says that
the agreement is important in terms of both the domestic and foreign
policies. The April 2017 parliamentary elections are the other major
event singled out by it.
"Zhamanak" comments on U.S. plans to sell lethal weapons to
Ukraine. "The Russian hysteria about that is not comprehensible, to
say the least, because the United States is not a mediator in the
conflict in Ukraine and it is only natural that it is arming its
ally," writes the paper. It says the Russian reaction is particularly
"cynical" given Russia's large-scale arms sales to Azerbaijan that run
counter to its alliance with Armenia.
(Elen Chilingarian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
December 21, 2017 Thursday
Final Statement and Recommendations Adopted at the Seventeenth Meeting
of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee reaffirm EU's
special position on NK conflict
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. On December 19-20 the Seventeenth
meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC)
was held in Yerevan. At the end of the meeting Final Statement and
Recommendations were adopted which are based on Article 83 of the
EU-Armenia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), ARMENPRESS was
informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia.
The adopted document reflects the procedure of the RA-EU relations, in
the bilateral, as well as multi-lateral planes, the spheres of
cooperation and the further works in the context of signature of the
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership.
The document once again reaffirms the EU distinct position in the NK
conflict issue directed to the support of the OSCE Minsk Group
mediatory efforts.
Below we present the English version.
FINAL STATEMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Pursuant to Article 83 of the EU-Armenia Partnership and Cooperation
Agreement (PCA)
The Seventeenth meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation
Committee (PCC) was held in Yerevan on 19-20 December 2017, under the
co-chairmanship of Mr Armen Ashotyan on behalf of the National
Assembly of Armenia and of Mr. Sajjad Karim on behalf of the European
Parliament. The Committee heard Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr.
Garen Nazarian on behalf of the Government of Armenia, and Head of the
Delegation of the European Union to Armenia H.E. Piotr Antoni
Świtalski.
Having thus considered the state of play of EU-Armenia relations, the
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee agreed upon the following final
statement and recommendations.
The Parliamentary Cooperation Committee:
1.Recallsthe crucial role of the European Parliament and of the
National Assembly of Armenia, on the basis of their democratic
legitimacy, in the development of the Eastern Partnership dynamics;
2.Welcomesthe signature of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership
Agreement between the EU and Armenia, in the fringes of the Eastern
Partnership Summit that was held in Brussels on 24 November 2017;
3.Stressesthat this historical Agreement is based on the EU’s and
Armenia’s common commitment to democracy, the rule of law, good
governance and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;
notes with deep satisfaction that it sets a solid legal basis to
invigorate the political dialogue and broaden the scope of economic
cooperation as well as cooperation in sectors such as energy,
transport, environment and climate change, creates a framework for new
opportunities in trade and investments, and paves the way for
increased mobility for the benefit of the citizens; underlines that
elements of paramount importance for the strengthening of democracy,
such as the rule of law, consolidation of the judiciary, development
of public and social institutes, and good governance, are at the core
of the new Agreement;
4.Urgesboth the EU and Armenia to stay committed to a thorough and
lasting implementation of this Agreement;
5.Emphasisesthe role of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Agreement
between the EU and Armenia, which gives new impetus to the
strengthening of the parliamentary cooperation between the EU
Parliament and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia;
stresses the importance of launching the new parliamentary partnership
cooperation format aimed at enhancing the parliamentary dimension of
the cooperation between the EU and Armenia;
6.Stressesthat both the European Parliament and the National Assembly
of Armenia should provide appropriate mechanisms for the strengthening
of the parliamentary oversight, fostering public awareness and
building up the appropriate tools for the inclusion of society;
7.Urgesthe National Parliaments of the EU Member States to ratify the
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement without undue delay;
8.Emphasisesthat the Eastern Partnership dynamics should not be
considered as a tool aimed at forcing the EU’s Eastern Partners to
choose between the European path and other partnerships; notes that
Armenia has signed a far-reaching Agreement with the EU whilst being
at the same time a member of the Eurasian Economic Union;
9.Recallsthat, following the principle of differentiation that guides
the Eastern Partnership, every Eastern Partner should be given the
possibility to deepen its cooperation with the EU, in coherence with
its ambitions, and with the pace and quality of its reforms;
10.Welcomesthe steady progress that has been made in Armenia’s reform
agenda; highlightsnevertheless the need to further work on the top
priorities consistently identified over the last years, i.a. giving
greater momentum to the reforms process, fighting corruption, ensuring
media plurality and freedom and protecting minorities;
11.Recallsthat the EU has already planned to provide, under the Single
Support Framework 2017-2020, a bilateral financial support totalling
around €160 million (to be compared to €118.5 million in grants for
the period 2014-2017), focusing on areas such as economic development
and innovation, improving the rule of law and the business
environment, electoral assistance, connectivity, energy efficiency,
environment and climate change;
12.Calls oncloser cooperation to improve energy security and
efficiency through investments in interconnectivity and infrastructure
and the diversification of energy sources, in particular by increasing
renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels; underlines
the importance of ensuring full respect for international nuclear
safety and environmental protection agreements and obligations;
13.Reckonsthat the EU assistance should reflect the growingly
ambitious goals of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced
Partnership Agreement, provided that Armenia meets the required
conditions as far as the reforms jointly agreed with the EU are
concerned, in line with the principles of differentiation and “more
for more” encourages the European Commission to further enhance its
assistance and to align its budgetary instruments, such as the
European Neighbourhood Instrument and the European Fund for
Sustainable Development, to match the ambitions of the new EU-Armenia
partnership;
14.Stressesthat the EU financial support will be strictly conditional
on concrete reforms steps and their effective implementation, notably
in terms of upholding the rule of law, ensuring good governance, and
defending human rights as well as the plurality and freedom of media;
recalls and that the EU’s incentive-based approach aims at benefiting
those Eastern Partners most engaged in genuine, ambitious reforms;
15.EncouragesArmenia’s active participation in the COSME and Horizon
2020 programmes, in regional programmes funded under the European
Neighbourhood Instrument in the fields of environment, energy,
transport, culture and youth, in cross-border cooperation actions, and
in the initiatives open to all the Eastern Partners such asErasmus+,
Erasmus Mundus, eTwinning Plus, TAIEX, SIGMA, and the Neighbourhood
Investment Facility;
16.Recommendsto the European Commission to allow for a more intensive
participation of Armenia in EU-supported programmes that are open to
non-EU countries and to open the way for the participation of Armenia,
when the conditions are met and under a legally appropriate framework,
in EU agencies;
17.Welcomesthe achievements in strengthening people-to-people
contacts, including through education, youth, cultural and scientific
exchanges between Armenia and the EU; calls for reinforced engagement
in modernising education, research and innovation systems, increased
investment in young people’s skills, entrepreneurship and
employability, and welcomes in this regard the strengthened “Youth
Package” presented by the EU under the EU4Youth initiative;
18.Calls onthe European Commission to focus on tangible deliverables
for the citizens; underlines, in this respect, that the EU-Armenia
Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreement that entered into force in
January 2014 is already up-and-running; looks forward to strengthening
cooperation and further progressing in the area of mobility in a
secure and well-managed environment and to considering in due course
the opening of a visa liberalisation dialogue with Armenia, provided
that the conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place,
including the effective implementation of the visa facilitation and
readmission agreement between the parties mentioned hereinabove;
19.Notespositivelythe initiation of reforms in the area of territorial
management and local self-government, seeking to enhance the role of
municipal authorities and shape stronger links with the local
communities in the decision-making processes;
20.Welcomesthe Council of Europe’s Venice Commission’s and
OSCE/ODIHR’s generally positive assessment of Armenia’s ongoing
reforms towards ensuring the rule of law and notes measures enacted
with a view to enhancing the efficiency of the Prosecutor’s office;
notes positively, as far as the reform of the Electoral Code is
concerned, that a number of previous recommendations from the
OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission have been
addressed; regrets, however, that many factors, specifically
identified by them, as yet need to be addressed; calls on the Armenian
authorities to take all the necessary steps- legislative measures and
others – to tackle these issues, seeking in so far as necessary the
technical assistance of the international community, e.g. of the
European Union and in particular of the European Parliament;
21.Notes positively, as far as the April 2017 elections are concerned,
that the observation mission led by the OSCE/ODIHR, to which the
European Parliament contributed, found that the public media channel
gave an equitable coverage to each contestant during the campaign
period, that the elections were generally well administered and that
fundamental freedoms were generally respected; stresses, nevertheless,
the shortcomings also identified by the OSCE/ODIHR-led mission, such
as the persistence of pressure and vote-buying practices, and the
illegitimate interference of party representatives or police officers
at the voting stations;
22.Recallsthe importance of the gender dimension in the EU-Armenia
relations and, as a whole, within the Eastern Partnership framework;
recalls that gender equality, non-discrimination and women’s
empowerment are among the 2020 deliverables, as it was stressed during
the Eastern Partnership Summit of 24 November 2017; calls on the
authorities of Armenia to continue paying attention to this issue,
i.a. by fighting negative gender stereotypes, bridging the pay gap
between women and men, and declaring zero tolerance for any form of
gender-based harassment, intimidation or violence;
23.Recallsthat international human rights bodies, such as the UN CEDAW
Committee, have underlined the necessity to eradicate harmful gender
norms and practices on numerous accounts, and have called on the
authorities of Armenia to ensure that traditions do not hamper the
realisation of women’s rights and potentials;
24.Welcomesthe commitment of Armenian authorities to sign, ratify and
thoroughly implement the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing
and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the
“Istanbul Convention”); encourages them to do so without undue delay;
25.Welcomesthe adoption of the law for the prevention of violence in
the family, the protection of the victims of violence in the family
and the restoration of the harmony in the family that was first
proposed for public debate in October 2017, as a major, positive step
forward; stresses that the EU stands ready to offer all support and
expertise to help Armenian authorities to best deal with all matters
of domestic violence and all related issues; underlines that there
must be follow-up in order to deliver effective implementation and
enforcement, and that the victims’ needs must be priority at all
times;
26.Stressesthe need to tackle all forms of discrimination, as defined
by the United Nations’ Conventions and Resolutions, and put in place
the appropriate mechanisms to address all forms of discrimination;
27.Commendsthe Armenian authorities for their endeavours to accept and
integrate Syrian refugees of Armenian descent; calls on the European
Commission and the EU Member States to respond positively to any
request for assistance from the Armenian authorities aimed at
facilitating this integration;
28.Deploresthe continued human losses caused by the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict; deeply regrets the regular violations of the cease-fire
agreement, which repeatedly claim the lives of both military personnel
and civilians, whilst hampering the socioeconomic development of the
entire region; acknowledges that the current status quo is neither
acceptable nor sustainable, and that there can be no military solution
to the conflict;
29.Reiteratesits unwavering support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs and to their 2009 Basic Principles as noted in the
CEPA Preamble – refrain from the threat or use of force, territorial
integrity of States, and equal rights and self-determination of
peoples - as well as its appreciation of its endeavours to advance
towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict; stresses that efforts
shall follow commonly shared principles of maintaining international
peace and security as enshrined in the UN Charter, the OSCE Helsinki
Final Act and other relevant multilateral documents, underlining the
importance of existing agreed formats for the peaceful settlement of
the conflict; stresses that arms control and confidence- and
security-building measures are of great importance for security,
predictability and stability;
30.Welcomesthe joint statement made by the Presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan on the fringes of the Geneva Summit of 16 October 2017,
organised by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs; calls on the authorities
of both countries to hold high-level talks in good faith and commit to
genuine confidence-building measures and renewed dialogue, in order to
ease tensions on the line of contact, stabilise the security situation
and promote a more constructive atmosphere for future negotiations
aimed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict; reiterates its full
adherence to the exclusively peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs and supported by the European Union and the European
Parliament;
31.Welcomesthe efforts and the EU’s strengthened role in conflict
resolution and confidence-building in the framework of existing agreed
negotiating formats and processes; welcomes in this regard its new
initiatives aimed at supporting and completing the aforementioned
efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, by promoting confidence-
and peace-building activities across the conflict divide and bringing
the civil societies closer;
32.Regretsdeeply that the Armenian initiative of normalisation of
relations with Turkey without any preconditions fully supported by the
international community and reflected in the Zurich Protocols of 2009
were not ratified by the Turkish side putting forward preconditions
for this ratification, thus continuing to keep the border with Armenia
unilaterally closed; recalls the approaching of the 70th anniversary
of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide; calls on all the EU Member States to acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide; notes that the issue has become in recent years a
topic of open and public debate in Turkey itself.