Author: Kanayan Tamar

WHY DO PEOPLE LEAVE “AFFLUENT” ARMENIA?

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
June 24 2013

Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

During the last month social activity has intensified in Armenia –
various social groups of the population conduct protests.

The protests reflect unsettled social problems, first of all.

Moreover, the flames of people’s anger were caused by the fact that the
authorities have no will to undertake necessary reforms which could
solve such old problems as unemployment, the rise in the numbers of
poor and those leaving the country.

Probably, a constraining factor of the pressure existing in society
was the presidential and municipal elections, because the majority of
people were counting on them. However, a series of events demonstrated
that their hopes for changing the situation in the country couldn’t
come true. The government has almost remained the same; despite heavy
criticism by the opposition, the parliamentary majority literally
rushed the program of the new government; the row over the mayor of
Taron, Marganyan, who possessed property which cost $6 million more
than his official income, but he was appointed mayor again, and so on.

One activator of people’s dissatisfaction was, on the one hand, the
authorities’ decision to raise gas and electricity rates; on the other
hand, the power of nature: heavy hail fell in May several times and
damaged agriculture in some regions, primarily Armavir, where the
power of nature destroyed harvests in 46 village communities. The
initial hesitation of the officials, their attempts to postpone a
settlement of the issue on compensation and freezing bank credits
taken by farmers caused a storm of protest.

Desperate farmers twice shut off the highway between Armevir and
Yerevan, demanding settlement of the problems that had appeared. As
a result, the government decided to allocate seeds, fertilizers
and diesel fuel to residents of the 46 village communities as
compensation. 22 communities are completely exempt from land taxes
and water payments; 44 communities are partially free; negotiations
with banks on the time-out on repayment and possible decrease of
interest rates are being held. The behavior of the village residents
is significant. It was the first time in the history of Armenia that
a group of people had taken such a radical step as shutting off a
highway on order for the authorities to fulfil their demands.

The civil disobedience shown by farmers in Armavir became an example
for residents of several villages in the Shirak region, who shut
off a road for milk tank vehicles on June 11. The reason for this
was decrease of the milk purchase value by 10 drams and increase
of milk product prices by 10%. And none of representatives of the
agricultural department in the regional administration and of the
Ministry of Agriculture could explain why milk products rose in price
in a season of price decrease.

Employees of the company Armavia (which went bankrupt in late March)
conducted peaceful protests and demanded payment of salary owed for
7 months. In the course of a month the former staff of the company
held three protests in front of the government’s house and the
presidential palace. After the third protest, which took place on
June 7, the press secretary of the company. Nana Avetisova, stated
that debt payment would begin in the very near future.

In May and early June people protested against increasing gas and
electricity rates, which are set to grow by 20-25% since July 7th.

Since May a group of veterans of the Karabakh war have been demanding
that the leadership pay attention to social and other problems
of veterans and provide their rights. They demanded a meeting with
Premier Tigran Sarkisyan, who met veterans on June 7th and promised
to order the corresponding departments to settle their problems.

On June 10-11 200 lawyers declared a two-day strike against the work
of the Court of Cassation. Therefore, Armenia has never seen so many
flashes of people’s anger in its history. The protests were a reaction
by citizens to the passivity of the authorities.

It seems the leadership has to think about the reality. If they don’t
take real rather than shallow and declarative steps on changing the
situation in the socio-economic sphere, the atmosphere in the country
could become very tense. Declarations that economic growth is 7.2%
and all problems can be settled sound unconvincing, because people
continue to leave the “affluent” country.

24 NEW MEMBERS JOIN ARF RANKS

Monday, June 24th, 2013

The ARF

GLENDALE-Ahead of a community celebration of the 95th anniversary of
Armenian Independence on Saturday, 24 new members joined the ranks
of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

Ahead of the oath ceremony, Harut Megrdichian of the ARF Western US
Central Committee’s Education Committee welcomed the soon to be new
members and reported that 38 individuals applied to join the ranks of
the party, of whom 26 successfully completed the four-month intensive
novice educational program. On Saturday, 24 took their oath, while
another two members were unable to take part in the ceremony because
they were out of country.

Veteran ARF member Khatoun Pakradouni was invited to administer the
oath, following which she presented her brief yet moving remarks to
the new members of the 123-year-old party.

She recalled her own swearing in ceremony in 1952 as a young student
in Beirut and revealed that legendary ARF leader General Dro was on
hand to administer her oath to membership in the ranks.

Pakrdouni then told the new members that to serve the mission of the
ARF is to serve the entire Armenian nation, adding that along the
way there will be challenges to overcome, but in the end the sacred
mission to advance the Armenian Cause was the ultimate goal.

She also announced that this crop of new members will be called the
“Simon Zavarian Generation,” named after the ARF founder, who was
known as being the conscience of the party. This year marks the 100th
anniversary of Zavarian’s death.

Pakradouni concluded her remarks by quoting Zavarian who said,
“without real work, words are meaningless.”

In his remarks, ARF Western US Central Committee chairman Dr. Viken
Hovsepian told the new members that although they had completed the
educational program, the true education in the party began when they
took the ARF membership oath, stressing that each day, as an ARF
member, is an education.

The more than 200 fellow ARF members who had gathered to witness the
solemn ceremony, one-by-one congratulated the new members and welcomed
them to the ranks.

CHIEF OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES LEAVES FOR MOSCOW

June 24, 2013 | 16:18

YEREVAN. – The delegation headed by Chief of Staff of the Armenian
Armed Forces Yuri Khachaturov is leaving for Moscow on Monday.

The delegation will participate in the regular session of the Military
Committee of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) organized
in a joint headquarters in Moscow.

The issues related to development of military components of the
organization will be discussed.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

IRATE ARMAVIR APRICOT GROWERS THREATEN TO BLOCK HIGHWAY OVER LOW PRICES

Grisha Balasanyan

As we go to press, residents of Myasnikyan, Khandjyan and several
other villages in Armavir Province have gathered on the main
Armavir-Baghramyan and have threatened to block the thoroughfare to
voice their indignation over the low prices they are being offered
for their apricot crop.

It turns out that a major apricot buyer, the Noyan factory, has been
offering farmers 50 AMD per kilo.

Growers are demanding 120 AMD per kilo just to break even. In lieu
of this, they have suggested that the government facilitate customs
regulations to allow for buyers from Georgia to purchase the crop.

Myasnikyan Mayor Andranik Petrosyan told Hetq that he has informed
Armavir Provincial Governor Ashot Ghahramanyan about the issue.

Petrosyan claims the matter has reached the desk of Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan.

Mayor Petrosyan says that the 50 AMD being offered merely covers
labor costs of the growers.

Petrosyan adds that he was somehow able to dissuade residents from
blocking the road until he hears the response of the government.

“I told them to wait. Let’s see what happens,” he said.

Khandjyan Mayor Samvel Avagyan told Hetq that the only resolution
is to allow for the exportation of the crop. He says that this year,
contrary to years past, no Georgian buyers have visited the village.

The Georgians pay better prices that the factories. If they were
allowed to come and buy, the problem would be resolved to a certain
degree,” said Avagyan.

TURKS AND AZERBAIJANIS UNITE EFFORTS IN ANTI-ARMENIAN INITIATIVES

16:20, 24 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: The Chairman of the State Committee of
Azerbaijan Republic on Work with Diaspora Nazim Ibrahimov announced
that Azerbaijan is ready to assist Turkey in resisting the Armenians’
actions connected with the events of 1915. As reported by Armenpress,
quoting the news website aznews.az, Nazim Ibrahimov has already
instructed the structures of the Azerbaijani Diaspora under his
control to act jointly with the Turkish Diaspora against the Armenians.

Quoting Heydar Aliyev’s words in his speech “One nation, two states”,
the Chairman of the State Committee of Azerbaijan Republic on Work
with Diaspora Nazim Ibrahimov said: “The problems of one nation
cannot be different. The Armenian problems are at the same time the
Azerbaijan’s problems. In the Karabakh issue the Turkish Diaspora
supports Azerbaijan in the world”.

Nazim Ibrahimov stated that the member countries of the Cooperation
Council of Turkic Speaking States Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well
support Turkey and Azerbaijan in the Armenian issues.

-anti-armenian-initiatives.html

PACE PRESIDENT WILLING TO DISCUSS THE KARABAKH ISSUE WITH ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI DELEGATIONS

17:22 24.06.2013
Nagorno-Karabakh, PACE

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Jean Claude Mignon has expressed willingness to discuss the situation
around Nagorno Karabakh with the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations.

“I would like to use the opportunity to discuss the issue with Armenian
and Azerbaijani delegations,” Mignon told a press conference without
going into details about the timing of the meeting.

Mignon reminded about the activities of the PACE sub-committee on
Nagorno Karabakh. He noted also that the “Madrid Principles proposed
by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs comprise the basis for the work in
that direction.”

Earlier the PACE President had urged to intensify the negotiations
on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict within the framework of
the OSCE Minsk Group.

59% OF ARMENIA’S POPULATION ‘NATURALLY TEND TOWARD RUSSIA’ – EXPERT

14:18 ~U 24.06.13

59% of Armenia’s population is inclined to think that Armenia should
join various Russia-led alliances or, to be precise, Russia itself.

Moreover, with respect to independence, Armenia’s population is showing
“a downward tendency” as compared with the first years of independence,
the political analyst Sergey Shakaryants told journalists on Monday
as he referred to poll results presented by Aram Navasardyan, Director
of the Gallup International Association Armenia office.

According to the results, Armenia is inclined toward the Customs Union.

“In 2007, more than one million signatures were gathered in favor
for Armenia joining the Russia-Belarus union. People displayed their
unwillingness to be independent,” Shakaryants said.

Last April, the Gallup International Association conducted a poll
conducted in all the post-Soviet states, which involved 11,000
respondents. In Armenia, 61% of the respondents spoke in favor of the
Customs Union, 26% were indifferent and 4% did not approve of the idea.

With respect to Nagorno-Karabakh’s involvement in integration,
specifically in European integration, the expert said: “We will be
prohibited from conducting free trade with Nagorno-Karabakh. Even if
Russia may ignore the practice, the European Union will never do.”

The economist Samvel Avagyan objected that free trade agreements
never prevent trade with third countries, and joining the Customs
Union will be the only obstacles. Shakaryants responded that “a third
country must not be an unrecognized one.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

FORMER ANC ALLIANCE STILL FAILS TO UNITE

14:15 ~U 24.06.13

The Armenian National Congress opposition alliance member parties fail
to unite yet. The majority of them are inclined to preserve their name,
another party – Human Rights-96- has frozen its membership, head of
Democratic Homeland party Petros Makeyan said, speaking to Tert.am.

“They are more radical. They want to preserve the name – ANC, the
faction be taken, and what exists in the ANC alliance be ours. It means
the ANC party be out of it, not having any authorities,” Makeyan said,
noting that they demand the faction MPs’ resignation and property.

After the ANC has become an alliance the member parties of the
former alliance – Democratic Homeland, Christian-Democratic Revival,
Democratic Line, Armenian Greens’ party and Human Rights-96 came up
with the statement in favor of unification of their parties. They
have conducted a number of political consultations with that aim.

Referring to the legal way pointed out by Ruben Torosyan, Makeyan
said it is rather complicated and unpredictable.

“There are some disagreements, that is why he is not participating
in the discussions temporarily. The negotiations are under way and
I think another gathering will take place,” he said.

Makeyan stressed that talks were also under way with few parties that
have left the alliance earlier. Talks were held with those who have
not joined the ANC party but no response has been given yet.

“They neither refuse nor agree to unite,” Makeyan said.

As to the former chairman of the Armenian Pan-National Movement
Ararat Zurabyan, Alexander Arzumanyan, Makeyan said they were not in
the ANC alliance when they left, thus they may discuss cooperation
opportunities.

Ararat Zurabyan, Alexander Arzumanyan, Hovannes Igityan, Karapet
Rubinyan decided to re-register the Armenian Pan-National Movement
party, considering themselves its successors. The initiators left the
party and the ANC. Asked what the next steps would be, and whether
they would decide to wait, Makeyan said it is wrong to give a break
in political processes, adding that though he cannot say that the
negotiations are as intensive as previously, but the process continues.

He added that according to initial moods the alliance is to be
headed by the political council that will consist of members of
member-parties.

Armenian News – Tert.am

MISAPPROPRIATION OF FUEL IN FIVE MARZPETARANS

Pastinfo reports that on June 21, four criminal cases have been
launched on misappropriation, official fraud and abuse of official
position by Marzpetaran officials of Ararat, Gegharkunik, Kotayk and
Shirak Marzes. The point is about misappropriation of fuel supposed
to be distributed to farmers within a state assistance program. The
same frauds were revealed also in Vayots Dzor Marzpetaran on May 3.

13:41 24/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

THE USSR DEFENSE MINISTER WAS FORCED TO WITHSTAND THE AZERBAIJANI LIES

Monday, 24 June 2013 16:43

Numerous facts and material evidence on the January 13-19, 1990
massacre and violence against the Armenian population in Baku were
referred to by especially non-Armenian sources.

The crimes of Baku were condemned by the civilized international
community, and the events are recorded in the materials of the
February 19 and March 1, 1990 sessions of the USSR Supreme Soviet
(SS). We should pay attention to the speech of the then USSR Minister
of Defense Dmitry Yazov who, being aware of the events taking place
in Baku those days, made public an entire range of outrageous facts.

We know this official as one of the executors of the Ring operation –
the punitive actions and violence committed against the Armenians
of Artsakh. In this case, the facts presented by him prove once
again the Azerbaijani lies related to the events in Baku, as well
as testify to the direction and essence of the steps taken by this
country’s authorities.

By the way, some officials of the USSR KGB (NSC – National Security
Committee) and Interior Ministry also delivered speeches at the closed
meetings of the session and, according to the limited information,
summarized the activities scheduled in advance by the Azerbaijani
leadership.

The Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR responded to the events in
Baku and adopted a resolution on February 13 – to urge the Soviet
authorities to discuss the situation in Nagorno Karabakh at the third
session of the USSR Supreme Soviet. Delivering a speech at the March
1, 1990 session of the USSR Supreme Soviet, Dmitry Yazov drew the
attention of the SS members to the statement of the Azerbaijani SSR
SS Commission and other documents and videos, emphasizing that they
had been distributed among the deputies, intending to draw their
attention from the reality. “…They speak about hundreds of people
killed under the tank tracks (it relates to Azerbaijanis). All this
is slander. The youngest man deceased during the first tree days was
a 14-year-old boy who was among the assaulters. Do you see children
here? And the oldest woman, born in 1915, died from apoplexy, but
was buried as deceased under the tank tracks. Every step contains
lies and forgeries”, he said.

The Azerbaijanis, participating in the session, left the hall after
the Defense Minister’s statements. Yazov, expressing regret in this
regard, continued his speech, presenting another fact. “They committed
sacrilege – they buried 49 people, but dug 150 graves. What did they
do it for? They did it to somewhat avoid the responsibility before
their own people and make the central authorities responsible for it.

What wrote NGO members and applied in the streets had exactly the same
content that comrade Kafarova’s (Azerbaijani MP) statement, condemning
the Center for introducing the state of emergency and involving armed
forces”. There were also cases of getting square with the Soviet troops
by the organizers of the Armenian massacres in Baku. Yazov recalled
concrete examples of the Azerbaijani atrocities. “An Azerbaijani
woman addressed an IM sergeant, asking to accompany her through the
dark alley. He did so. In the nearby corner, some people attacked
him and stunned, then dragged into a house, undressed him, put a
ring on his neck, trying to kill him. The sergeant managed to free
himself from the ring and escape. We allowed him to leave for home,
Leningrad. Four soldiers have not been found so far. Those found were
fired with bullets or tortured. By the way, the examination of all
the soldiers testified that they had been mainly fired from behind”.

Yazov’s clarifications made it apparent that prior to the involvement
of the Soviet troops, Azerbaijan was preparing to counteract their
actions at the highest level, concentrating the resources and forces
gained to this end. This is brightly testified by the minister’s
testimony: “Realizing that the soldiers will not fire on the children’s
hospital, they deployed there snipers and soldiers; besides, they
installed searchlights to illuminate the military settlement. Before
the soldiers entered, the searchlights were switched on and followed
by brutal shooting of the soldiers who were called up from the Rostov
andKrasnodar region’s for driving the technique. The first victims
were four people and the first injured were the paratroopers. When
the columns entered the city, firing came from all the windows, and
I even doubt whether the civilians were killed by the paratroopers’
firing. Both the military and civilian prosecution offices tried to
subject all the corpses to proper medical examination. They examined
none of the corpses, explaining that the Islamic laws prohibited
it. I met the honorable Sheikh. He stated that we were so severe that
had targeted at once 73 bullets at an elderly woman. I insisted on
examining the corpses and he kept stating that it was prohibited by
the Islamic law. I think I have brought enough facts”, stated the USSR
Defense Minister at the session. Analyzing the cases, he expressed
confidence that nationalism should be condemned as a phenomenon and
the proper status of Nagorno Karabakh should be finally defined. He
also drew the attention to the fact that the organizers of the tragic
events in Baku had done everything to conceal the truth. According to
him, this was done deliberately and with the only purpose – to blame
the country’s leadership. “And as for the truth, the extremists’
activities were widespread acts of violence…”

In Aghdam, an attack was undertaken on the radar unit. They bound the
soldiers, grabbed 40 submachine guns and disabled the radar station.

As a result of the violence, the state border was destroyed. Only
due to this the Iranians, who brought arms with them, could reach
Pushkino and Jalilabad. They sold the arms there. There are some
factual evidences. The so-called session of the Azerbaijani SSR
Supreme Soviet was also convened violently”, said Mr. Yazov.

The Armenian SSR Supreme Soviet reflected its position on what had
happened on the USSR-Iranian state border in its resolution:

“The development of the events undeniably confirms that the chain of
anti-Armenian actions following Nagorno Karabakh Armenian population’s
demand for self-determination – the Sumgait massacre, the atrocities
committed on the Soviet-Iranian border, the massive violations
of the state border and import of a great number of weapons, the
attempts to overthrow the Soviet power in Lenkoran and other Azeri
settlements and, finally, the genocide of the Armenian population in
Baku and massacre of representatives of other nations in the city –
is a mere smokescreen for concealing the Azerbaijani nationalists’
and separatists’ far-reaching plans. The country’s leadership continues
to explain the existing situation in the region by Karabakh Armenian’s
demand for self-determination, which, actually, leads to an unfriendly
attitude of the country’s society towards the entire Armenian people”.

It was also emphasized in the February 13, 1990 resolution of the
Armenian SSR SS (signed by Chairman of the ASSR SS Presidium of Mr.

Voskanian and Presidium Secretary Mr. Stepanian) that the flow of
refugees from Azerbaijan had increased those days. Their number in
the ASSR amounted to 240.000 people. Tens of thousands of Armenians
fled from Azerbaijan to different towns of the USSR.

The USSR Supreme Soviet demanded to put an end to the massacres
of Armenians in Baku and other regions of the Azerbaijani SSR and
evaluated them as continuation of the genocide against the Armenian
people. The USSR SS was required to set up a parliamentary commission
to investigate the reasons of the events and to submit the issue to
the third congress of the USSR SS People’s Deputies for consideration.

And the last point of the resolution mentioned that urgent measures
should be taken and strong guarantees should be provided to prevent
the repetition of the ferocious acts and to ensure the inviolability
of the Armenian population and foreign citizens in Baku andAzerbaijan.

Ruzan ISHKHANIAN