Author: Ophelia Vardapetian

                                        Thursday, January 11, 2017
Tsarukian Bloc To Stay Away From Opposition Protest
 . Sisak Gabrielian
Armenia - Businessman Gagik Tsarukian campaigns in Masis, 24Mar2017.
Businessman Gagik Tsarukian's political alliance made clear on
Thursday that it will not join a demonstration against the latest
consumer price hikes in Armenia which is planned by another opposition
group.
The Yelk bloc said earlier this week that it will rally supporters in
Yerevan on January 19 to protest against the increased prices of fuel
and some foodstuffs. It blamed the Armenian government for rising
inflation.
"We respect decisions taken by partner political forces and their
methods of struggle," Mikael Melkumian, a leading member of the
Tsarukian Bloc, said of the planned protest. "It's up to them to do
that. But we have our own style of work."
"We believe that a lot can be done in the parliament," he told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Melkumian, who is also a deputy speaker of the parliament, said the
Tsarukian Bloc will be seeking to counter the price hikes with
legislative initiatives. In particular, he said, it will press the
pro-government majority in the parliament next week to agree to
sweeping tax cuts that have long been championed by Tsarukian.
The tycoon's political force controls 31 seats in the 105-member
National Assembly, making it the second largest parliamentary
force. By comparison, Yelk has only 9 parliament deputies.
One of those deputies, Lena Nazarian, said on Thursday that the
upcoming Yelk rally may mark the beginning of sustained street
protests. "After all, the street is a political environment and people
protesting on the street can influence policy and decisions made by
the National Assembly," she said.
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian visits a new leisure center built
by businessman Gagik Tsarukian (R) in Tsaghkadzor, 20Dec2017.
Although the Tsarukian Bloc claims to be in opposition to President
Serzh Sarkisian, political analysts continue to question its
opposition credentials.
Tsarukian, who is one of the country's richest men, was forced to
leave the political arena nearly three years ago after challenging
Sarkisian's hold on power. He returned to active politics ahead of the
April 2017 parliamentary elections. The tycoon and his allies
criticized government policies but avoided personal attacks on the
president during the election campaign.
Sarkisian has regularly attended the inaugurations of new businesses
set up by Tsarukian in the last two years.
World Bank Again Upgrades Armenian Growth Forecasts
 . Artur Khachatrian
Armenia - Workers at a textile factory in Yerevan, 5Oct2017.
The World Bank has again improved its short-term outlook for Armenia,
saying that the Armenian economy will grow by around 4 percent
annually in the coming years.
In its latest global economic report released this week, the bank said
economic growth in the country was on course to accelerate to 3.7
percent in 2017. It will reach 3.8 percent this year and 4 percent in
2019 and 2020, according to the report.
A similar World Bank report issued in May forecast growth rates of 2.7
percent, 3.1 percent and 3.4 percent for2017, 2018 and 2019
respectively. It cited "the sustained expansion of the tradable
sectors and a modest recovery in domestic consumption."
Faster growth anticipated by the Washington-based institution would
still fall short of targets set by the Armenian government. According
to the latest government projections, Armenia's Gross Domestic Product
will increase, in real terms, by at least 4.5 percent this year and
over 5 percent in 2019.
President Serzh Sarkisian and other senior officials in Yerevan said
late last month that the Armenian economy is on track to expand by
more than 6 percent in 2017.
Commenting on the differing forecasts, Deputy Finance Minister Armen
Hayrapetian said on Thursday that the Armenian government believes in
a more optimistic macroeconomic scenario because of ongoing "reforms"
implemented by it. Hayrapetian also argued that the international
rating agency Fitch upgraded Armenia's economic outlook from "stable"
to "positive" last month.
The World Bank's May 2017 report also predicted that faster growth
will slightly reduce poverty in Armenia. "The poverty rate [measured
by the World Bank] is projected to fall from 23.8 percent in 2017 to
22.2 percent in 2019," it said.
However, Artak Manukian, a Yerevan-based economist, insisted on
Thursday that living standards in the country will actually worsen
this year due to the latest increases in the prices of some essential
products. Manukian singled out the increased cost of fuel, tobacco and
alcohol resulting from higher excise takes that took effect on January
1.
Former Oppositionist Wins Lawsuit Against Armenian State
 . Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Opposition lawmaker Alexander Arzumanian speaks at a
parliament session in Yerevan, 26Oct2016.
Alexander Arzumanian, a former opposition politician currently serving
as Armenia's ambassador to Denmark, won on Thursday a court case
against the Armenian authorities that stems from his controversial
arrest in 2007.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered the authorities to
pay Arzumanian 2,500 euros ($3,000) in damages. It ruled that his
four-month detention violated articles of a European convention
relating to criminal suspects' right to get a trial within a
"reasonable" time and be released from custody pending trial.
Arzumanian, who served as Armenia's foreign minister from 1996-1998,
declined to comment on the ruling.
Aruzmanian, 58, was arrested in May 2007 on charges of being illegally
financed from abroad. He consistently denied the accusations as
politically motivated before being set free four months later. The
high-profile case was linked by many observers with an anti-government
movement which Arzumanian and several other politicians opposed to
then President Robert Kocharian set up in 2006.
Arzumanian went on to play a major role in former President Levon
Ter-Petrosian's failed bid to return to power through a disputed
presidential election held in February 2008. He was among prominent
opposition figures arrested in the wake of the vote. Arzumanian spent
more than a year in prison.
The prominent oppositionist subsequently fell out with Ter-Petrosian
and teamed up with other opposition groups challenging President Serzh
Sarkisian. He held a seat in the Armenian parliament from 2012-2017.
Arzumanian was most recently affiliated with the Armenian Pan-National
Movement, a small opposition party. He quit the party in February
2017. Sarkisian appointed him as ambassador to Denmark five months
later.
Karabakh Reports Renewed Rise In Tourism
Nagorno-Karbaakh - The medieval Dadivank monastery, May 19, 2015.
The number of non-Armenian foreign tourists visiting Nagorno-Karabakh
jumped by 41 percent in 2017 after decreasing following the April 2016
war with Azerbaijan, a senior official in Stepanakert said on
Thursday.
Speaking to the Armenpress news agency, Artak Grigorian, the head of
Karabakh's tourism department, put their total number at more than
23,000. He said it is up by 30 percent from the 2015 total.
"We compare this figure with 2015 because we had a decline in tourism
in 2016," explained Grigorian. He said the number of tourists again
began rising last year thanks to an "active PR campaign" conducted by
the Karabakh leadership.
The official figures do not include residents of Armenia, who also
travel to Karabakh in larger numbers these days.
Grigorian said Russian nationals continue to account for the majority
of foreign tourists in Karabakh, followed by citizens of the United
States, France and Iran. All those countries have sizable ethnic
Armenian communities.
"We anticipate a further rise in visits from Russia this year because
we have targeted that market," added the Karabakh official. "We are
also working in the European direction."
Karabakh's main tourist attractions are mountainous scenery, medieval
Armenian monasteries as well as a cave complex thought to be the site
of one of the most ancient proto-human habitations in Eurasia. They
are located several dozen kilometers away from the heavily militarized
"line of contact" separating the Karabakh Armenian and Azerbaijani
armies.
The Azerbaijani authorities regard private or business trips to
Karabakh not authorized by them as a breach of Baku's sovereignty over
the territory. At least 600 foreign dignitaries and ordinary visitors
have been declared personae no grata in Azerbaijan for ignoring these
warnings.
Press Review
Armenia -- Newspapers for press review illustration, Yerevan,
12Jul2016
"Haykakan Zhamanak" describes as "weird" President Serzh Sarkisian's
emergency meeting with senior officials held on Wednesday in
connection with the latest increases in key consumer prices in
Armenia. The paper argues that as recently as one month Sarkisian
insisted that consumer price inflation in Armenia is low and no cause
for concern. It says he is worried about the opposition Yelk
alliance's decision to hold a demonstration in Yerevan on January 19
against the price hikes.
The rally, "Haykakan Zhamanak" goes on, will mark the "start of a
whole new political process" in Armenia. "And it is impossible to
predict what that process may lead to and how it will end," it says.
"Zhamanak" says Sarkisian's statements on the need to mitigate the
impact of higher prices on the low-income population were "largely
declarative." "And his hints about state support for eliminating
consequences [of higher prices] for socially vulnerable people are
rather anti-economic than economic," comments the paper. "The thing is
that no matter how important subsidies and other social allocations
are for the poor they are more likely to lead to waste rather than
development. Especially in resource-poor economies like Armenia."
In an interview with "Hayots Ashkhar," Tevan Poghosian, a political
analyst and a former parliamentarian, comments on the most recent
truce violations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. "The more we
provide our army with new equipment the more the enemy thinks of ways
of countering it," he says. "We strengthened the [Karabakh] border and
[Azerbaijani] incursions stopped. But we are now again engaged in a
war of snipers. It means that we need to think of new mechanisms and
new steps # We have no right to stop. We must work hard every day to
expand our military capabilities."
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

                                        Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Sarkisian Claims Positive Change In Armenia
Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian delivers his New Year's address
to the nation in Yerevan, 31Dec2017.
In his New Year's address to the nation, President Serzh Sarkisian
claimed that his administration brought about "large-scale" positive
changes in Armenia in the course of 2017.
He also promised continued economic betterment that will lead many
Armenians working abroad to return to their homeland.
"The year 2017 was a year of hard work and implementation of serious
programs," he said in televised remarks aired on the New Year's
Eve. "The pace of large-scale changes did not diminish. Furthermore,
we pushed them forward with greater determination."
"Our ambitions are big and we will be consistent in putting them into
practice," he said, adding that the results of government policies
should be "considerable and tangible" to every citizen.
"Together we will bring back to Armenia our loved ones that had left
the country," he declared. "They will come back because they will see
more room to work and distinguish themselves in Armenia."
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian also sounded an optimistic note about
the country's future when he congratulated Armenians on the New
Year. He pointed to faster economic growth achieved in 2017.
"The annual economic performance will be better than we expected in
2016 and positively different from the indicators of other countries
in the region," he said in a televised address broadcast on December
30. "To cope with all the problems facing the country, we must work
hard and ensure sustainable growth every year."
"Be assured that we are going to have an awesome and wonderful
country," added Karapetian.
Sarkisian and other senior officials said in December that the
Armenian economy is on track to grow by more than 6 percent in
2017. Economic growth in the country slowed to just 0.2 percent in
2016.
Karapetian vowed to speed up growth through major reforms and a fight
against corruption when Sarkisian named him prime minister in
September 2016. He has repeatedly indicated his desire to retain his
post after the end of Sarkisian's final presidential term and
Armenia's transformation into a parliamentary republic in April 2018.
The president has so far declined to clarify whether he is planning to
become prime minister or take up another state post. He spoke on
Sunday of "many joint tasks" that still need to be accomplished his
administration and ordinary people.
Sarkisian's political allies have said that he will stay on as
chairman of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) in any case.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
 Artsrun Hovhannisyan: Armenia is developing space intelligence
Yerevan December 22
Naira Badalyan. The funds allocated by the Armenian government on the
eve, amounting 300 million AMD will be directed to the development of
space exploration assets. Artsrun Hovhannisyan, press secretary of the
Armenian Defense Ministry, told ArmInfo correspondent.
According to him, all other information is secret and not subject to publicity.
On the eve, the Cabinet of Ministers of Armenia made a decision that
from the reserve fund of the government about 300 million AMD will be
transferred to "Geokosmos". As stated in the certificate of
substantiation to the document, the company Geokosmos was founded on
November 16, 2017 by the decision of the Armenian government. "The
value of the property transferred to the authorized capital of
Geokosmos CJSC is set at 419 000 000 AMD, including 300 087 340 AMD in
cash, and 118 912 660 - property," the document says. The goal is to
provide the conditions for bringing into operation, upgrading and
operating the software and hardware complex of the Geokosmos CJSC.

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
President: Adventurers should realize that attempts to shake the
state's foundations in Armenia are doomed to failure, no issue will be
resolved through violence and weapons
Yerevan December 22
Tatevik Shahunyan. In the activity of the National Security Service of
Armenia, the priority was and remains the preservation of the
constitutional order in the country, said at a solemn meeting
dedicated to the Day of an employee of the national security,
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.
"Adventurers should realize that attempts to shake the state's
foundations in Armenia are doomed to failure.In Armenia, no issue will
be resolved through violence and weapons.The monopoly on the
legitimate use of force belongs to the Republic of Armenia.All issues
should be resolved in accordance with the laws and the Constitution" ,
Sargsyan stated, stressing that there is no doubt that the National
Security Service of Armenia is capable of stopping all attempts at
encroachment on the statehood. "The evidence of my words is your
effective actions during the July events in Yerevan (the capture by
the Sasna Tsrer group of the Polka Patrol Police Service)," the head
of state said, advising all those who plan to bypass the Constitution
to achieve the personal ambitions and ambitions of individual groups
,refrain from such plans, because law enforcement agencies of the
republic within the law can easily neutralize these attempts.
Further, the president praised the staff of the National Security
Service for effective struggle against transnational and intra-state
crimes.
He also focused on the effective fight against corruption. According
to him, during the last year, high- profile corruption crimes were
revealed. "This is a good signal both for the society and for
high-ranking officials," the president said, stressing that the fight
against corruption is on serious lines, but more work is needed. "In
your structure I must stress that the fight against such corrosive
phenomena must be more acute and tough, and my expectations in this
area are very large from you. I am sure that you will have enough
experience and skills to effectively combat this evil. It is necessary
to work actively in all state structures, especially in the judicial
and legal system, "the president said.
The head of state drew the attention of the sphere's employees and
reports of international organizations on fighting corruption.
"Armenia should not deviate from its positions in these reports, for
this purpose it is necessary to identify and remove all the
shortcomings," Sargsyan said, stressing that positive dynamics is
needed in the fight against Armenia's corruption. "We did it and do it
not for international structures, but for ourselves, our fellow
citizens are waiting for us, and we can not retreat in this
direction." I will not accept any justifications, "he said.
The President highly appreciated the work of the special services
during all-republican events, including during the elections. At the
same time he reminded that in 2018 three major events are expected in
Armenia, the proper and safe conduct of which is a matter of honor.
"And the lion's share of responsibility for this will fall on your
shoulders: the festivities in honor of the 100th anniversary of the
Republic of Armenia and the May victories, the 2800th anniversary of
Yerevan and the Francophonie summit." My instruction is to prepare
very seriously for these events, "he said. He added that these events
open new horizons for presenting Armenia to the world. Summarizing his
speech, the President stressed that his main goal is to form the best
service of national security not only in the region, but also on the
international arena. To this end, Sargsyan focused on the need to
improve the level of training of NSS officers and the technical
re-equipment of the structure. He also did not ignore the social
problems of the NSS staff.

                                        Monday, 
Ruling Party Figure Wants Sarkisian To Stay In Power
 . Harry Tamrazian
Armenia -- Armen Ashotian, a deputy chairman of the Republican Party
of Armenia, speaks to RFE/RL in Yerevan.
President Serzh Sarkisian should continue to govern Armenia after
completing his final presidential term in April, a deputy chairman of
his Republican Party (HHK) said over the weekend.
"I think that given the security, foreign policy and economic
challenges [facing Armenia,] the best solution would be to continue
the ongoing work in the existing internal and external environment
under Serzh Sarkisian's leadership," Armen Ashotian told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Ashotian said he is therefore ready to nominate Sarkisian's candidacy
for the post of prime minister at the end of the latter's decade-long
presidency.
Ashotian stressed at the same time that he is only expressing his
personal opinion and that the president and the HHK have still not
made a "final decision regarding April." "There has also been no
reaction yet from [foreign] diplomatic circles," he added.
In an interview with the Armenia TV channel aired late on Thursday,
Sarkisian again declined to clarify what he is planning to do after
serving out his second five-year term. He said that "the time has not
yet come" for him to announce whether he will become prime minister or
take up another state post.
Armenia will also switch in April 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 country's prime
minister. The current Armenian premier, Karen Karapetian has
repeatedly indicated his desire to retain his post.
Sarkisian said on Thursday that Karapetian is "very acceptable and
useful to us as a prime minister and as a person." But he said the HHK
leadership will weigh up all factors before deciding "who can do a
better job where."
The televised remarks were construed by another senior HHK lawmaker,
Khosrov Harutiunian, as a further indication that Sarkisian will stay
on in power as prime minister. That is "the most likely and logical"
scenario, he said.
Student Leader Resumes Protests Against New Law On Military Draft
 . Narine Ghalechian
Armenia - Student leader Davit Petrosian gives a press conference in
Yerevan, 23Nov2017
An Armenian youth activist went on hunger strike on Monday in protest
against the government's controversial decision to essentially abolish
temporary exemptions from military service that have long been enjoyed
by many students of state-run universities.
The activist, Davit Petrosian, was one of the organizers of a series
of street demonstrations held by disgruntled students this fall. The
protests did not stop the Armenian parliament from passing a relevant
government bill.
Petrosian and several other protesting students already went on hunger
strike on November 14. Although the bill was passed in the second and
final reading the following day they ended the protest and agreed to
hold talks with representatives of the government and the National
Assembly.
The first such meeting took place on November 22, with the protest
leaders submitting proposals relating to an Armenian law on compulsory
military service. Government officials insisted afterwards that the
amended law will not undergo more changes.
Announcing the fresh hunger strike in a video message posted on the
Internet, Petrosian complained that the government has refused to make
any major concessions. He dismissed government assurances that
students boasting "remarkable achievements" will be exempt from
military service on a case-by-case basis.
Draft-age male students having government scholarships have until now
been allowed to perform the two-year service after completing their
undergraduate or graduate studies. Under the amended law, draft
deferments will be granted only to those students who will agree to
undergo parallel military training and serve in the Armenian army as
officers for three years after graduation.
Armenia - Students demonstrate outside Yerevan State University,
8Nov2017.
Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian, the key author of the controversial
bill, said during parliament debates in October that it would close a
key loophole for evading military service and reduce "corruption
risks" among military and university officials. He said that less than
one-fifth of recipients of such deferments have eventually served in
the army.
Other officials argued that the vast majority of male students have
already been drafted to the armed forces in the past several years
because of having to pay tuition fees.
The protesting students, backed by the opposition Yelk alliance, say
the new rules will prevent many students from becoming scientists or
scholars. They also say that the amended law will not prevent sons of
many senior government officials, pro-government politicians and
wealthy businesspeople from dodging military service.
Joined by another student, Petrosian began the hunger strike inside an
auditorium of Yerevan State University (YSU), the focal point of the
recent protests.The YSU rector, Aram Simonian, criticized the protest
action as "untimely" and said it "cannot have any positive outcome."
Speaking to RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), Simonian also
said that Petrosian and other protest leaders attended last week a
conference in Poland organized by U.S. philanthropist George Soros's
Open Society Foundations. "They probably got some assignments there,"
he claimed.
Vahan Hovtanian, another protest organizer, laughed off Simonian's
claim.
U.S.-Based Firm Gears Up For Gold Mining In Armenia
 . Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - The U.S.-based company Lydian International builds a gold
mine at the Amulsar deposit, 9Dec2017. (Photo by Lydian Armenia)
A U.S.-British company said on Monday that it expects to finish next
year the ongoing construction of a massive gold mine in Armenia that
will sharply increase the country's gold exports.
The company, Lydian International, started building its gold mining
and smelting facilities at the Amulsar deposit in the southeastern
Vayots Dzor province in August 2016 after years of preparation and a
licensing process administered by the Armenian government. It has
since hired more than 1,000 Armenian workers for the construction
which it says will cost $370 million in investments.
"We are constructing the mine and we are about half way through the
construction," Howard Stevenson, Lydian's chairman and chief
executive, told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) in an
interview.
Stevenson said the company has already become Armenia's 19th largest
corporate taxpayer. "Amulsar's success will also be a success for
Armenia because our positive economic impact on this country will be
significant," he said.
Hayk Aloyan, the executive director of Lydian's Armenian subsidiary,
said last month that the company plans to produce 210,000 ounces of
gold annually, which will be worth over $260 million at current
international prices.
According to government statistics, Armenia exported around $100
million worth of gold in 2015. The bulk of that export revenue,
equivalent to 6.5 percent of overall Armenian exports, was generated
by a Russian company operating big gold mines at Sotk, eastern
Armenia. The company, GeoProMining, also owns a gold processing plant
in Ararat, a small town 50 kilometers southeast of Yerevan.
The Armenian government gave the green light for the Amulsar project
despite strong opposition from local environment protection groups
which say that it poses a serious threat to the local ecosystem and
livelihoods of farmers living in nearby villages. They also point to
the gold deposit's proximity to Jermuk, the country's most famous spa
resort.
Armenia- Lydian International CEO Howard Stevenson speaks to RFE/RL in
Yerevan.
Stevenson, whose company is registered in a British tax haven but
headquartered in the U.S. state of Colorado, sought to allay those
fears. He insisted that the forthcoming mining operation is a "zero
emissions project" that will use advanced technology and meet
environmental standards. "Our project will have no impact on water
resources in the area and on Jermuk as well," he said.
Stevenson also ruled out any potential impact on Armenia's
ecologically vital Lake Sevan which is fed by one of the rivers
flowing through Vayots Dzor. "There is no risk that even if we have an
industrial accident we would impact Lake Sevan," he said.
Levon Galstian, one of the environmentalists fiercely resisting the
project, dismissed these assurances. He insisted that with the kind of
technology that it is planning to use Lydian cannot guard against
contamination of soil and water with toxic waste from the Amulsar
mine. That will put Jermuk's famed resorts and mineral water industry
at serious risk, Galstian told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatuyun.am).
The U.S. and British governments strongly support the Amulsar
project. The U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Richard Mills, said earlier
this year that it has been deemed "fully compliant" with environment
protection standards set by the World Bank and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
A senior EBRD executive said in August 2016 that that Lydian has
committed itself to meeting "the strictest environmental conditions"
set by the London-based lending institution.
Top NATO Official Sees Closer Ties With Armenia
 . Anush Muradian
Armenia - NATO's Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller at a news
briefing in Yerevan, 18Dec2017.
NATO's Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller praised Armenia's
increased cooperation with the U.S.-led alliance and said it will
deepen further when she visited Yerevan on Monday.
Gottemoeller met with President Serzh Sarkisian and other Armenian
leaders for talks that touched upon Armenia-NATO ties and the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"We spoke about current security challenges and how we can take our
cooperation farther," she said after the talks with Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian which preceded her meeting with Sarkisian.
"NATO and Armenia have developed partnership over 25 years," she
said. "Cooperation between NATO and Armenia is in both of our
interests."
"Earlier this year, Armenia agreed to a new Individual Partnership
Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO, and we will be working together more
closely on interoperability, defense education and defense reform,"
added Gottemoeller.
The first Armenia-NATO IPAP was launched in 2006. The current, fifth
such plan approved by NATO in April lists joint activities planned for
2017-2019.
In addition to this policy framework, Armenia has stepped up its
involvement in NATO-led security missions. It currently has 121
Armenian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and 35 others in Kosovo. A
senior Armenian Defense Ministry official said last week that Yerevan
will continue to participate in these multinational missions in the
years to come.
"We are grateful for Armenia's important contribution to our Resolute
Support mission in Afghanistan and our KFOR peacekeeping mission in
Kosovo," Gottemoeller told reporters.
Sarkisian likewise noted with satisfaction the "developing"
Armenia-NATO ties when he met with the senior NATO official. He also
thanked the alliance for its "assistance provided to Armenia."
The two also discussed recent developments in the Karabakh peace
process.
Meeting with students and professors of Yerevan State University
earlier in the day, Gottemoeller welcomed progress reportedly made at
high-level Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations held in October and
November. NATO hopes for further progress in the peace process, she
said, adding that a Karabakh settlement would have a very positive
impact on the region.
Press Review
(Saturday, December 16)
"Zhamanak" says that President Serzh Sarkisian's latest televised
interview only raised more questions about his political future. "The
situation is really noteworthy," writes the paper. "Serzh Sarkisian
said that he has no idea what he is going to do, has no decision [to
that effect] and will have one `when the time comes.' And yet
representatives of the [ruling] HHK continue to speak of his
premiership and `undisputed' leadership." It suggests that Sarkisian's
decision to become prime minister is still not a forgone conclusion.
"Zhoghovurd" notes that Sarkisian also did not exclude that some of
the former senior state officials will return to government
soon. "Serzh Sarkisian just said that everyone will be looked at on a
case-by-case basis," the paper says, pointing to his remark that "I
have a lot of respect for those people who have served the Republic of
Armenia." "But I don't mean to say that those persons are
irreplaceable," the president added. The paper speculates that he may
have referred to people such as former Prime Minister Hovik
Abrahamian, former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian, former Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanian, former Transport Minister Gagik Beglarian.
"Haykakan Zhamanak" writes on serious problems with the implementation
of an expensive government project to refurbish Armenia's main
highways. The paper says that the so-called North-South project cannot
move forward without the government taking more and more
multimillion-dollar loans. "For that reason, they will cut funding for
other spheres and that trend will constantly deepen," it claims. "But
the most terrible thing is that there has still not been a serious and
convincing analysis on how that highway will contribute to Armenia's
economic development. The debt incurred for the sake of building it is
so large that in order to repay it Armenia needs not just economic
growth but rapid economic growth. And such a prospect does not await
Armenia, at least in the short term."
(Artur Papian)
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