Author: Manouk Vasilian

                                        Friday, 
Sarkisian Still Vague On Political Future
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian holds a meeting with Prime
Minister Karen Karapetian (L) and other state officials in Yerevan,
27Oct2017.
President Serzh Sarkisian has again declined to clarify what he is
planning to do after serving out his second and final term in April.
In an interview with the Armenia TV channel aired late on Thursday,
Sarkisian also praised Prime Minister Karen Karapetian and said the
latter's desire to retain his post next year is "very good" and
"healthy."
Sarkisian said that "the time has not yet come" for him to announce
whether he will become prime minister or take up another state post
after his decade-long presidency. "When it comes I will declare," he
went on. "There are different factors [at play,] ranging personal to
other factors. I think that at the end of the day we, the Republican
Party (HHK), have a right to decide, together with our coalition
partner, who can do a better job where."
Asked whether he will stay in politics in any case, the president
replied: "We'll see, we'll see."
Immediately after the end of his second term, Armenia will switch to a
parliamentary system of government, meaning that most of the sweeping
powers currently enjoyed by the head of state will be given to the
prime minister. Karapetian has repeatedly indicated his desire to stay
on as prime minister come April.
"As for Karen Karapetian's desire, it's a very good, healthy, logical
desire," Sarkisian said in this regard. "And generally speaking, I
believe that Karen Karapetian, is very acceptable and useful to us as
a prime minister and as a person. I mean to me personally and to the
party."
Sarkisian noted that Karapetian's cabinet has pledged to ensure that
the Armenian economy grows by roughly 5 percent annually in the coming
years. "That is not a bad indicator," he said, adding that the results
of such growth would be "visible and tangible."
Karapetian vowed to improve the socioeconomic situation in the country
through major reforms and a fight against corruption when Sarkisian
named him prime minister in September 2016. The ruling HHK's governing
board headed by the Armenia president gave a largely positive
assessment of his track record a year later.
Turkey Sticks To Linkage Between Karabakh, Ties With Armenia
 . Emil Danielyan
Switzerland -- Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (2ndR) and his
Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian shake hands as they hold signed
Turkish-Armenian protocols, Zurich, 10Oct2009.
Turkey has again made clear that it will not implement Western-backed
agreements to normalize its relations with Armenia without a
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry at the same time denounced Yerevan's
plans to formally annul the two protocols that were signed in Zurich
in 2009.
"These Protocols are still on the agenda of the Turkish Grand National
Assembly's Foreign Affairs Commission and for their ratification it is
essential that a favorable political atmosphere and peace in the South
Caucasus is secured," the ministry said in a statement issued late on
Thursday.
"In this vein, it is necessary that in the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict progress is achieved, based on Azerbaijan's
territorial integrity and in light of the relevant resolutions of the
UN Security Council," it said. "In any case, Armenia must put an end
to its invasion of Azerbaijan's territories."
The statement came in response to Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian's statement on Wednesday reaffirming Yerevan's intention to
withdraw its signature from the protocols because of Ankara's
"groundless preconditions" for their parliamentary ratification. "We
will enter the spring of 2018 without those futile protocols,"
President Serzh Sarkisian declared earlier.
The protocols committed Turkey and Armenia to establishing diplomatic
relations and opening their border which Ankara has long kept closed
in a show of support for Azerbaijan. Shortly after the high-profile
signing ceremony in Zurich, Ankara said that Turkey's parliament will
ratify the deal only if there is decisive progress towards a Karabakh
peace.
The Armenian government rejected that precondition, arguing that the
protocols make no reference to the conflict. The United States, the
European Union and Russia have also repeatedly called for their
unconditional implementation by both sides.
While reaffirming the Karabakh linkage, the Turkish Foreign Ministry
insisted that Ankara is not responsible for the effective collapse of
the 2009 accords. It claimed that Armenia itself introduced
"preconditions and restrictive clauses" through a January 2010 ruling
handed down by the country's Constitutional Court.
The court upheld the legality of the protocols. But it also indicated
that they cannot have any bearing on the Karabakh conflict or inhibit
Armenia's pursuit of greater international recognition of the 1915
Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey.
Unlike Turkey, the U.S. welcomed that ruling. Philip Gordon, a
U.S. assistant secretary of state at the time, called it a "positive
step forward in the ratification process of the normalization
protocols."
Then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Ankara to drop the
Karabakh linkage when she visited Yerevan later in 2010. "Now the ball
is in the other court," Clinton said.
Armenia Opens Tax-Free Zone On Iranian Border
 . Hovannes Movsisian
Armenia - A newly established free economic zone near Meghri,
15Dec2017.
The Armenian government inaugurated on Friday a free economic zone on
Armenia's border with Iran, saying that it will attract more foreign
investment in the domestic economy and expand commercial ties with the
Islamic Republic.
Businesses operating in the zone close to the southeastern Armenian
town of Meghri will be exempt from virtually all types of taxes. They
will be allowed to engage in not only manufacturing but also trade,
cargo transport and even tourism.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Karen Karapetian
indicated that his government expects the tax haven to attract Iranian
companies seeking to capitalize on Armenia's tariff-access to Russia's
market and privileged trade regime with the European Union. It will
also allow other foreign investors to do business with Iran, he said.
"I am sure that the free economic zone has very good prospects,"
Karapetian told reporters. "But this is just the beginning. We must
now work hard every day," he added.
Armenia - Prime Minister Karen Karapetian speaks to journalists at the
official opening of a free economic zone near Meghri, 15Dec2017.
Minister for Economic Development Suren Karayan, who also attended the
ceremony, said the government anticipates that between 50 and 70 firms
will set up shop in the tax haven in the coming years. He said their
combined output should increase Armenia's exports by around $250
million annually.
Vahe Hakobian, the governor of the Syunik province encompassing the
border area, estimated that this should translate into 2,000 new
jobs. "That will definitely be an addition boost for the socioeconomic
development of our region," he said.
Hakobian also told journalists that businesspeople from Georgia,
Ukraine and Belarus have already expressed readiness to invest in the
Meghri zone. And a large delegation of Iranian government officials
and entrepreneurs will arrive in the provincial capital Kapan on
Wednesday, he added.
A separate statement released by Karapetian's press office said that
the business zone will be expanded by 70 hectares in the next few
years.
Armenia - The Armenian and Iranian foreign ministers open an
Armenian-Iranian business forum in Yerevan, 28Nov2017.
The Armenian premier discussed the upcoming launch of the zone with
Iranian officials during an official visit to Tehran in October. He
called on Iranian firms to set up branches there.
Economic issues were also high on the agenda of Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's November 28 trip to Yerevan. Zarif
arrived with a large group of Iranian businessmen who held a one-day
conference with fellow entrepreneurs from Armenia.
"There are quite good opportunities for expanding economic relations
between the two countries," Zarif said after talks with his Armenian
counterpart Edward Nalbandian.
According to official Armenian statistics, Armenian-Iranian trade
stood at a relatively modest $211 million in the first ten months of
this year. Iran accounted for less than 5 percent of Armenia's overall
foreign trade.
U.S. Mission Cooperating With Armenian Terror Probe
 . Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan.
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan said on Friday that it is cooperating with
Armenian law-enforcement authorities in their criminal proceedings
against a U.S. national accused of calling for and plotting terrorist
attacks in Armenia.
"We are working with Armenian law-enforcers on that case. In the
interests of the investigation we cannot give further details at this
point," the embassy told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) said on Thursday that the
U.S. citizen of Armenian descent opened recently a Facebook account to
promote a radical group campaigning for a violent overthrow of the
Armenian government. It said the account user posing as "Martin
Avagyan" posted messages calling for violent attacks on government and
law-enforcement officials. The group called Fighters for Justice (MHA)
has also sought to recruit disgruntled Armenians willing to carry out
such attacks, according to the NSS.
The security agency claimed that the Armenian American, whom it
identified as R.K., also "prepared for terrorist acts" through
"accomplices" in Armenia. It said it has asked U.S. law-enforcement
bodies for assistance in the probe "in order to prevent the planned
crimes."
The Yerevan newspaper "Haykakan Zhamanak" revealed afterwards that the
suspect facing arrest in Armenia is Robert Koorkian, a resident of
California. Koorkian told the paper that he has already been
questioned by U.S. law-enforcement officers.
Koorkian did not deny opening the "Martin Avagyan" account but
insisted that he never plotted any violence.
The Facebook page contains statements attributed to the Fighters for
Justice (MHA) group. One of them says that the nationalist group will
use "guerilla methods" to "punish the pillars of the ruling regime."
Another Facebook status calls for the murder of a police officer who
allegedly ill-treated one of the opposition activists currently
standing trial in connection with their July 2016 attack on a police
base in Yerevan.
"Martin Avagyan" claimed on December 6 that MHA has embarked on "the
second phase of the armed struggle" launched by the jailed gunmen.
Vartan Harutiunian, a human rights activist, questioned the
credibility of the NSS allegations, saying that the case may well turn
out to be a "bubble." He argued that individuals plotting terrorist
acts would hardly use social media to announce their plans.
Harutiunian told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that a
growing number of Armenians express "extreme" views on the Internet
because they think it is impossible to change the government by
peaceful means. He also said that the authorities have failed to learn
lessons from the July 2016 standoff in Yerevan and its underlying
causes.
Incidentally, "the fight against terrorism" was on the agenda of a
meeting of President Serzh Sarkisian's National Security Council held
on Friday. The presidential press service reported that the council
approved a new plan of actions designed to prevent such violence in
view of the "high degree of terror threats in the region" and the
changing nature of contemporary terrorism. It gave no details of that
plan.
Press Review
"Zhamanak" comments on President Serzh Sarkisian's latest televised
interview in which he again refused to shed light on his political
future. "Serzh Sarkisian was even more reticent about the subject this
time around, effectively adding to the uncertainty," writes the
paper. "At the same time, he clearly hinted that Karen Karapetian's
ability and readiness to continue serving as prime minister are not a
sufficient condition for keeping that post."
"Haykakan Zhamanak" quotes an opposition activist, Davit Sanasarian,
as criticizing a government decision to revoke a contract with an
Armenian firm that was due to carry out construction work on the
Armenian-Iranian border. That work was allegedly blocked by Russian
border guards deployed along the frontier. "This is an absurd
decision," says Sanasarian. "It is a condemnable indicator of [the
government's] being spineless."
"Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" quotes Gagik Melikian, a senior
parliamentarian from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), as
defending President Sarkisian's controversial remark that the
authorities will no longer show "clemency" for corrupt town and
village mayors. Melikian claims that Sarkisian referred to those local
government chiefs who "accidentally found themselves in such
situations." The paper laughs off this explanation. It says tartly
that Melikian must not be blamed because he made such a claim
"accidentally." "He is obliged to do so by his party affiliation," it
says.
"Aravot" says the latest upsurge of tensions between Turkey and Israel
means that there will be renewed calls in the Israeli parliament, the
Knesset, for an official recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in
the Ottoman Empire. "Some Armenians may be buoyed by that
development," editorializes the paper. "They would be wrong. First of
all, [Israeli recognition of the genocide] will hardly happen. This
issue has long been used for political blackmail. But most
importantly, genocide recognition or non-recognition by anyone does
make a difference for us." The only potential benefit for Armenia, it
says, is that Israel could stop selling weapons to Azerbaijan for a
while because of Baku's support for the Turkish stance on the status
of Jerusalem.
(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

                                        Monday, 
Sarkisian Said To Stay On As Party Leader
 . Karlen Aslanian
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian addresses the Sixth
Armenia-Diaspora Conference in Yerevan, 18Sep2017.
President Serzh Sarkisian will continue to lead the ruling Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK) after serving out his second and final term in
April, the chief HHK spokesman said over the weekend.
"The Republicans have one leader and that is Serzh Sarkisian, and
Serzh Sarkisian will remain our leader after 2018," Eduard Sharmazanov
told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "In what capacity?
Where? The president will discuss that with the party # and we will
present [a decision] after April."
Sarkisian himself has declined to shed light on his precise political
plans so far. In a televised interview aired in July, he claimed that
"it doesn't matter" who will be Armenia's next prime minister because
the country will become a parliamentary republic immediately after the
end of his presidency. Sarkisian would not say whether he will replace
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian. But he did praise the latter's track
record.
Sharmazanov was also vague on that score, saying only that the switch
to the parliament system of government will end one-man rule in
Armenia. "In accordance with the constitutional reform, power in the
country will be concentrated in the hands of those political forces
that have a majority [in parliament.]
The HHK won 58 seats in Armenia's 105-member parliament elected in
April. Shortly after those elections it struck a new power-sharing
deal with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which won 7
parliament seats.
Sharmazanov described Sarkisian's decade-long rule has been a success,
saying that the president has improved the conduct of elections and
human rights protection, boosted the country's security and maintained
stability." But he was evasive about economic consequences of
Sarkisian's presidency which Armenian opposition groups consider
highly negative.
Karabakh Warns Baku After `Azeri Shelling'
Nagorno-Karabakh - A photograph of what the Karabakh Armenian army
described as fragments of an Israeli-made anti-tank missile fired by
Azerbaijani forces towards its on frontline positions, 23Oct2017.
Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian-backed military threatened "painful"
retaliation on Monday as it accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling its
frontline positions for the first time in two months.
The Defense Army claimed that they fired five mortar shells and one
anti-tank rocket in northeastern Karabakh on Sunday. It released video
footage purportedly showing two such shells exploding in a field and
the Israeli-made Spike rocket flying over a Karabakh military facility
and hitting the ground.
In a statement, the Karabakh army warned that it will retaliate in a
"disproportionate and quite painful" fashion if the Azerbaijani side
continues such "deliberate provocations."
Another statement issued by it later in the day said Azerbaijani
forces fired another Spike rocket at a different section of "the line
of contact" around Karabakh on Monday afternoon. It said Karabakh
Armenian troops again did not shoot back "in order not to deepen
tension" on the frontlines.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry dismissed the first Karabakh
statement as "slander." It said that the Armenians themselves resorted
to a "provocation" by killing an Azerbaijani soldier on Sunday. The
ministry did not specify the frontline section where the soldier,
identified as Jabbar Zeynalov, died.
The truce violations were reported one week after a meeting of
Armenia's and Azerbaijan's presidents held in Geneva. In a joint
statement issued there, their foreign ministers and international
mediators said Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev "agreed to take
measures to intensify the negotiation process and to take additional
steps to reduce tensions on the Line of Contact."
Just three days after the Geneva summit, an Armenian soldier was
killed in Karabakh by Azerbaijani sniper fire. Armenia's ruling party
responded by accusing Baku of "trying to walk away" from the
understandings reached in Geneva. Still, Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian made clear on Friday that Yerevan will not avoid further
talks with Baku.
The joint statement released in Genevan said the U.S., Russian and
French mediators co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group will soon hold
follow-up "working sessions" with Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
Babayan Friend Admits Link To Confiscated Weapon
 . Karlen Aslanian
Armenia -- Samvel Babayan (R), Nagorno-Karabakh's former top military
commander, stands trial in Yerevan, 23Oct2017.
A longtime friend of Samvel Babayan insisted on Monday that he, rather
than the retired army general linked to an Armenian opposition group,
was behind the illegal acquisition of a sophisticated rocket system
that led to their arrest in March.
Babayan, who was Nagorno-Karabakh's top military commander from
1993-1993, was arrested after Armenia's National Security Service
(NSS) claimed to have confiscated the surface-to-air Igla system. The
arrest came about two weeks before Armenia's parliamentary elections.
Babayan was unofficially affiliated with the ORO alliance led by
former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian and two other opposition
politicians. ORO condemned the criminal case as politically motivated.
Babayan, his comrade-in-arms Sanasar Gabrielian, and five other men
went on trial in July. The once powerful general has repeatedly denied
prosecutors' claims that he promised other suspects to pay $50,000 for
the delivery of the weapon.
Gabrielian also denied any connection with the weapon until now. But
he said at the latest court hearing in their trial that it was he who
commissioned the confiscated Igla. He claimed that he wanted to donate
the launcher along with its shoulder-fired rockets to
Nagorno-Karabakh's army.
Gabrielian insisted that Babayan was not involved in that in any
way. He said he only showed the general a photograph of the acquired
Igla system because the latter "knows everything" about
weapons. Babayan, he went on, told him that the rocket launcher lacks
some components and is therefore not usable in its current form before
advising him to hide it in a Karabakh village.
Babayan did not deny this version of events at the court hearing. He
said only that he warned Gabrielian that the Igla acquisition was
illegal.
Another defendant, Armen Poghosian, suggested in his pre-trial
testimony that Babayan is most probably the one who ordered the
weapon. Petrosian renounced that claim in the courtroom on Monday,
however.
The NSS said in July the Igla system was transported to Karabakh and
hidden near a local village after it was delivered by an Armenian
national who was arrested in Georgia later in March. The security
agency never clarified, however, why the former Karabakh army chief
sought to get hold of the rockets designed to shoot down planes and
helicopters.
Babayan Friend Admits Link To Confiscated Weapon
 . Karlen Aslanian
Armenia -- Samvel Babayan (R), Nagorno-Karabakh's former top military
commander, stands trial in Yerevan, 23Oct2017.
A longtime friend of Samvel Babayan insisted on Monday that he, rather
than the retired army general linked to an Armenian opposition group,
was behind the illegal acquisition of a sophisticated rocket system
that led to their arrest in March.
Babayan, who was Nagorno-Karabakh's top military commander from
1993-1993, was arrested after Armenia's National Security Service
(NSS) claimed to have confiscated the surface-to-air Igla system. The
arrest came about two weeks before Armenia's parliamentary elections.
Babayan was unofficially affiliated with the ORO alliance led by
former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian and two other opposition
politicians. ORO condemned the criminal case as politically motivated.
Babayan, his comrade-in-arms Sanasar Gabrielian, and five other men
went on trial in July. The once powerful general has repeatedly denied
prosecutors' claims that he promised other suspects to pay $50,000 for
the delivery of the weapon.
Gabrielian also denied any connection with the weapon until now. But
he said at the latest court hearing in their trial that it was he who
commissioned the confiscated Igla. He claimed that he wanted to donate
the launcher along with its shoulder-fired rockets to
Nagorno-Karabakh's army.
Gabrielian insisted that Babayan was not involved in that in any
way. He said he only showed the general a photograph of the acquired
Igla system because the latter "knows everything" about
weapons. Babayan, he went on, told him that the rocket launcher lacks
some components and is therefore not usable in its current form before
advising him to hide it in a Karabakh village.
Babayan did not deny this version of events at the court hearing. He
said only that he warned Gabrielian that the Igla acquisition was
illegal.
Another defendant, Armen Poghosian, suggested in his pre-trial
testimony that Babayan is most probably the one who ordered the
weapon. Petrosian renounced that claim in the courtroom on Monday,
however.
The NSS said in July the Igla system was transported to Karabakh and
hidden near a local village after it was delivered by an Armenian
national who was arrested in Georgia later in March. The security
agency never clarified, however, why the former Karabakh army chief
sought to get hold of the rockets designed to shoot down planes and
helicopters.
Press Review
Saturday, October 21)
"Zhoghovurd" comments on statements that were made by Poland's Foreign
Minister Witold Waszczykowski during his visit to Armenia on
Friday. Waszczykowski said after talks with Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian that he is visiting Yerevan not only in his capacity
as Poland's top diplomat but also as a representative of the European
Union and NATO. He also said that Armenia and other countries involved
in the EU's Eastern Partnership program should be eligible for
eventual membership in the EU. The paper says that Russia "will fight
against that prospect with all possible means." "As a result, Armenia
will once again find itself at the center of a clash between big
powers," it speculates with alarm.
"Zhamanak" is also intrigued by Waszczykowski's reference to EU
membership. The paper says that this statement is much more important
than even a recent Armenian opposition motion aimed at ensuring
Armenia's exit from the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
"Aravot" says that "pro-government circles" that normally justify any
government initiative are quite critical of a government bill aimed at
combating domestic violence in Armenia. "Is that the worst ever bill
drafted by the government?" the paper asks in an editorial. "Of course
not. We can presume that those people were allowed by higher echelons
to speak out against the bill or that such a behavior is actually
encouraged # Why the authorities are allowing the strong criticism of
the bill is hard to tell." The paper also makes the point that the
bill, if passed by the parliament, will hardly make a difference
unless it is genuinely backed by many Armenians.
(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

Please find the attached press release of the Ministry of Diaspora.
Sincerely,
Media and PR Department:
( 374 10) 585601, internal 805
----------------------
Sincerely
Department of Press and Public Relations
( 374 10) 585601, extension 805

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