Author: Kalantarian Kevo

TEHERAN READY TO COVER ITS PART OF IRAN-ARMENIA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION

16:48, 6 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Iran is ready to cover the expenses
for the construction of the Iranian part of the IranArmenia railway.

This was stated by the Secretary of the National Security Council of
the Republic of Armenia Arthur Baghdasaryan at the press conference
held on September 6. “Armenia continues the negotiations with Iran
on the launch of the construction works of the Iran-Armenia railway”,
– said Arthur Baghdasaryan, as reported by Armenpress.

The Secretary of the National Security Council of the Republic
of Armenia noted that works are being carried out to provide for
the financial assistance for the Armenian part of the railway’s
construction. “Russian, Chinese and Iranian companies are interested
in the issue”, – said Arthur Baghdasaryan.

The NSC Secretary stated as well that during the visit of the President
of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan to the Russian Federation
different agreements on transport security have been achieved.

The construction of the Armenia-Iran railway will cost $2-4 billion.

EXPERT: ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION IS LOGICAL STEP TOWARD INTEGRATION

15:32, 6 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s accession to the Customs
Union would be quite a logical step toward integration, Professor
Galina Shmarlovskaya, PhD in Economics, Dean of the International
Economic Relations Department of the Belarusian State Economic
University, as reports Armenpress citing to BelTA, said as she
commented on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement concerning
the country’s intention to accede to the Customs Union and take part
in further formation of the Eurasian Economic Union.

According to Galina Shmarlovskaya, the dissolution of the USSR led
to the disruption of ties between the former USSR republics and
triggered many economic and social problems. This necessitated the
adjustment of the countries’ specialization and the search for their
place in global economy. In recent years Armenia has been seeking to
expand international cooperation. The country has recently signed
a memorandum on the cooperation model with the Customs Union and
discussed cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Commission. To
materialize its plans Armenia needs to join the CIS free trade
zone, which was created in line with the agreement signed in 2011
and approved by eight CIS countries out of eleven: Belarus, Russia,
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Moldova. “So,
Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union is quite a logical step toward
further integration. This will entail more intensive interregional
cooperation in the form of trade, international industrial ties,
investments and cooperation in R&D,” Galina Shmarlovskaya said.

The professor also commented on the information in the media about
Armenia’s intention to sign a free trade zone agreement with the
European Union. After Serzh Sargsyan made a statement concerning
the country’s intention to join the Customs Union, the EU made it
clear that Armenia would not be able to accede to the EU free trade
zone. “In this case we can refer to international experience. In
today’s world there are large-scale projects where free trade zones
are established not only between particular states but between entire
international integration groups. In the future the free trade zone
may be established between the Customs Union and the EU, so if Armenia
joins the Customs Union it will in any event become part of the free
trade zone,” Galina Shmarlovskaya said.

According to Galina Shmarlovskaya, the accession of new states to the
Customs Union will be a positive factor: the Single Economic Space
is being formed, its member countries will get the opportunity to
penetrate bigger markets, while manufacturers will be able to sell
products taking into account consumer demand in these countries, which
will, of course, open additional opportunities for the development
of joint entrepreneurship and will encourage investments, including
the FDI.

“In the future all CIS counties will get closer to the Customs Union,”
Galina Shmarlovskaya is convinced.

ANALYST RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN: “CUSTOMS UNION HAS LITTLE NEW TO OFFER ARMENIA”
Hrant Gadarigian

15:07, September 6, 2013

Lambasting President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent last minute announcement
that Armenia is planning to join the Russian led Customs Union as
“closing the door to Europe, Yerevan-based political analyst Richard
Giragosian said there was still time for Yerevan to make sure the
door isn’t “locked”.

Giragosian, who heads the Regional Studies Center, argued at a press
conference today that the Customs Union had little new to offer
Armenia and that the country had much to lose instead.

The analyst stressed that the decision-making process itself (the
lack of prior public discourse) leading to Sargsyan’s last minute
bombshell announcement reveals more about the weakness of Armenia’s
internal foreign policy strategy than anything else.

He faulted the Armenian government for not being as ambitious as it
needs to be in the foreign policy sphere.

Giragosian said that the European Union and the West in general will
regard Armenia as less than sincere and competent and that, by entering
the Customs Union, the country’s strategic importance will weaken.

It was never a decision of choosing between the West and Russia in
terms of Armenia’s security interests, noted Giragosian, pointing out
that neither the Putin’s Customs Union nor the EU’s DCFTA (Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement) had anything to do with security
matters in the first place.

“I have always argued that Armenia needs to maintain its security
treaties with Russia, but the issue at hand deals with economic
orientation as well as Armenia’s long-term reform process,” Giragosian
said, claiming that the possibility for future democratic reforms in
Armenia has now been endangered.

The analyst, answering his own question as to who will benefit from
Armenia’s entry in the Customs Union, pointed to the country’s
oligarchs and the system of corruption. “By denying competition
from Europe, these are the sectors that will reap benefits, not the
population at large,” Giragosian said.

He derided the claims by some that Russia was the sole guarantor
of the safety of Armenia, and thus, by extension, Yerevan couldn’t
risk upsetting Moscow. Giragosian said issues of Armenia’s security
and that of Artsakh, as an argument for entering the Customs Union,
were basically a red-herring.

“Armenian soldiers on the Artsakh front line are being killed by
Azerbaijani soldiers using weapons sold by Russia. What security
guarantees are we talking about? What leverage does Russia have over
Karabakh? It can’t even threaten to rescind its recognition of the NKR,
because it has yet to recognize it,” Giragosian noted.

He concluded his talk on a slightly upbeat note.

“To be fair, President Sargsyan signed nothing in Moscow. Hopefully,
he can maneuver his way out of this mess.”

NSC SECRETARY DENIES PRESSURE ON ARMENIA FOR CUSTOMS UNION MEMBERSHIP

13:52 06/09/2013 ” POLITICS

Nothing was done secretly. I was aware of the process, moreover, I
worked at those documents, Armenian National Security Council (NSC)
Secretary Arthur Baghdasaryan told a news conference in Yerevan in
commenting on media reports that the Armenian President’s Moscow
statement was secret and no one was informed about it.

There has been no pressure on Armenia, the official added.

“We announce that we are ready to sign the Association Agreement
with Brussels, and we keep in touch with our European partners,”
Baghdasaryan stressed.

Source: Panorama.am

UNKNOWN PERSONS BEAT HAYKAK ARSHAMYAN AND SUREN SAGHATELYAN (VIDEO)

September 6 2013

Shortly before, unknown persons attacked and beat social activists
Haykak Arshamyan and Suren Saghatelyan. In response to the question of
“Aravot” as to where, in what circumstances and what was the reasoning
of the incident occurred, the historian and the employee of the Yerevan
Press club Haykak Arshamyan currently being in the hospital N1 told
that the incident took place in the yard of his house, when he was
parking his car. “Six people attacked me saying “are you a Diaspora
man, hey bro!” and started to hit”- said he. At this very moment,
Haykak Arshamyan and Suren Saghatelyan are in the hospital and have
applied to the police. According to Mr. Arshamyan, they certainly
do not know those who beat, they were “six bull necks”, but he is
convinced that the reason of the beat was their recent activism in
the protest actions against Armenia’s joining the Customs Union,
particularly the participation in the demonstration held yesterday in
front of RA Presidential House. “Suren got head injuries, my cheek
is torn from inside,”- said Haykak Arshamyan. Photos from Suren
Saghatelyan’s and Haykak Arshamyan’s Facebook pages. The video,
CivilNetTV Melania BARSEGHYAN

Read more at:

HINTS TO SERZH SARGSYAN

Answering the question of Tert.am whether the decision of Armenia
was a deal of blackmailing by Russia, the U.S. Ambassador Heffern
made an symptomatic statement:

“I think you would have to ask Armenia’s elected leadership about that
question. As I have stated on numerous occasions, I think Armenia
places itself in a position to succeed when it maintains a range of
options in the political, economic and security spheres.”

In fact, the U.S. ambassador hints that Serzh Sargsyan’s decision
is evidence to rigging elections. If a government is elected, it
does not undergo external pressure and it does not make decisions
spontaneously but in the result of a public process.

On the other hand, the United States sent a “high-level”
congratulation to Serzh Sargsyan when he “scored” 58 in the
presidential election. Both the president and secretary of the United
States congratulated him. It was the first time the president of the
United States congratulated the president elect.

Instead, there was a precedent during the history of Armenia when the
United States spoke about electoral fraud post-factum. The United
States suddenly spoke about the election of 1998 many years later,
mentioning in one of the State Department reports about 100,000 votes
rigged for Robert Kocharyan.

There is a precedent, and the United States may react in a few months,
if not years, that 100,000 or more votes were rigged in favor of
Serzh Sargsyan in 2013.

But what will it bring? Nothing. The United States will merely win a
moral victory, and the score will be a draw because the United States
actually won a moral victory in the presidential election. It became
known post factum.

On the other hand, announcing about rigging during the presidential
election would not bring anything to the United States. Serzh
Sargsyan would have just announced earlier to join the Customs Union.
Therefore, Washington tried an option which it did not necessarily
believe but did not have an alternative.

The political forces of Armenia were used to the state of affairs
proposed by Moscow. The latter came to terms with the Heritage when
Raffi Hovanissian went to Putin after the presidential election.

In other words, in Armenia Washington is deprived of what it was
trying to make sure Armenia or Serzh Sargsyan have – options.

James Hakobyan 12:03 06/09/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

DES REPRESENTANTS DU PARTI DACHNAK BIENTOT NOMMES AMBASSADEURS ?

ARMENIE

Selon les informations des medias, deux representants du parti
d’opposition FRA/Dachnaksoutioun, le depute Vahan Hovhannisian, et un
ex-Ministre de l’Education, Levon Mkrtchian, pourraient etre bientôt
nomme Ambassadeurs, le premier en Allemagne et le deuxième dans un
autre pays europeen. Si Levon Mkrtchian a dementi cette information,
Vahan Hovhannissian a refuse de donner de commentaires. Contacte par
des medias, le porte-parole du MAE n’a pas donne plus de details. ”
La nomination des Ambassadeurs est un long processus reglemente par
la Constitution armenienne et les lois. Il est prevu, en particulier,
de suivre des protocoles prealablement a la publication du decret
presidentiel “, a-t-il dit.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 30 août 2013

vendredi 6 septembre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

ARMENIA, GEORGIA AND THE CUSTOMS UNION

18:54 05.09.2013
Armenia, Customs Union, Georgia

Gita Elibekyan
“Radiolur”

Armenia could have problems with Georgia after joining the Russia-led
Customs Union, taking into consideration the free trade agreement
between the two countries, some Georgian politicians say. At the same
time, they consider that Armenia and Georgia are able to find a rapid
solution to all merging problems.

As for the perspectives of Georgia’s membership in the Customs Union,
experts say its hardly possible and consider that yesterday’s statement
of PM Bidzina Ivanishvili was a gesture to Russia.

One day after Armenia said it will join Russia’s Eurasian Union,
Georgia’s PM said it might, in due course, do the same. The remark
puzzle d the Georgian politicians and analysts. The issue of joining
the Customs Union had never been considered in Georgia before.

However, some politicians, mostly from the opposition, consider that
the PM’s statement puts the issue on the agenda.

Representative of President Mikhail Saakashvili’s United National
Movement Party David Darchiashvili says there could be two explanations
to Ivanishvili’s statement. “First, it may be the result of lack of
experience. Second, there could be a force behind these words trying
to change the political course of the country.”

Members of the Prime Minister’s Georgian Dream bloc view the statement
as a step targeted at improving the relations with Russia. One of the
leaders of the Republican Party Levan Berdenishvili noted that “PM
Ivanishvili says we can discuss all unions, but that does not mean
we’re going to join them.” “Besides, the Prime Minister is leaving
politics,” he added.

“As member of the Georgian Parliament, I declare that Georgia does
not have the intention to join the Customs Union or the Eurasian Union.

Georgia opts for the EU and NATO,” he told Public Radio of Armenia. He
added that the situation with Armenia is unique, and this should be
taken into consideration.

Both MPs consider that Armenia could have certain problems with
Georgia by joining the Customs Union. The two neighboring countries
have a free trade agreement and a number of other agreements providing
for favorable conditions for the development of economic ties. They
believe, however, that all problems will be solved after some changes
are implemented.

“I’m sure there should be no problems between Armenia and Georgia.

We’ll solve them thanks to our friendship. Irrespective of the fact
which unions our countries join, we’ll remain friends and will do our
best to maintain good economic relations,” Levan Berdenishvili said.

Director of the Center for EU Studies Kakha Gogolashvili says the free
trade between Armenia and Georgia may continue if the Customs Union
allows Armenia to maintain free trade regime with certain countries.

“Whatever, all this will have no impact on the process of shipment
of Armenian cargoes through Georgia,” he said.

NEW CUSTOMS OFFICE TO BE BUILT IN SYUNIK REGION

September 05, 2013 | 17:20

YEREVAN. – A new customs office will be built in Syunik Region,
near Shaki village.

During the Thursday meeting, Armenian government declared eminent
domain the villagers’ property of 7.1 hectares as well as 0.56 hectares
of the community.

Syunik Region is located in Armenia’s south and is bordering with Iran.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

NAGORNO-KARABAKH TAKES BALANCED STANCE ON ARMENIA’S CUSTOMS UNION MOVE – OFFICIAL

21:06 05.09.13

The Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic takes quite a balanced
approach to Armenia’s decision to join the Eurasian Customs Union,
a spokesperson for the country’s president has said, considering the
move Yerevan’s independent choice.

“I don’t think the move poses any harm to the Armenian statehood or
the interests of our people or Artsakh,” David Babayan told Tert.am,
adding that the authorities in Karabakh are not seeking any political
motives behind the process.

“Armenia continues implementing its foreign policies, so from that
point of view, I don’t think the move directly closes our doors to
cooperation with other countries. This is an option which I think has
been widely discussed, and the decision was made after considering
the pros and cons, so to say,” he added.

Asked about pro-Russian or pro-Western circles’ reaction to the move,
Babayan said he doesn’t admit any such splits in state policies. “I do
not admit such an approach. What does pro-Russian or pro-Western mean?

We are simply obliged to pursue complementary policies. We are a
Diaspora-oriented nation. Unfortunately, many Armenians reside abroad
as a result of the Genocide. Hence, we are obliged to maintain good
relations also with the countries which have a big Armenian Diaspora.

We cannot, for example, have negative relations with the United State.

Neither can we with Russia which has the biggest Armenian Diaspora.”

When asked whether Nagorno-Karabakh may join the Customs Union, the
spokesperson called for taking a sober approach to the issue to avoid
heated scenarios. He said Nagorno-Karabakh is an unrecognized country
regardless of possible memberships in any union. Babayan added that
the country has not yet developed mechanisms for developing relations
with unrecognized states.

Armenian News – Tert.am