Author: Hagop Kamalian

                                        Tuesday, 
Yerevan May Scrap Plans For New Nuclear Plant
 . Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - A general view of the Metsamor nuclear plant, 20May2013.
The Armenian government may abandon its ambitious plans to build a new
nuclear power station in place of the aging plant at Metsamor, Justice
Minister Davit Harutiunian said on Tuesday.
President Serzh Sarkisian pledged to replace Metsamor, which generates
roughly a third of Armenia's electricity, by a modern facility meeting
safety standards shortly after taking office in 2008. The project
never got off the drawing board as his government failed to attract
billions of dollars in funding needed for the new plant's
construction. The government decided instead to extend the life of
Metsamor's 420-megawatt reactor by 10 years, until 2027.
"We will have a new nuclear plant if it is cost-effective in terms of
[electricity] tariffs," Harutiunian told reporters. "Just imagine a
possibility that it turns out tomorrow that modern technologies can
generate the same amount of energy without a nuclear plant and that
nuclear energy ... is much more expensive for consumers. Which path
should we opt for? Of course, modern technologies."
Asked whether that means the government now does not rule out the
possibility of giving up the idea of a new nuclear plant, Harutiunian
said: "You correctly understand my and my government's position." The
government will closely monitor international energy "trends" and
eventually decide "which model will best suit our consumers," added
the minister.
As recently as in July, Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian
insisted that the government remains committed to the expensive
nuclear project. He said the government has only revised the would-be
plant's design capacity from 1,000 megawatts to 600 megawatts.
Yerevan will commit to "the closure and safe decommissioning" of the
Metsamor plant in an extensive agreement with the European Union which
is due to be signed next month. The draft agreement sets no specific
time frames for the plant's shutdown. It also acknowledges "the need
for its replacement with new capacity to ensure the energy security of
the Republic of Armenia."
`No Obstacles' To EU-Armenia Deal
Armenia - Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian speaks to journalists in
Yerevan, 15Jun2017.
Nothing stands in the way of Armenia signing a landmark agreement with
the European Union next month, a senior government official in Yerevan
insisted on Tuesday.
The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), finalized
in March, is widely expected to be signed at the EU's November 24
summit in Brussels. Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for European
neighborhood policy, discussed with Armenian leaders preparations for
the summit when he visited Yerevan on October 2.
There are lingering fears among pro-Western circles in Armenia that
Yerevan will walk away from the agreement under pressure from Russia
at the last minute. They point to President Serzh Sarkisian's
unexpected decision in 2013 to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic
Union. That move scuttled an Association Agreement that was negotiated
by Armenian and EU officials.
Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian was asked by reporters whether
there are any obstacles to the signing of the CEPA. "I don't see
them," he replied.
Harutiunian also denied any geopolitical motives behind the EU's
decision to publicize the CEPA late last week, arguing that Yerevan
and Brussels have already "reached final agreements on the text." "So
there is no need to look for any secrets or messages there," added the
minister.
The 350-page draft agreement posted on the EU website calls for
Armenia's greater involvement in "policies, programs and agencies of
the European Union." It commits the Armenian government to
implementing political reforms and "approximating" national economic
laws and regulations to those of the EU.
Jailed Oppositionist Denied Bail
 . Sisak Gabrielian
Armenia - Opposition activist Andrias Ghukasian goes on trial in
Yerevan, 2Aug2017.
An Armenian court refused on Tuesday to set free an opposition
activist pending a verdict in his trial on charges of aiding gunmen
that seized a police station in Yerevan last year to demand President
Serzh Sarkisian's resignation.
The arrested activist, Andrias Ghukasian, offered to post bail shortly
after the trial began in August. The presiding judge turned down the
request as "unfounded," prompting strong criticism from the defendant
and his lawyer.
They demanded that another, more "impartial" judge take over the
high-profile case. That demand was also rejected.
Ghukasian, was one of the organizers of demonstrations held in support
of the gunmen affiliated with a fringe opposition group. The charges
levelled against him stem from one of those rallies that was organized
on July 29, 2016 in Yerevan's Sari Tagh neighborhood close to the
besieged police base.
Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters
after they refused to march back to the city center. Several
organizers of the protest were arrested and charged with provoking
"mass disturbances." All of them except Ghukasian were subsequently
released from custody.
The 47-year-old also stands accused of planning to have the protesters
break through a police cordon, join the gunmen and thus prolong their
standoff with security forces, which left three police officers
dead. He denies the accusations as politically motivated.
Ghukasian continued to insist on his innocence at Tuesday's court
hearing in Yerevan. He also said that the prosecution failed to
substantiate the charges levelled against him.
"This is a clear political order executed by the prosecutor for
reasons which I think are obvious to all of us," he charged.
More than 60 protesters were injured and hospitalized in the Sari Tagh
violence. The police say that 36 of their officers were injured by
stones thrown from the crowd shortly before the violent breakup of the
protest.
In a January report, Human Rights Watch said that the use of force
against the protesters was "excessive and disproportionate." The
crackdown has also been criticized by Armenian human rights activists.
Armenian Police Back Bill Against Domestic Violence
 . Tatevik Lazarian
Armenia - Colonel Nelly Durian (L) of the Armenian police attends
parliamentary hearings in Yerevan on domestic violence, 17Oct2017.
A senior representative of the Armenian police on Tuesday called for
the passage of a government bill aimed at combatting domestic violence
and helping its predominantly female victims.
The bill drafted by Armenia's Justice Ministry would introduce
criminal and administrative liability for specific cases defined as
domestic violence. It would also obligate the state to protect female
victims by providing them with special shelters or banning their
violent spouses from approaching them and even their children.
The proposed legislation is strongly backed by women's rights groups
campaigning for much tougher government action against the
practice. But it has met with fierce resistance from some conservative
groups and nationalist public figures. The two sides argued bitterly
during a public discussion on the bill organized by the Justice
Ministry on October 9.
The heated debate continued during hearings on the issue held in the
Armenian parliament on Tuesday.Colonel Nelly Durian, head of a
national police division dealing with children's rights and domestic
violence, was among senior officials who attended and spoke at the
hearings.
"We have violence within families and must do everything to help its
victims, to help children, women and even those individuals who resort
to violence," said Durian. "I think that this bill is aimed at doing
just that."
The police recorded 3,571 cases of domestic violence from
2012-2016. Women's rights groups have long accused the police of being
too lenient towards men systematically ill-treating their wives or
children and even turning a blind eye to their violent conduct.
Armenia - Deputy Justice Minister Vigen Kocharian speaks at
parliamentary hearings in Yerevan, 17Oct2017 .
Echoing statements by law-enforcement officials, Deputy Justice
Minister Vigen Kocharian said that Armenia's existing criminal and
family codes do not sufficiently empower relevant authorities to
tackle the problem. Hence, the need for a special law against it,
Kocharian told the hearings.
"About 47 percent of cases of sexual abuse of minors take places in
family milieus," the official said. "Some people may not be concerned
about this problem, but we are concerned."
Hasmik Khachatrian, a young woman who was abused by her husband for
almost a decade, also made a case for the bill's passage during the
discussion. She said it would protect victims of domestic violence and
spare them "the kind of obstacles which I have encountered."
The draft, which is due to be debated by the Armenian parliament soon,
defines four types of such abuse: physical, sexual, psychological and
economic. Some lawmakers asked Kocharian to elaborate on psychological
and economic violence, which prompted a particularly heated discussion
among participants of the hearings.
Press Review
"Zhoghovurd" describes as "quite interesting" Monday's meeting of the
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Geneva and statements that were
made right after the talks. The paper says the talks focused on
efforts to ease tensions on the frontline, rather than details of a
peaceful settlement proposed by the United States, Russia and
France. It believes that "mutual trust" and adherence to the ceasefire
regime is indispensable for a breakthrough in Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace talks.
"Zhamanak" says the best way for Armenia and Karabakh to deal with the
conflict with Azerbaijan is to achieve good governance, social justice
and faster economic growth. "Only after taking such steps at home
would Serzh Sarkisian get the comprehensive mandate, so to speak, to
joyfully talk to [Ilham] Aliyev in a [Geneva] garden," writes the
paper. "Parallel to this, Armenia needs peace on the borders and
stability in the region in order to solve those issues. In that sense,
the Geneva meeting, at least judging from first indications, gives one
reason to conclude that even if fundamental progress was not made
there, there is a possibility of maintaining the current relative calm
for some time."
"Aravot" notes that "almost nothing" is known about the substance of
the Sarkisian-Aliyev meeting. The paper expects Aliyev to again
publicly promise the liberation of "occupied Azerbaijani lands" on his
return to Baku. "Most of Azerbaijan's population probably believes in
that propaganda," it says. "Otherwise, it would have made no sense
[for Azerbaijani leaders] to dish out the same empty promises for 25
years. The Armenian public, which was raised and lives in
comparatively freer conditions, on the contrary believes only in
negative and pessimistic reports. Today our media outlets will
probably come up with headlines like this: `Sarkisian and Aliyev agree
on the surrender of five districts,' `Lavrov's infamous plan
realized,' `Territorial concessions becoming reality.'"
"Haykakan Zhamanak" reports that real estate prices in Yerevan fell to
a 10-year low in the first half of this year. "Apartment were not so
cheap even in the immediate aftermath of the 2008-2009 crisis," the
paper says.
(Tigran Avetisian)
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

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Saturday
Taron Margaryan: Yerevan is known to the world as a safe, comfortable,
developing, warm, kind and hospitable city
Yerevan October 14
David Stepanyan. Yerevan is known to the world as safe, comfortable,
evolving, warm, kind and hospitable city, "the message of the mayor of
Yerevan, Taron Margaryan, distributed by the press service of the
mayor's office, says on the occasion of the Day of Yerevan.
From early morning, the townspeople began the celebration of the
city's day "Erebuni-Yerevan-2799". The morning was traditionally
marked by a parade of watering cars along the streets of Yerevan and
the washing of monuments.
"Armenians all over the world celebrate the birthday of the capital of
all Armenians under the motto" The City of Love "with undisguised
pride of the fact that the ancient but always young capital thanks to
joint efforts, every year more and more confidently and proudly
appears before the world, strengthening its place among the
sustainably developing cities, Yerevan is 2799 years old today, and
therefore I congratulate all of us, "Markaryan said.
"Yerevan is a constant participant of every program and initiative
aimed at the development of our city." Each of us with our confidence,
hard work and ability to love our hometown does everything possible
for anyone who has visited the capital to see, hear, feel and love
Yerevan, " the mayor.

                                        Friday, 
Armenia-Kurdistan Flights Continue For Now
 . Ruzanna Stepanian
Iraq -- Vehicles drive out of the Irbil International Airport,
November 23, 2015
Weekly flights from Armenia to Iraq's Kurdistan region continued on
Friday despite the Iraqi authorities' decision to close the region's
airspace to foreign airlines in retaliation for its vote for
independence.
A plane belonging to a private Armenian airline flew from Yerevan to
Kurdistan's capital Erbil just hours before the ban imposed by Baghdad
was due to come into effect.
The ban followed the Kurdistan Regional Government's refusal to hand
over control over the airports in Erbil and another regional city,
Sulaimaniya. The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority sent a notice to
foreign airlines telling them that international flights to both
cities will be suspended at 1500 GMT on Friday and only domestic
flights will be allowed.
The Yerevan-Erbil flights operated by an Iraqi company were carried on
Saturdays. According to the Armenia Airline carrier, the latest flight
was brought forward by one day at the request of its Iraqi partner.
The airline's deputy director, Gevorg Khachatrian, said the company
has no plans yet to suspend the service. "We have received no
notifications, and as of now there are no changes in our flight
schedule," he told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Armenia's Directorate General on Civil Aviation did not clarify
whether it will order the company to suspend the flights. "If the
airspace is closed, we will obviously decide whether or not to
continue the flights," said a spokeswoman for the government agency.
Neighboring Iran and Turkey have already said that the will comply
with Baghdad's ban on flights to and from Kurdistan. Reuters reported
that as of Friday morning two European carriers, Lufthansa and
Austrian Airlines, kept at least one flight still scheduled after the
deadline.
Iraq's Kurds overwhelmingly voted for their autonomous region's
independence on Monday in a referendum strongly condemned by the Iraqi
central government as well as Iran and Turkey.
Armenia reacted cautiously to the referendum. Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian expressed hope on Wednesday that Kurdistan and Baghdad
"will avoid tension and find ways of solving existing issues."
Yerevan has maintained cordial relations with both sides. It formally
decided to open an Armenian consulate general in Erbil in March
shortly after Nalbandian held fresh talks with Massoud Barzani, the
Iraqi Kurdish president, in Germany.
Armenia's trade with the Kurdish region and other parts of Iraq has
grown considerably in recent years. Armenian exports to the Middle
Eastern nation account for the bulk of bilateral trade which stood at
$138 million last year.
Turkish Intellectuals Risk Arrest After Trip To Karabakh
Armenia - Turkish intellectuals (left to right) Erol Katircioglu, Sait
Cetinoglu, Ali Bayramoglu and Ufuk Uras at a news conference in
Yerevan, 21Sep2017.
Authorities in Azerbaijan have issued an international arrest warrant
for four prominent Turkish intellectuals who visited Nagorno-Karabakh
last week.
Former Turkish parliamentarian Ufuk Uras, writer and political
commentator Ali Bayramoglu and two scholars, Sait Cetinoglu and Erol
Katircioglu, travelled to Karabakh via Armenia on a trip organized by
a Yerevan-based group called the National Congress of Western
Armenians.
They met with Karen Mirzoyan, the Karabakh foreign minister until this
week, in Stepanakert on September 22. Mirzoyan's press office said he
briefed them on "the history and origins" of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict and the Karabakh Armenian leadership's efforts to resolve it.
Azerbaijan's Office of the Prosecutor-General said late on Thursday
that the Turks illegally crossed Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized border and will be prosecuted under a corresponding article
of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code. It said it has asked Turkish
law-enforcement authorities to arrest and extradite them to Baku.
The Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan, Erkan Ozoral, strongly condemned
the trip on Friday. But he did not explicitly say whether Uras,
Bayramoglu, Cetinoglu and Katircioglu will be arrested in Turkey. "We
respect the legal system," Ozoral told the Azerbaijani APA news
agency.
Successive Turkish governments have strongly and unconditionally
backed Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict. Turkish Defense Minister
Nurettin Canikli reaffirmed that stance and called for "the liberation
of Karabakh" on Thursday when he visited Azerbaijan to attend joint
exercises held by the air forces of the two Turkic states.
Baku similarly issued international arrest warrants for three
pro-Armenian members of the European Parliament who travelled to
Karabakh and monitored a constitutional referendum held there in
February. None of them has since been arrested.
The three lawmakers -- Frank Engel of Luxembourg, Eleni Theocharous of
Cyprus and the Czech Republic's Jaromir Stetina -- had already been
declared personae non grata in Azerbaijan because of their previous
trips to the Armenian-populated territory. The Azerbaijani government
has also blacklisted more than 600 other non-Armenian foreigners for
the same reason.
Earlier in February, Belarus controversially handed over to Azerbaijan
Alexander Lapshin, a Russian-Israeli blogger detained in Minsk in
December. An Azerbaijani court sentenced Lapshin three years in prison
in July. He was pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and set
free on September 14. The blogger called for continued Armenian
control over Karabakh the following day.
First Major Solar Plant Built In Armenia
Armenia - A newly built solar power plant in Tsaghkadzor, 29Sep2017.
Armenia's first-ever major solar power plant went on stream on Friday,
with a senior government official predicting the country's growing
reliance on renewable sources of energy.
The 0.5-megawatt plant has been built by a private company, Energo
Invest Holding, in Tsaghkadzor, a resort town 60 kilometers north of
Yerevan.
"Today is a historic day for Armenia as the first solar power plant
has been connected to Armenia's electricity networks," the Armenpress
news agency quoted Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures Hayk
Harutiunian as saying at the inauguration ceremony.
Harutiunian said 11 more such facilities with a combined capacity of
10 megawatts will be constructed in the country by 2019. "Besides, we
are holding a tender for the construction of a big solar plant with a
55-megawatt capacity," he added, according to the ARKA news agency.
Solar and wind power currently make up only a tiny share of
electricity produced in Armenia. The Armenian government has declared
the spread of these renewable sources of energy a priority.
In July, Prime Minister Karen Karapetian attended the official opening
of Armenia's first factory manufacturing solar panels used for power
generation. The government exempted equipment and raw materials
imported by its private owner from customs duties earlier this year.
The Tsaghkadzor plant is equipped with German-made solar
panels. Energo Invest Holding claims to have invested about $500,000
in its construction.
"This is a pilot project," a senior Energo Invest executive, Liana
Lobasian, told reporters. She said her company plans to build larger
solar plants that will absorb "large-scale investments."
Energo Invest is part of the Tashir Group of Samvel Karapetian, a
Russian-Armenian billionaire businessman. The Russian-headquartered
business conglomerate owns Armenia's national electric utility and
largest thermal power plant. It is also expected to start managing
soon country's state-owned power transmission network.
Karapetian was the driving force behind the recent creation by three
dozen Russian businesspeople of Armenian descent of a
multimillion-dollar investment fund that pledged to finance various
business projects in Armenia. The fund is said to be particularly
interested in hydropower and solar energy.
Press Review
"Zhoghovurd" says that the head of the European Union Delegation in
Yerevan, Piotr Switalski, may again find himself at loggerheads with
the Armenian authorities following his latest statements on changes
which they need to make in order to make Armenians eligible for
visa-travel to the EU. The paper claims that Switalski referred not so
much to visa-related changes as broader reforms needed in Armenia.
"Haykakan Zhamanak" reports and comments on a government forecast that
economic growth in Armenia will reach 4.5 percent next year. The
government expects economic recovery in Russia and higher
international prices of copper will contribute to that growth. "That
our economy and the population's living standards are painfully
dependent on the copper price and remittances from our compatriots
working abroad is not a revelation," the paper says. "All we have to
clarify is what depends on our government."
"Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" reports that a new government bill on freedom
of information has provoked strong criticism from Armenian journalists
and non-governmental organizations. The paper says that the Justice
Ministry, which drafted the bill, appears to be postponing its
submission to the government and the National Assembly for
approval. It says ministry officials have so far been unable to make
it more acceptable to the critics in line with an instruction issued
by Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian.
"Hraparak" says that President Serzh Sarkisian's decision to pardon
Vazgen Khachikian, the former head of Armenia's state pension fund who
was jailed for corruption in 2012, has not gone down well with many
people. "The extent of criticism and resentment is so high that even
sensible people did not dare to counter that at least this plunderer
spent five years in jail," the paper says. "There are so many
plunderers that remain at large, occupy posts, wreak havoc on the
state budget and get away with that."
(Tigran Avetisian)
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

Turan news agency, Azerbaijani Opposition
Sept 23 2017
US Mission to OSCE called to release political prisoners in Azerbaijan
Warsaw/23.09.17/Turan: At the 2017 Human Dimension Implementation
Meeting in Warsaw, the US Mission to OSCE has made a statement noting
facts of violation of human rights in some countries.
Concerning Azerbaijan the statement calls to release political
prisoners in Azerbaijan.
"During the first week, we welcomed the release of Mehman Aliyev, the
director of Turan, the last independent news agency in Azerbaijan. We
also welcome the Azeri government"s decision to drop charges against
opposition leader Natig Jafarli and to release Faig Amirli, financial
director of the Azadliq newspaper. We call on the government to drop
the remaining charges against Aliyev and to lift travel bans against
him and others, including investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova
and defense lawyer Intigam Aliyev. Over 145 people are estimated to
remain incarcerated on politically motivated charges, including Ilgar
Mammadov, leader of the REAL political movement, who remains
imprisoned despite a ruling in his favor by the European Court of
Human Rights. They, too, should be freed expeditiously, without
condition", - reads the statement. -02D-