Author: Hagop Kamalian

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan under pressure to quit after 200 protesters arrested

Hagop Kamalian
May 3 2022
AFP
May 03, 2022

Police in Armenia detained more than 200 anti-government protesters on Tuesday as opposition parties called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to quit over his handling of a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.

Protests erupted in Yerevan, the capital, on Sunday, after opponents of Mr Pashinyan demanded his resignation.

They have accused him of plotting to cede to Azerbaijan the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, over which the countries went to war in 2020.

Demonstrations were held on Monday, and on Tuesday police cracked down on protesters who blocked traffic in central Yerevan.

The interior ministry said “206 demonstrators were detained” in Yerevan and provincial cities.

The protests highlight bitterness over Mr Pashinyan’s leadership since the six-week war in 2020 that killed more than 6,500 people before ending with a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a decades-long dispute over Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s Armenian-populated region.

On Saturday, Armenia’s security service warned of “a real threat of turmoil in the country”.

The parliament speaker played down the risk of instability.

“There is no political crisis in Armenia,” said Alen Simonyan, an ally of Mr Pashinyan.

“Political forces, which lost parliamentary elections in 2021, are aggressively trying to mount a wave of protests, but our citizens have already made their choice and will stay away from their attempts,” he told a news conference Tuesday.

Opposition leader and parliament vice speaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan said: “Pashinyan is a traitor and permanent street protests, which are mounting, will force him to resign.”

He called for a protest rally later Tuesday in Yerevan’s central Square of France, where thousands rallied against Pashinyan on Sunday and Monday.

“Nikol must go – he will go – because he is a symbol of defeat and Armenia has no future with such a leader,” said one protester, 57-year-old blacksmith Sergei Hovhannisyan.

“He is ready to give away Karabakh for which we have shed our blood,” he told AFP.

Opposition parties accuse Pashinyan of plans to give away all of Karabakh to Azerbaijan after he told lawmakers last month that the “international community calls on Armenia to scale down demands on Karabakh”.

Under the Moscow-brokered deal, Armenia ceded parts of the territory it had controlled for decades, and Russia sent 2,000 peacekeepers to oversee the truce.

The pact was seen in Armenia as a national humiliation and sparked weeks of anti-government protests, leading Pashinyan to call snap parliamentary polls which his party, Civil Contract, won last September.

Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. About 30,000 people were killed in the ensuing conflicts.

Armenia Central Bank chief comments on decline of dollar exchange rate

Hagop Kamalian

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 16:26, 3 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. In terms of supply, there is a progressive growth of foreign currency means in Armenia conditioned by the presence of foreign visitors, which led to some strengthening of the dram, President of the Central Bank Martin Galstyan said during a press conference, commenting on the recent developments in the dollar-dram exchange rate market, particularly the decline of the dollar exchange rate.

He said it’s important to understand the reasons of the behavior of the exchange rate. “We see a situation when we have international visitors in Armenia. There is such a situation in Armenia that the external demand has increased. There is a certain increase in demand for our services, which supposes that our services have become exportable. When these persons spend some money in our resorts or restaurants, this is supposed to be a growth in export, from the perspective of the balance of payments of Armenia. This situation led to the point that we have a progressive growth of foreign currency means in terms of supply to demand, which resulted in some strengthening of the dram”, the CBA President said.

In order to understand how fundamental this phenomenon is, the CBA chief said it’s important to know how long these people are planning to stay in Armenia, how they will behave. As the exchange rate is free-floating in Armenia, Galstyan refused to make assessments when it will be restored or what level it will reach.

As of May 2, the US dollar exchange rate declined 3.61 drams in Armenia, amounting to 449.65 drams.




​ Armenia opposition vows to unseat PM over Karabakh

Hagop Kamalian

Saudi Arabia – May 2 2022

Armenia opposition vows to unseat PM over Karabakh

Police detain a demonstrator during a protest rally, in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP Photo)
  • The opposition accuse PM Pashinyan of plans to give away the mountainous region after he said that the ‘international community calls on Armenia to scale down demands on Karabakh’
  • Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a territorial dispute since the 1990s over Azerbaijan’s Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN: Opposition parties in Armenia vowed Monday to stage mass protests and unseat Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, accusing him of plotting to give away a disputed region to arch-foe Azerbaijan.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a territorial dispute since the 1990s over Azerbaijan’s Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The mountainous enclave was at the center of a six-week war in 2020 that claimed more than 6,500 lives before it ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire agreement.
Opposition parties now accuse Pashinyan of plans to give away all of Karabakh to Azerbaijan after he told lawmakers last month that the “international community calls on Armenia to scale down demands on Karabakh.”
“We are launching a popular protest movement to force Pashinyan to resign,” parliament vice speaker and opposition leader Ishkhan Saghatelyan told AFP on Monday.
“He is a traitor, he has lied to the people,” he said, accusing the 46-year-old leader of wanting to hand over the contested region to Azerbaijan. “He has no popular mandate to do so.”
Saghatelyan said an opposition rally would be held in the capital Yerevan on Monday evening, saying “protests will not stop until Pashinyan goes.”
Public transport was disrupted in Yerevan on Monday morning as small groups of protesters attempted to block traffic in the city center.
Police intervened, briefly detaining dozens of protesters.
The Union of Journalists, a media advocacy group, criticized police tactics as heavy-handed, saying there were several instances of officers punching journalists who covered opposition protests.
On Sunday, several thousand protesters rallied in central Yerevan to demand Pashinyan’s resignation.
Under the Moscow-brokered deal, Armenia ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades and Russia deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers to oversee the truce.
The pact was seen in Armenia as a national humiliation and sparked weeks of anti-government protests, leading Pashinyan to call snap parliamentary polls which his party, Civil Contract, won last September.

Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The ensuing conflicts claimed around 30,000 lives.

189 protesters detained for blocking streets in Yerevan

Hagop Kamalian

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 11:18, 2 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. 189 people were detained by police Monday morning amid anti-government protests in Yerevan. 

The demonstrators were blocking streets in downtown Yerevan and were detained for failure to obey a lawful order of police, the press service of the police told ARMENPRESS.

The Vice President of the Republican Party of Armenia Armen Ashotyan, as well as Arsen Babayan from the Hayrenik party were also earlier detained.

Chaarat reports gold equivalent production decline in Armenia in Q1, flags inflationary pressures

Hagop Kamalian
April 29 2022

 

Vladimir Basov  Friday April 29, 2022

(Kitco News) - Chaarat (AIM: CGH) said today that in Q1 2022, the company produced 15,266 gold equivalent ounces at its Kapan polymetallic mine in Armenia, which represents a 6.9% decrease on Q1 2021 (16,174 ounces).

According to the company's statement, production was lower due to reduced third-party processing and lower grade ore currently being mined; however, it said that performance was in line with plan based on the areas currently being mined.

All-in-sustaining cost was USD1,352 /oz compared to USD1,024 /oz in Q1 2021 (+32.0%) due to increases in energy prices, other raw materials costs and increased development work.

The company added that its preliminary unaudited standalone Kapan EBITDA contribution was USD7.6 million compared to USD6.9 million in Q1 2021 (+10.1%).

Chaarat said it remains on track to deliver on its AuEq 56-62koz guidance for the year including third-party ore production.

Third-party ore supply and mill throughput is expected to remain stable for the remainder of 2022 with the approximately 41 kt stockpile of own ore available for processing in the next quarters.

CEO Mike Fraser commented, "Kapan continues to operate on a steady state basis with the team focusing on value, not just volume, and managed to increase utilisation of equipment and efficiency. The on-site stockpile will give us improved operational flexibility in the coming quarters.

"At Tulkubash, the resource and reserve update including the 2021 drilling results will be available this quarter and feed into an updated economic model for the project."

Chaarat is a gold mining company which owns the Kapan operating mine in Armenia as well as Tulkubash and Kyzyltash gold projects in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Pregnant woman, 29, killed by Armenia PM motorcade in Yerevan, she was program manager at Artsakh IT center

Hagop Kamalian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
14:58, 27.04.2022

According to preliminary data, at around 6:05pm on Tuesday, the commander of an accompanying traffic police platoon ran over—with the service vehicle he was driving—an Ararat Province resident at a downtown Yerevan intersection, according to the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

The woman was taken to hospital, but she died without regaining consciousness.

This 29-year-old pregnant woman who died in this accident by the motorcade of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was Sona Mnatsakanyan, and she was working at the Support Our Heroes (SOH)-Armenia organization.

The respective message issued by this organization reads as follows: “It is with great sorrow that we mourn the loss of our beloved Sona and her unborn child. Sona Mnatsakanyan was a founding member of Support Our Heroes and the leader of the Artsakh Tever IT Center project group within SOH. Sona will always remain in our hearts as an exemplary patriot and a dear friend with great human values. Our condolences to Sona's family, loved ones, friends…”

Mnatsakanyan was born and raised in Berkanush village of Artashat city. She had gotten married last year and was living in Yerevan.


Foreign Minister: No one better than Russian peacekeepers will be able to fulfill these obligations in Nagorno-Karabakh

Hagop Kamalian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. No one better than the Russian peacekeepers will be able to fulfill these obligations in Nagorno-Karabakh. Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan stated this  during a press conference on Facebook on the air of RFE/RL's Armenian  Service.

So, in order to clarify what is the reason for his assertion that the  presence of peacekeepers from Norway or other countries will untie  the hands of Azerbaijan to violate the ceasefire regime, Babayan  noted that the question is not whether Norway is loved or not loved  in the NKR or Armenia.

" It is important to be realistic. Our future is in danger. And first  of all, those who now live here can lose everything. This is not the  time for practical proposals. Until the peacekeepers from Norway  come, and even the question is whether they will come, whether they  will be able to do anything, whether they will be able to save  something, whether they have experience in maintaining peace! The  Russian Federation has been here for centuries," the head of the  Karabakh Foreign Ministry said.

At the same time, Babayan asked a counter question, what is wrong  with the fact that the Russian Federation is in Nagorno-Karabakh.  "What is the logic that you want the Norwegians? Do you want the best  for Artsakh? If you serve other interests, then we are not in this  game. Nobody better than Russian peacekeepers will be able to fulfill  these obligations. But this does not mean that we are against Norway,  all efforts should be directed to the salvation of Artsakh," the  diplomat said, once again calling for refraining from political  speculation.

When asked about the inability of Russian peacekeepers to stop  Azerbaijani provocations, Babayan asked a counter question: Will not  the Azeris take such steps in the case of the Norwegians as well?

The NKR Foreign Minister drew attention to the fact that all  provocations by Azerbaijan, which are carried out with the support of  Turkey, are directed, including against Russia. "If there were  peacekeepers from other countries, they would have entered  Stepanakert long ago and would have killed everyone. And only the  presence of Russia is a restraining factor," he said, emphasizing  once again that it is the presence of Russian peacekeepers that does  not allow the outbreak of a new large-scale war.

When asked why Artsakh will not hold a referendum and vote for  joining Russia, Babayan stressed that this issue is not on the agenda  today. At the same time, the head of the NKR Foreign Ministry noted  that today the most important thing is not to be part of Azerbaijan.

"I would like to emphasize that neither in the short term nor in the  long term, we will not accept attempts to forcibly annex Artsakh to  Azerbaijan. This is the most important thing and we must build a  development vector on this," he said.

Referring to the statements of the Prime Minister of the Republic of  Armenia about the need to lower the bar on the Karabakh issue, which  is requested by the international community, the Minister drew  attention to the disunity of the international community today and  pointed to the need to be guided by our own national interests.

Speaking about the prospects for the resumption of the activities of  the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Babayan recalled that this is the  only platform where the United States, France and Russia worked  together.

According to him, against the background of the processes around  Ukraine, the activity of the format has been frozen due to  disagreements between Russia and the West, but he expressed hope that  it will be restarted in the future. At the same time, in this vein,  he drew attention to the complexity of the process of dismantling the  format of the OSCE Minsk Group. "The main thing for us now is the  preservation of peace and stability in the region," the diplomat  said.

Citizens bring toys and candles to intersection where Pashinyan’s motorcade hit pregnant woman to death

Hagop Kamalian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
Citizens bring toys and candles to intersection where Pashinyan's motorcade hit pregnant woman to death
23:27, 26.04.2022

Citizens bring toys and candles to the intersection of Leo-Paronyan Street in Yerevan, where a car from the prime minister's motorcade hit a 28-year-old pregnant woman to death.

"People come to the Leo-Paronyan Street intersection, put a candle and leave a soft toy for the woman and the unborn baby…," former TV commentator Lilit Tumanyan wrote on her Facebook page.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee announced the detention of the driver of Pashinyan's motorcade, who ran over a pregnant woman to death.

Pashinyan, EU’s Toivo Klaar highlight need for resolution of NK conflict under auspices of OSCE MG Co-Chairmanship

Hagop Kamalian

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 16:13,

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar.

The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin also attended the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Highlighting the Armenia-EU cooperation, the Armenian PM highly appreciated the President of the European Council Charles Michel’s efforts aimed at stability in the region, which, jointly with other international partners’ efforts contribute to regional dialogue.

Reiterating Armenia’s commitment to the democratic reforms agenda, Nikol Pashinyan expressed satisfaction over the allocation of 2,6 billion euros to Armenia as part of the EU Eastern Partnership program’s economic and investment package and implementation of development programs.

Toivo Klaar thanked the Armenian Prime Minister for the assessment and reiterated the EU’s commitment to deepen partnership with Armenia and continue efforts aimed at regional peace.

The interlocutors exchanged views over the course of implementation of the agreements reached at the April 6 Brussels meeting of PM Pashinyan, the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh issue, the delimitation and demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan and unblocking of economic and transport infrastructures of the region were discussed.

Both sides emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

The course of implementation of the programs planned under the Eastern Partnership investment package was discussed.

In this context Ambassador Wiktorin presented ongoing works and upcoming actions. The programs are aimed at strengthening democracy in Armenia, boosting the economy and development of SMEs, energy and infrastructure sectors.

Eurovision Song Contest: Armenia: Who Is Rosa Linn?

Hagop Kamalian
EuroVoix

The penultimate artist in our Who Is series for Eurovision 2022 is Rosa Linn from Armenia.

Roza Kostandyan, also known as Rosa Linn, was born on 28th November 2000 in Vanadzor, Armenia. Rosa began playing the piano at the age of six, and at 13, she took part in Armenia’s Junior Eurovision selection show with her song “Gitem“.

Her professional music career took off in 2020 with her collaboration with Nvak Collective, a US-based record label. A year later she released her debut single “King”. In March 2022, it was announced that Rosa Linn had been internally selected by Armenian broadcaster AMPTV to represent the country at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy.

Rosa Linn will sing “Snap” in 17th position in the first semi-final on 10th May.

Armenia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 and has participated every year since, excluding 2012 and 2021. Armenia’s best results came in 2008 and 2014 when they finished 4th in the final. They have failed to qualify for the final on three occasions. The first time was in 2011 when Emmy finished in 12th with “Boom Boom”, she was 1 point away from qualifying for the final. In 2019, Srbuk finished 16th in her semi-final with “Walking Out”, bringing Armenia their worst result to date in the contest.