Author: nina hovnanian

Armenia’s authorities will not make a step to detriment of Artsakh’s
independence – Vardges Baghryan

12:33 * 08.06.14

In an interview with Tert.am, member of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Parliament Vardges Baghryan commented on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem
in the context of the Eurasian Economic Union.

He rules out a customs station between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
On the other hand, he admits it is a hard period for both the states.
Baghryan urges political forces to achieve a consensus on the issue
instead of recriminating.

“I cannot believe that Armenia’s authorities could make a step to the
detriment of Artsakh [Nagorno- Karabakh] independence,” he said.
As regards the possibility of a customs border between Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia joins the Eurasian Customs Union,
Baghryan said:

“It would be absurd to establish a customs station between the two
states because they are one economic area and – which is the most
important thing – one homeland. I personally view Artsakh as part of
Armenia. True, in 1991 we had to declare the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic. But that was a transitional step, and our end is a united
homeland.”

In an earlier interview with Tert.am, Director of the REX agency
Modest Kolerov said there is a checkpoint between Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh even now, and a customs stations would change
nothing.

“I do not know to what extent it can be viewed as a checkpoint. I do
not think it is going to be a customs station as imagined by some. It
is not a typical customs station. As far as I know it is only foreign
guests that enter and leave the country through the checkpoint. I have
said I rule out any customs station and foreign representatives on
duty there. I do not think it will change anything in Artsakh-Armenia
relations,” Baghryan said.

Armenia is expected to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EaU) before
July 1, but some states are against Armenia joining the EaU with
Nagorno-Karabakh. What the process of settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh is going to be after Armenia joins the EaU.

“In any case, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus can hardly agree to
Nagorno-Karabakh joining the EaU. We did not even hope for that. And
if Artsakh joined the EaU, it would mean the three states recognizing
Nagorno-Karabakh. Unfortunately, it is not so now. We are well aware
of what happened in Astana. With respect to Artsakh, I do not think
anything will change.”

Although Azerbaijan us not willing to join the EaU, it is making
demands and the other states are considering its demands. Is it not
risky to join a structure pursuing a pro-Azerbaijan policy?

“Yes, it is a risk. On the other hand, it is clear that economy is
politics. And Azerbaijan is seeking dividends. But we are ready to
continue our struggle. Armenia remains a guarantor of Artsakh’s
security, and I do not see any problems between Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh. Given the alarming situation, I do not think
Armenia’s authorities will make a step to the detriment of Artsakh’s
independence.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

FOOTBALL-TRANSFERTS
L’international arménien Youra Movsissian dans le championnat
d’Angleterre la saison prochaine ?

L’international arménien et attaquant du Spartak Moscou, Youra
Movsissian (26 ans) intéresserait selon > le club anglais
de West Bromwich qui évolue en Premier League anglaise. Les
négociations pour son transfert auraient débuté selon le site > pour un montant de 9 millions de livres sterling.
L’attaquant de l’équipe d’Arménie, Youra Movsisyan est né le 6 juillet
1987 à Bakou (Azerbaïdjan). Transféré de FK Krasnodar au Spartak
Moscou fin novembre 2012, il signe pour quatre saisons pour un montant
de transfert de 7,5 millions d’euros.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 8 juin 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

RECONCILIATION PROCESS AND END OF DICTATORSHIP

Daily Sabah, Turkey
June 6 2014

Markar Esayan
06 June 2014, Friday

Turkey’s most revolutionary democratic initiative in the last century
is the reconciliation process that aims to end the outlawed PKK’s
clash and resolve the problems faced by Kurdish citizens of Turkey.

The questions of the Armenians and Alevis, as well as many others, are
not only the shortcomings of a mentality that was adopted during the
establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, but are also heavy
historical burdens for us. While the Ottoman Empire was regressing
and falling apart in the face of the West, it lost its civil peace
and social balances due to aggregation of some reasons too knotty
to be mentioned here. As the state authority weakened, the demands
for rights and security of various communities evolved into a big
commotion. The state was therefore in uncharted waters and resorted
to such artificial, violent and destructive methods as the Imperial
Edict of Gulhane to save the day.

This means that while Turkey unearths the Armenian, Kurdish and Alevi
questions today, it does not only tussle with traumas nourished
by 80 years of Kemalist oligarchy, but also much older ones whose
germs were sown in the 19th century. In particular, handling the
Alevi question means stirring up trauma that is at least 300 years
old. This task is shouldered by a Sunni-based religious government
and its influential leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The situation may
confuse the minds of our Western companions for two primary reasons:
The first is that they still continue to evaluate the East and Islam
through outdated colonial clichés. According to this perspective,
the East is ontologically incompatible with democracy. The stereotype
of the irrational and sluggish Eastern man who is prone to violence
and superstition is still alive in the subconscious of Westerners.

Furthermore, there are puzzling codes of power struggle that are going
on between the religionists and the Kurds who represents Turkey’s
reformists and totalitarian secularists who stand for obscurantism.

The totalitarian seculars do not accept equality with religionists,
Kurds, minorities and Alevis. They have serious power that has been
achieved through 80 years of privilege. They get backup from the
Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP) in the fields of media, business and politics. The situation
became more complicated when the superstructure of the Gulen Movement,
which strove to seize critical institutions of the state and align
itself with the totalitarian seculars when Erdogan rebuffed them,
came into play.

Thus, this alliance that constitutes two-thirds of the media and is
engaged in close relations with nongovernmental organizations, offers
the West a picture of the struggle in Turkey as they wish. This
alliance, which is essentially totalitarian but seems modernist
in appearance, easily garners sympathy in the West. However, the
situation is much more different than they narrate.

There is the reconciliation process that has been at the core of this
struggle for almost two years. Completing the reconciliation process
successfully means that the totalitarian and secular oligarchy loses
its last stronghold. They consider the belligerent PKK as the most
influential opposition against the Justice and Development Party (AK
Party). That is why this process, which was declared publicly on Jan.

3, 2013, has been targeted by the totalitarian secular media and the
superstructure of the Gulen Movement since day one. From the outset
of the process, the “intellectuals” who are well respected in the
West launched a campaign to sabotage it. On the one hand, they said
to the Kurds, “Ocalan renounced the 30-year struggle to Erdogan for
the sake of nothing” and on the other they incited Turks by saying
“Erdogan granted the east of the country to the PKK.”

They offered provocative broadcastings during the Gezi crisis to
invite Kurds onto the streets and to conflict with the state. These
sections hamper the Kurdish question and advocate the massacres that
were conducted by the state and burning of Kurdish villages in the
past. However, they suddenly begin to engage in so-called advocacy
for the Kurds. Fortunately, the experienced Kurdish people were not
deceived by this hypocrisy.

Then they started to instigate the Alevis. Yet again, some so-called
secular and democrat writers invited the Alevis into clash by forming
sentences like “Kurds fought and acquired their rights; you too fight
against the state and have your rights.” They never cared about the
Alevis. To them, the death of young Alevis in the streets is nothing
but a potential instrument to topple the AK Party from power.

On May 19, 2014, during a summit at the Office of the Prime Ministry,
it was decided to open up a new phase in the reconciliation process.

Within the context of this four-stage plan, a formula of how the PKK
will first withdraw from the borders, lay down arms and then return
to the country, is being discussed with the participation of Kurdish
political representatives. The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party
(HDP) committee that visited İmralı prison recently said Ocalan was
happy with the progress of the reconciliation process. The committee
highlighted that the government took two radical steps on the issue:
The first is the government’s resolution to base the process on
legal grounds; while the second is that the negotiations go beyond
bureaucracy and are carried out between political representatives.

Now the government is preparing for an initiative to solve the problems
of Alevis. Probably, after a little while, problems faced by Alevis
such as the freedom of worship will go down in history.

Although the era of dictatorship is being permanently closed in Turkey,
Dogan Media Group and the Gulenist media are against the government’s
history-making steps to solve century-long handicaps.

SAUDI ARABIA SIDES WITH AZERBAIJAN IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH DISPUTE

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
June 6 2014

6 June 2014 – 3:13pm

Abdullah bin Mohammed an-Nasir, the head of the Saudi-Arabia-Azerbaijan
parliamentary friendship group, said at a meeting with Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister that Saudi Arabia was among the first countries
to recognize independence of Azerbaijan and condemn occupation of its
territory by Armenia. In his words, Saudi Arabia supports the position
of Azerbaijani in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports.

An-Nasir noted that Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia had great potential
for further development of cooperation in the economic, cultural,
humanitarian, tourism and education sectors. Khalafov expressed
satisfaction with the current state of relation and reminded that
they had deep historic roots.

The Azerbaijani deputy minister emphasized that Saudi Arabia had
always been encouraging development of high-level ties between the
two states. Khalafov informed the guest that Azerbaijan was grateful
to Saudi Arabia for the support.

Abdullah bin Mohammed an-Nasir, the head of the Saudi-Arabia-Azerbaijan
parliamentary friendship group, said at a meeting with Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister that Saudi Arabia was among the first countries
to recognize independence of Azerbaijan and condemn occupation of its
territory by Armenia. In his words, Saudi Arabia supports the position
of Azerbaijani in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports.

An-Nasir noted that Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia had great potential
for further development of cooperation in the economic, cultural,
humanitarian, tourism and education sectors. Khalafov expressed
satisfaction with the current state of relation and reminded that
they had deep historic roots.

The Azerbaijani deputy minister emphasized that Saudi Arabia had
always been encouraging development of high-level ties between the
two states. Khalafov informed the guest that Azerbaijan was grateful
to Saudi Arabia for the support.

POPE LAUDS ARMENIAN CHURCH LEADER’S COMMITMENT TO UNITY

Patheos
June 6 2014

June 6, 2014 By CNA Daily News

Vatican City, Jun 6, 2014 / 02:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During Pope
Francis’ encounter with a Catholicos of the Apostolic Armenian Church,
the pontiff commended him for his efforts in fostering Christian unity,
and encouraged a growth in trust and hope.

“Your Holiness’s commitment to the cause of Christian unity is known
to all,” Pope Francis stated in his June 5 meeting with Catholicos
Aram I of the Apostolic Armenian Church of Cilicia.

“You have been especially active in the World Council of Churches
and you continue to be most supportive of the Middle East Council of
Churches, which plays such an important role in assisting the Christian
communities of that region as they face numerous difficulties.”

The Armenian Apostolic Church is an Oriental Orthodox Church. These
Churches reject the 451 Council of Chalcedon, and have been considered
monophysites – those who believe Christ has only one nature – by
Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox.

During his remarks, Pope Francis drew attention to the Catholicos’
“significant contribution” to the ongoing dialogue between the Catholic
Church and the Oriental Churches, saying he is “convinced” that the
two “share the same hopes and a similar sense of responsibility”
in their journey toward full communion.

“Trust and hope. How much these are needed! They are needed by our
Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East, especially those
living in areas racked by conflict and violence,” he observed.

Going on, the pontiff explained that even as Christians who do not
suffer from conflict we need these virtues, because so often we “risk
losing our way in the desert of indifference and forgetfulness of God,
or living in conflict without brothers and sisters, or succumbing in
our interior struggle against sin.”

“As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to learn humbly to bear one
another’s burdens and to help each other to be better Christians,
better followers of Jesus.”

Taking place in the Vatican’s Redemptoris Mater chapel, the prayer
was arranged as part of Aram I’s June 5 – 6 visit to Rome, during
which he is also slated to meet with the Pontifical Council for the
Promotion of Christian Unity and visit the tomb of Saint Peter.

Pope Francis’ encounter with the Armenian Catholicos comes in wake
of a meeting he had with the Armenian Patriarch Karekin II in the
Vatican last month.

Fr. Gabriel Quicke, a member of the Pontifical Council for the
Promotion of Christian Unity who works specifically with the Oriental
Churches and who played a key role in organizing both events, explained
that Aram I’s visit with Pope Francis “is very significant.”

“All the patriarchs and the heads of churches want to visit the Holy
Father, and the Armenian Apostolic Church has had in its history very
good relations with the Catholic Church” he observed, stating that
“At every stage of their history there is evidence of this good
relationship.”

Describing the day’s schedule, Fr. Quicke explained that ahead of
their prayer together, Pope Francis and Aram I had a private meeting,
during which “the Catholicos expressed his thanks for the Holy Father
for receiving him and for being able to express his solidarity.”

“The Holy Father answered by expressing his closeness in prayer and
he could greet the group of faithful” he said, noting that the group
of laypersons selected to participate in the event following their
private remarks hailed from countries all over the world.

Following their speeches, the priest revealed that the two exchanged
gifts before heading to the Redomptoris Mater chapel of the Apostolic
Palace where they prayed together in each others’ languages.

“Some prayers were in Armenian, there were some hymns in Armenian,
for the rest we spoke in English and in Italian,” Fr. Quicke recalled,
noting that “at the end of the prayer, the Catholicos and the Holy
Father gave the blessing.”

Observing how the atmosphere was very fraternal, he explained that
the good relationship between Catholics and Armenians is particularly
important given the painful past of the Arminian Church.

In 1915, the Ottoman Empire began a genocide against the Armenian
people, in which some 1 million were killed.

“The Armenian people is a people in pilgrimage. They have suffered
a lot, so the Armenian Apostolic Church has had to become a pilgrim
people” with a history marked by immigration and persecution and
martyrdom.”

So it is significant, the priest explained that they still “continue
their mission to be witnesses of the Risen Lord.”

ALEPPO PLIGHT: RECENT ATTACKS ON ARMENIANS IN SYRIAN CITY VIEWED AS CONTINUATION OF GENOCIDE

News | 06.06.14 | 15:10

Hakob Cholakian (left) and Gagik Harutyunyan

By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

According to scholars in Yerevan, the recent events in Aleppo are
continuation of the Armenian genocide and the Armenian community in
Aleppo faces extermination.

Images showing vast destruction in Aleppo’s Armenian neighborhoods
appeared on the internet in recent days, causing great concern in
Armenia where thousands of Syrian nationals of Armenian origin have
taken refuge since hostilities began in their country in 2011.

On Friday at a meeting with reporters scientist, ethnologist from
Kessab Hakob Cholakian spoke about the situation in Syria saying that
during the three years of war the Armenian community in Aleppo suffered
most, especially in the suburban districts, where wealthy Armenians,
owners of factories lived.

“Nowadays Armenians are concentrated in three districts outside
of which there are no other Armenians because of three years of
migration. During the last few days another such district, Nor Gyugh,
was ruined. The state of Armenians in Aleppo is critical in terms of
both safety and livelihood, and at this most dangerous moment we are
silent, it’s time to act,” Cholakian said.

Noravank foundation director Gagik Harutyunyan said that in all the
countries where the Arab spring took place Christian sections suffered
particularly much, a cultural genocide took place.

“The Syrian war endangers our national safety because Azerbaijani
mercenaries and Turks are very active on the level of regular army
special services, we must be very careful about them,” Harutyunyan
said adding that actions realized in the Middle East and in Syria
particularly are a direct threat to Armenian security.

“Descendants of Armenian genocide survivors live in the Middle East
and they are the bearers of Western Armenian culture and civilization
and in case of dissipation not only the physical safety of Armenians
but their civilization will be endangered.”

Armenia has strongly condemned the bombardment of Aleppo and, in
particular, the city’s Armenian-populated district of Nor Gyugh over
the past days, which has caused the loss of lives and destruction.

“We are convinced that the main precondition for progress in the
resolution of the Syrian crisis lies in immediate cessation of
violence,” Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan said
on Thursday, according to the Ministry’s official website.

Earlier, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun),
a traditional Armenian party operating both in Armenia and its
far-flung Diaspora, also issued a statement condemning the rocket
attacks on the civilian population in the Syrian city that is home
to a sizable Armenian community.

RUSSIA, CHINA SHOULD BOOST POTENTIAL OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS – RUSSIAN SECURITY COUNCIL

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev

(c) RIA Novosti. Sergei Guneev
18:53 06/06/2014

BEIJING, June 6 (RIA Novosti) – Multiple challenges force Russia
and China to develop not only bilateral cooperation formats and
mechanisms of cooperation with Central Asian states, but also to
boost the potential of regional organizations, especially the CSTO
and SCO, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai
Patrushev said.

“There is a growing need to accelerate the implementation of the
initiative of Russian President [Vladimir Putin] to establish a
universal center to counter modern challenges and threats to security
on the basis of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Regional
Counterterrorist Structure. We are grateful to China for its support
of our efforts in this direction,” Patrushev said on Friday after
the 10th round of Russian-Chinese consultations on strategic security.

The Afghan factor and its impact on regional security was also touched
upon during the talks, Patrushev noted. “I am convinced that the
military presence of extra-regional forces in Central Asia should be
linked with the objectives of stabilization efforts in Afghanistan.

The necessity for such a presence, and even more so for its spread to
Central Asia, should cease to exist in the course of the formation
of the national armed forces, security and law enforcement agencies
in Afghanistan,” Patrushev clarified.

The increased activity of the terrorist groups in Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region of China in recent months is not accidental,
according to the secretary of the Russian Security Council. “We have
expressed our condolences to our Chinese friends concerning the tragic
terrorist attacks that occurred in this autonomous region of China,”
Patrushev said.

Founded in 2001, the Beijing-based SCO comprises Russia, China,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India,
Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status in the political
and military organization.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a military
alliance of former Soviet states; it comprises Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

On May 23, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced at the
International Security Conference that Russia decided to strengthen
its military bases abroad as well as to help to boost the armed forces
of the CSTO and the SCO.

YANA AMELINA: THE WEST OR RUSSIA, THAT IS THE QUESTION

ArmInfo’s interview with Yana Amelina, senior research fellow at the
Russian Institute for Strategic Studies

by David Stepanyan

Friday, June 6, 17:43

The EAEU is often called a ‘union of dictators’ for the known
reasons. In Armenia, there are concerns that accession to the EAEU
will deteriorate the problems with democracy…

I don’t think that the EAEU is ‘often’ called as a ‘union of
dictators.’ No one except liberal journalists uses such expressions.

I don’t know what ‘known reasons’ do you mean, but Russia, Belarus,
Armenia and Kazakhstan are known in the world as rather democratic
countries. There is no limit to perfection, though. Nevertheless,
speaking of dictatorship is rather odd in such case. I don’t think
that accession to this inter-state union that, unfortunately, has only
one – economic component, may create any problems with democracy. Are
there any restrictions on the free elections, peaceful assemblies
or independent press in Armenia? Does the EAEU seek to make such
restrictions? At least, look at how openly we discuss all this.

Doesn’t it mean that everything is good? We should not consider the
West as the etalon of democracy, should we?

Member of the Board – Minister in charge of the Development of
Integration and Macroeconomics Tatiana Valovaya has recently expressed
confidence that Armenia’s joining the Eurasian Economic Union will
increase the investment attraction of the republic and Armenia will
become a field for the Customs Union states and other states to make
investments. However, it is not clear, how Armenia’s joining the EAEU
is beneficial to the rest members of the Union in the economic sense.

Or maybe politics will recompense everything?

I fully agree with Valovaya that it is really beneficial to Armenia
to join the EAEU. As for the political component, the situation on
Armenia’s joining the EAEU is rather simple. The complex geo-political
situation in the world requires strict definition: the West or Russia,
that is the question! And if the Russian Federation ensures Armenia’s
military security, and de-facto, its existence as a state, is there any
sense to try to have good relations with permanent enemies of Russia?

A few days ago Ambassador of Russia to Armenia Ivan Volynkin told
journalists that the sale of TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems and T-90
tanks to Azerbaijan was nothing but commerce. Won’t that Russian-Azeri
“commerce” lead to a new war in Nagorno-Karabakh in light of more
and more incidents reported from the border?

Commerce is certainly a vice. Let’s assume that our Ambassador
has used a wrong word. The real problem here is that Azerbaijan
can afford buying arms and not only from Russia and that war is
the only way for the Azeris – at least in theory – to solve the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem in their favor. There will be the threat
of a new war in Nagorno-Karabakh as long as this conflict remains a
geopolitical problem.

I think the conflicting parties should try to maintain the status
quo. But the world is changing as quickly as is growing the number
of insane politicians and journalists. All this is fraught with both
local and global risks, which has been proved by the events in Ukraine.

Experts are seriously concerned over the high threat of the rapidly
developing crisis in Ukraine to the U.S.-France-Russia cooperation
over Karabakh conflict as part of the OSCE MG…

Frankly speaking, I cannot understand what cooperation is in
question. I think the fruitless meetings of the OSCE MG Co-Chairs
will be continued also in future. They will adopt no decisions. This
became evident yet long ago. Nevertheless, an inefficient negotiating
format is better than military actions,” she said for conclusion.

The first meeting with the president-elect Petro Poroshenko with Barack
Obama openly indicated that neither the loss of Crimea nor the threat
of the country’s spliting into two parts is able to re-orientate
Kyev from the West to the East. What scenario of developments do
you anticipate?

What we are witnessing in Ukraine is a real civil war. Much
there will depend on what Russia will do. More and more people are
showing displeasure with the Kremlin’s policy and demand more active
interference in the events in Ukraine on both diplomatic and military
levels. And this is natural as most of the Russians regard Ukraine
as part of the all-Russian mental and geopolitical community and have
lots of friends and relatives in that country.

The bloodshed continuing in Ukraine for several weeks already is
horrifying and I am sure that Russia must interfere. Time will show in
what a form this will be done. In any case, the political and economic
chaos in Ukraine will continue to grow and this is fair: those who
have voted for Petro Poroshenko are worthy of this. Anyway, I have
no doubts that Ukraine will finally come under Russia’s influence
and join the EAEU as a full member of it.

EXPERT: CLOSURE OF ARMENIAN NPP WILL BE DISASTROUS FOR ARMENIA

June 06, 2014 | 12:53

YEREVAN. – Closure of Armenian nuclear power plant will be disastrous
for Armenia, chairman of Armenian Consumers’ Association Armen
Poghosyan told reporters.

Armenia’s leadership must constantly seek resources not only for
optimization of the NPP but construction of a new energy unit.

He recalled that in early 2000s EU several times spoke about necessity
to close the NPP offering a grant of 100 million euro.

“While the old nuclear power plant is working, specualtions on closure
of the plant will continue. One of main challenges of the government
is to search funds for a new station,” he said.

However, it should be noted that on May 30 Prime Minister Hovik
Abrahamyan said that the arrangement on mentioned loan had been
reached after his meeting with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

40-45% OF ARMENIA’S ABLE-BODIED POPULATION IS EMIGRATING – COMMUNIST PARTY

June 06, 2014 | 13:42

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s emigration rates are growing. Studies indicate
that if this process continues, the country’s population will drop
by 1.5 million by the year 2025, and by 2 million by the year 2050.

Communist Party of Armenia (CPA) Central Committee First Secretary
Tachat Sargsyan stated the aforementioned at the CPA assembly on
Friday.

Sargsyan recalled that when Armenia had joined the ex-Soviet Union,
the country’s population was around 700 thousand, whereas after the
collapse of the USSR, its population was close to 4 million.

“Today, the republic is aging; Armenia is 51st among the 91 aging
countries.

“In the Soviet years, there were over 800 enterprises in the country.

We were exporting our products to more than 150 countries. Now,
however, 40 to 45 percent of the [country’s] able-bodied population
is emigrating,” the Communist Party leader stressed.