Author: Kajoyan Gevork

 09:25,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor General of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan does not consider the existing format of combating drug trafficking to be sufficient, at the same time she assures that efforts are being made in this direction, in particular, an attempt is made to change the tactics and quality of the investigation, but it is too early to talk about the results.

On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the Prosecutor’s Office, ARMENPRESS spoke with the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan. During the interview, Vardapetyan spoke about her achievements in the position of the Prosecutor General for almost a year, her upcoming plans, “delayed” justice, rise in crimes, and also referred to the results of meetings with the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Kyamran Aliyev and the conference dedicated to the establishment of the Prosecutor’s Office.

To the question of the correspondent of ARMENPRESS about the achievements recorded during the year in office, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan noted that one year is not enough to talk about tangible results. “Besides, the results should not be talked about, they should be seen by the public, therefore here I would like to talk about some important changes. The first is the legislative reform adopted by the National Assembly in March 2023, by which the Prosecutor’s Office was given the authority to initiate a lawsuit for the protection of community interests in court. This means that the Prosecutor’s Office has the right to question in court the orders and decisions of the heads of local self-government bodies, based on which public parks, kindergartens and other similar immovable properties were illegally alienated”, Vardapetyan said, adding that this has one goal – to return to the public the illegally alienated property. Since the Prosecutor’s Office has been granted by the mentioned power, 235 criminal cases have been initiated.

“The next area of reforms is about cadres. I have spoken about this on different occasions. In terms of cadres, my approach is unchanged. As the Prosecutor General, I want to share my responsibility and success with those prosecutors who are well-mannered, have a high standard of professional knowledge, are hardworking, honest, improve their qualities and most importantly, are dedicated to their profession and their country.

In terms of cadre policy, I attach great importance to the work with young people, students and pupils. In terms of professional orientation, we give students the opportunity to do an internship with us, to have regular meetings with prosecutors, before being included in the list of prosecutors, to work in the Prosecutor’s Office.

I am often asked about the involvement of women. Anticipating this question, I should note that smart and dedicated women certainly have their place in the Prosecutor’s Office, including in high positions. Women know about the rule in the Prosecutor’s Office: we work hard and treat our work with extreme responsibility”, Prosecutor General of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan said.

Speaking about challenges and problems, Vardapetyan noted that they are quite many, starting from criminal proceedings, delay of trials to efficiency of fight against corruption.

Answering the question about delay of trials and “delayed” justice, which cause decline of public trust in legal system, Anna Vardapetyan noted that “delayed” justice still continues to exist, adding that she first raised that issue last year, when being nominated as candidate for the position of Prosecutor General. In the 2022 activity report of the Prosecutor’s Office, we devoted a separate chapter to the issue of the delay in the examination of criminal cases, where the concerns raised by me about “delayed” justice are presented with examples. The reasons for the delay in examination of criminal cases are multifaceted: they have objective and subjective aspects. The objective side is the increase in the number of criminal proceedings, the subjective side is the unscrupulous attitude of the bodies conducting the proceedings towards their responsibilities, the frequent change of judges in the same case, the incomplete application of prosecutor’s supervision and control mechanisms, etc.

From the day I assumed the position of the Prosecutor General, I gave instructions to all departments to exclude the phenomenon when prosecutors do not attend trials for no serious reason”, she said, emphasizing that the period of examination of criminal cases is in the center of her everyday attention.

Referring to the question about her two meetings with the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Kyamran Aliyev through the mediation of the Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, how she evaluates those meetings, what significant results can be highlighted, and whether there will be similar meetings in the near future, Mrs. Vardapetyan answered, “At the end of 2022, I received an offer from the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation to meet with the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan in a tripartite format, which I accepted, because each discussion in such a format is an opportunity to talk substantively about the fulfillment of the obligations stipulated by the tripartite statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020. Point 8 of the tripartite declaration on humanitarian obligations is a priority for the prosecution. At the core of the tripartite meeting held at the end of 2022 was the issue of Armenian prisoners of war still held by Azerbaijan.

Another tripartite meeting was held in June of this year, again at the initiative of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. In this context, I cannot help but emphasize the efforts of my Russian partner to resolve this sensitive issue as soon as possible, but it is a fact that there are still no tangible results from those meetings.

I will not stop raising this issue among the prosecution community. You ask if there will be such meetings in the near future, yes, there will be, because if my participation in the meetings in such a format will create an opportunity to return our soldiers to the homeland, then yes, I will participate, I will speak, I will raise the need for Azerbaijan to fulfill international humanitarian demands and I will not allow the Azerbaijani side to ignore the issue”.

Answering the question whether there is any analysis of what’s the reason behind the rise in crimes, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan noted that in 2022 nearly 22 thousand cases of crimes were registered in Armenia, which is 24% higher than the figure in 2021. “The analyzes show that one of the reasons is the change in criminal procedure legislation. You might be aware that the new code eliminates the stage of preparation of materials, and criminal proceedings are initiated for each report that can reasonably be given a preliminary legal assessment of compliance with any act under the Criminal Code”, Vardapetyan said, adding that it should not be forgotten that crimes are systemic and re-productive phenomenon.

The correspondent of ARMENPRESS asked if sufficient efforts are made to fight against the rise in drug trafficking in Armenia, to which Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan answered, “You raise a very important question. I regret to say that no, I do not consider the current format of combating illegal drug trafficking to be sufficient. Efforts are being made, particularly an attempt is being made to change the tactics and quality of the investigation, but it is too early to talk about the results.

The need to ensure the confidentiality of the preliminary investigation does not allow me to reveal details about the investigation process in specific cases, however, I should note that active work is being done within the framework of international legal assistance regarding the importation of large batches of drugs, including the extradition of suspected criminals to Armenia”.

As for prevention of drug use among minors, Anna Vardapetyan emphasized that the systematic criminal-legal fight against illegal drug trafficking is of primary importance, along with it, however, the family can also play a serious role in prevention. “For a minor, the drug is a deception of “happiness”, “interesting experience”, she said.

Referring to the question about the conference dedicated to the 105^th anniversary of the establishment of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Anna Vardapetyan answered, “A few days ago, on July 1-2, the Prosecutor’s Office celebrated its 105th anniversary. With the support of our international partners, the Council of Europe and the European Union, a conference was organized on the topic “Prosecution’s independence as a guarantor of the rule of law”. The heads of the executive and judicial authorities of Armenia, ambassadors accredited to Armenia, heads of law enforcement structures, prosecutor generals of five member states of the Council of Europe, high-ranking representatives from the Council of Europe, the International Association of Prosecutors and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice participated in the conference. At the end of the conference, a document summarizing the results of the panel discussions and reports was adopted.

It was a great honor for me to organize such a high-level conference in Armenia and to host my European colleagues in Armenia. I am sure that the participants of the conference left our country having discovered Armenia and with the desire to return. I am glad that in addition to professional discussions, we managed to tell our European partners about the cultural and national wealth of Armenia.

Thanks to the positive feedback on the effectiveness of this conference, we already have a preliminary agreement with our colleagues from the Council of Europe to hold another conference in the near future, which will have a more inclusive geography and will be dedicated to the institute of confiscation of property of illegal origin”.

Interview by Karen Khachatryan

Photos by Hayk Manukyan

 15:32,

YEREVAN, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani government has been bribing European lawmakers in an attempt to conceal its poor human rights record.

Azerbaijan’s infamous “Caviar Diplomacy” of systematic bribing to downplay its human rights record has led to investigations and convictions.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on July 13 on recommendations for reform of the European Parliament’s rules on transparency, integrity, accountability and anti-corruption.

The resolution mentions violations by various countries and organizations, including the Azerbaijani government’s actions. 

“…whereas Azerbaijan has conducted large-scale influence operations, involving strong suspicions of corruption, against members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; whereas Azerbaijan has managed to avert probes into its elections and whitewash its human rights record,” reads clause T of the resolution.

Speaking to ARMENPRESS, expert on Azerbaijan, former MP and former Armenian delegate to PACE Tatev Hayrapetyan warned that Azerbaijan will continue its practices of bribing European officials, but more cautiously.

“The scandalous reports prove that Azerbaijan’s actions in PACE involve a broad network and that the head of the Azerbaijani delegation Samad Seyidov is directly involved in criminal activity. When we were going to Strasbourg the Azerbaijanis were already acting very cautiously. Nonetheless, the facts remain and Seyidov continues to lead the Azerbaijani delegation,” Hayrapetyan told ARMENPRESS.

With the scandalous ousting of Pedro Agramunt as President of PACE in 2017 not stopping the practices of the Aliyev regime, the Caviar Diplomacy continues to this day, the expert on Azerbaijan warned.

Agramunt and many other officials served at PACE for a long time and their partiality contributed to pro-Azeri wordings which did not reflect the situation neither on Azeri domestic developments not around the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Eventually all packages are collected and Baku makes a tool out of it. The facts are disclosed, perpetrators are prosecuted, but the huge damage remains, she said.

“Azerbaijan isn’t criticized for its numerous political prisoners and human rights violations, whereas European countries get lambasted for the same occurrences. Turns out there are good and bad despots for Europe, with Aliyev being the so-called acceptable despot in this case, which in turn unleashes him even more in our region. Moreover, the Azerbaijanis show that the PACE resolutions mean nothing to them, they disregard the organizations where they themselves have membership. Should these organizations display principled approach, they would have considered ousting or suspending Azerbaijan, forcing Azerbaijan to respect the European resolutions,” Hayrapetyan said.

If the briber remains unpunished and those involved in scandals remain in office, then we are dealing with a unilateral punishment, when only those who are bribed are being punished. But this doesn’t mean that the bribers will stop, the expert said.

She warned that the Azerbaijanis will act more cautiously to try to find alternative sources.

On one hand the fact of bribery exists, but on the other hand the representatives of the democratic Europe travel to Baku to shake President Aliyev’s hand and describe him as a “reliable partner” in the context of diversifying gas supplies, whereas this is in parallel with the “gas bluff” topic, which to some extent impacts the EU policy in South Caucasus.

But facts show that Azerbaijan doesn’t even have the required gas reserves to supply the necessary volumes to entire Europe. Azerbaijan itself is buying gas from Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia, and is often re-selling Russian gas. Hayrapetyan said that this major deal involves the Europeans thinking that they are diversifying Russian gas by using Azeri gas, but are actually using Russian energy carrier, which is supplied via Azeri pipelines.

“It’s absurd that Europe is sanctioning Russia but is supporting the aggressor, dictatorial Azerbaijan in South Caucasus, showing that Azerbaijan is its partner in our region. EU has always had reforms agendas with Armenia and Georgia, and an energy cooperation agenda with Azerbaijan, whereas reforms have no effect in case of Azerbaijan,” the expert said.

Manvel Margaryan

 15:14,

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. The trilateral meeting between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Council Charles Michel has started in Brussels.

ARMENPRESS reports, Nikol Pashinyan and Charles Michel met before the tripartite meeting. At the request of the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Prime Minister of Armenia conveyed the letter of the President of Nagorno-Karabakh to Charles Michel.

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met in a trilateral format in Brussels on May 14. On June 1, a five-sided meeting was held in Chişinău with the participation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

 14:21, 4 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. The outgoing Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri has called on Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan.

During the meeting Grigoryan thanked the ambassador for his significant work during his tenure in Armenia and wished him success in the future, Grigoryan’s office said in a readout.

The Deputy PM and the Iranian Ambassador also discussed actual issues of the Armenia-Iran bilateral agenda and underscored the existing opportunities and prospects for developing the relations.

 13:00,

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS. ARMENPRESS State News Agency is co-sponsoring a photo exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Belarus. The exhibition titled “Armenia Through the Lens of a Belarusian Photographer and Belarus Through the Lens of an Armenian Photographer” will be opened together with BelTA, the Belarusian Telegraph Agency at the National Museum of History of Belarus in Minsk on June 29.

The event is organized by the Armenian Embassy in Belarus, with support from ARMENPRESS and BelTA.

“We highly value cooperation with our Belarusian partner and such initiatives which show the cultural similarities of the two countries, allow the societies to explore one another, the tourism attractions and historical landmarks. Armenian Ambassador to Belarus Razmik Khumaryan’s efforts in realizing this project have been invaluable,” ARMENPRESS Director Narine Nazaryan said, adding that the exhibition will further strengthen cooperation between ARMENPRESS and BelTA and lay the foundation for many more joint projects.

100 selected pictures at the exhibition will present the culture, traditions and nature of Armenia and Belarus.

Belarus is presented through the lens of ARMENPRESS photojournalist Mkhitar Khachatryan, while Armenia is presented through the lens of BelTA photojournalist Leonid Scheglov. The exhibition will be open until August 15 in Belarus, before its opening in Armenia in autumn.

 15:21,

YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. The operative headquarters of the Lipetsk region advises its residents not to leave their homes without urgent need and to refrain from traveling by personal and public transport.

“At the moment, all government bodies and law enforcement forces are working in a strengthened mode. In order to ensure the law and order and safety of the citizens of Lipetsk Oblast, the operative headquarters of the oblast asks residents not to leave their homes without urgent need and to refrain from any trip by private or public transport,” ARMENPRESS reports, reads the statement.