Tuesday,
Armenian, Azeri FMs May Meet Again
• Naira Nalbandian
U.S. - Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov (R) of Azerbaijan and Zohrab
Mnatsakanian (second from right) of Armenia pose for a photograph with the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs in New York, 26 September 2018.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday did not rule out the possibility of yet
another meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers later this
month.
The ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, said that Foreign Minister Zohrab
Mnatsakanian will participate in an annual security conference that will be
held in Munich, Germany on February 16-18. “As far as we know, Azerbaijan’s
foreign minister [Elmar Mammadyarov] has also confirmed his participation [in
the conference,]” she told a news briefing in Yerevan.
Commenting on the possibility of Mammadyarov and Mnatsakanian meeting on the
sidelines of the Munich forum, Naghdalian said: “Whenever there is an agreement
on a meeting between the two ministers we announce it in a coordinated manner …
We have always adhered to that principle and we will not breach it if there is
such an agreement.”
Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov have met for four times in the last seven months.
According to international mediators, at their most recent talks held in Paris
on January 16 the ministers acknowledged the need for “taking concrete measures
to prepare the populations for peace.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
have also held a series of talks in recent months. Their last meeting took
place in Davos, Switzerland on January 22. It fuelled more talk of major
progress in long-running efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Pashinian downplayed last week his “informal contacts” with Aliyev. He also
stated that the Armenian side will not agree to territorial concessions
Azerbaijan in return for mere peace in the region. “We can’t even discuss the
lands-for-peace formula,” he said.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry criticized those remarks, saying that
“withdrawal of Armenian from the occupied Azerbaijani territories” has long
been at the heart of the negotiation process mediated by the United States,
Russia and France. “Does that statement by Pashinian mean a renunciation of
negotiations?” it said in a statement.
Naghdalian insisted in this regard that Yerevan remains committed to further
negotiations with Baku under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk Group co-headed by the
three world powers. “For Armenia the status and security of Artsakh (Karabakh)
are the overriding priorities in this process,” she said.
Israel Lifts Ban On ‘Suicide’ Drone Sales To Azerbaijan
Nagorno-Karabakh -- Smoke from fire rises above the ground in Martakert
district, after an Israeli-made Azerbaijani "suicide" drone was shot down by
the Karabakh army, 4 April 2016.
Israel’s Defense Ministry has lifted its ban on exports to Azerbaijan of
“kamikaze” drones that are manufactured by an Israeli company accused of
hitting Armenian positions in Nagorno-Karabakh with one of them in 2017.
According to Israeli media reports, the company, Aeronautics Defense Systems,
was working on a potential $20 million deal with Baku when Azerbaijani
officials asked its specialists to demonstrate its Orbiter 1K unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) on Karabakh Armenian soldiers in the summer of 2017.
The reports said two Aeronautics employees refused to carry out the attack
before two higher-ranking executives eventually agreed to do it. They said the
drone did not directly hit their targets but two soldiers were injured in the
attack.
Aeronautics' export license was suspended after a complaint was filed with the
Israeli Defense Ministry. Israel’s Justice Ministry moved in August 2018 to
charge the company’s chief executive, deputy CEO, and other employees with
violating an Israeli law on security export controls. The company denied any
wrongdoing.
The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the Defense Ministry returned the
export license on Monday, leading the company to inform the Tel Aviv Stock
Exchange that the ban on Orbiter 1K sales to its “central customer ‘A'” has
been lifted. “The company can continue to supply the UAV to the aforementioned
customer as soon as possible,” Aeronautics said in a statement.
The ministry’s decision came three weeks after Aeronautics was purchased by
another, state-owned Israeli defense company, Rafael, in a $231 million deal.
The Azerbaijani army heavily used similar suicide drones manufactured by
another Israeli company during the April 2016 hostilities in Karabakh. Baku had
bought the Harop drones as part of multimillion-dollar defense contracts signed
with Israeli arms manufacturers.
In 2012, Israeli defense officials confirmed a reported deal to provide the
Azerbaijani military with more weapons worth a combined $1.6 billion. Those
included, among other things, sophisticated anti-tank rockets which were also
used by Azerbaijani forces in April 2016.
Armenia has long expressed concern at the Israeli-Azerbaijani arms deals,
saying that they undermine international efforts to end the Karabakh conflict.
A senior Armenian military official hailed in September 2017 the freeze of
Orbiter 1K sales to Baku.
Commenting on the lifting of the Israeli ban on Tuesday, an Armenian Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman said: “We will raise this issue both in our bilateral
meetings [with Israeli officials] and on multilateral platforms … We will keep
telling our international partners that an arms race is extremely dangerous for
our region.”
The “suicide” drone scandal was exposed by the Israeli press more than two
weeks after Israel’s Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi visited
Yerevan in an apparent bid to improve his country’s frosty relationship with
Armenia. Then Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian visited Israel and
met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2017.
Armenian Newspaper Reports Arson Attack
• Tatevik Lazarian
Armenia - A car belonging to the "Syuniats Yerkir" newspaper pictured after
being set on fire, Kapan, February 5, 2019.
An Armenian regional newspaper claimed to be systematically bullied by
individuals linked to the country’s largest mining company after a car
belonging to it was set on fire early on Tuesday.
Photographs posted by the “Syuniats Yerkir” newspaper based in Kapan, the
administrative center of the southeastern Syunik province, showed that it was
partly destroyed by what its editor, Samvel Aleksanian, described as a
deliberate arson attack.
“I regard that as a crime committed because of our professional activities,”
Aleksanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Aleksanian pointed the finger at Vahe Hakobian, a former Syunik governor, and
other influential persons thought to be close to the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum
Combine (ZCMC), an industrial giant located in the nearby town of Kajaran. He
said his paper has been at odds with the company because it has consistently
tried to ascertain who its real owners are.
“In the last two years there have been numerous incidents involving our
newspaper and myself but none of them has been solved,” said Aleksanian. In
particular, he claimed to have been physically assaulted outside his Kapan
office in August.
“This latest attack was the continuation of the previous ones,” the editor went
on. “We raise issues which hidden shareholders of the Kajaran plant don’t like.”
Hakobian, who was sacked as Syunik governor shortly after last spring’s “velvet
revolution” in Armenia, flatly denied the allegations. “The media outlet
mentioned by you has for years spread untrue and slanderous reports and even
personal insults but we are following only the legal path,” he said, pointing
to over a dozen libel suits filed against “Syuniats Yerkir” by him and senior
ZCMC executives.
The former governor also suggested that Aleksanian might have himself burned
down the newspaper car in “yet another attempt at self-promotion.”
Armenia - A copper ore-processing plant in Kajaran, 6Feb2016.
ZCMC, which employs more than 4,000 people, was privatized in 2004 at a
relatively modest price of $132 million. A German metals group, Cronimet,
gained a 75 percent stake in the industrial giant at the time.
The rest of ZCMC is controlled by at least two obscure Armenian firms.
Ownership of those firms has long been a subject of speculation in Armenia,
with some local commentators and opposition politicians linking them to former
President Serzh Sarkisian or his predecessor Robert Kocharian.
Hakobian worked as a senior ZCMC executive before Sarkisian appointed him as
Syunik governor in 2016. In early 2017, he also became the head of the regional
branch of Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
According to the Hetq.am investigative publication, Hakobian holds a 10 percent
stake in Cronimet Metal Trading CIS, an apparent subsidiary of ZCMC’s largest
nominal shareholder.
Hakobian already found himself in hot water shortly after Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian sacked him as Syunik governor last summer. An Anglo-American gold
mining company, Lydian International, accused him of involvement in the
continuing disruption of its operations in Armenia. Lydian released a short
video that purportedly showed the driver of a car used by Hakobian delivering
food to several dozen protesters blockading the Amulsar gold deposit developed
by it.
Hakobian denied that. He claimed that the videotaped car was driven by a ZCMC
employee who accidentally met one of his relatives on a highway near Amulsar.
Lydian’s allegations were taken seriously by Deputy Prime Minister Tigran
Avinian. He said in July that they are a cause for “deep concern” and require
an “objective and consistent examination.”
Western Watchdog Hails Democratic Change In Armenia
• Heghine Buniatian
U.S. - Freedom House President Michael Abramowitz speaks at the Freedom House
2018 Annual Awards Dinner on May 23, 2018 in Washington.
The Washington-based rights group Freedom House praised the “velvet revolution”
in Armenia and “markedly freer and fairer” elections which followed it, in an
annual report on global democracy released on Tuesday.
The Freedom In the World 2019 report lists Armenia among a handful of countries
where “positive breakthroughs” were registered last year. They show that
“democracy has enduring appeal as a means of holding leaders accountable and
creating the conditions for a better life,” it says.
“Entrenched elites in many Eurasian countries continued exploiting the
advantages of incumbency to maintain their grip on power,” reads the report.
“However, Armenia broke that pattern with the ouster of an unpopular leader and
the election of a new, reform-minded government.”
“In the spring of 2018, Armenians took to the streets in protest of an attempt
by Serzh Sarkisian to extend his rule by shifting from the presidency to the
prime minister’s office,” it says. “To widespread surprise, the protests
culminated in Sarkisian’s resignation and the rise of opposition leader Nikol
Pashinian to the premiership. Pashinian’s My Step alliance decisively won snap
parliamentary elections in December, clearing the way for systemic reforms.”
The polls were “markedly freer and fairer than elections in previous years,”
added Freedom House.
Accordingly, the watchdog gave Armenia higher scores in various categories of
political rights and civil liberties. Still, it continued to rank the South
Caucasus states as “partly free” alongside other former Soviet states such as
Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.
Armenia’s three other neighbors -- Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran -- as well as
Russia were rated “not free.”
The report says that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Azerbaijani
counterpart Ilham Aliyev both won new presidential terms in 2018 through
election campaigns that benefited from "strong-arm tactics that included the
repression of independent media and civil society, the abuse of state
resources, and the persecution of genuine political opponents -- as well as
outright fraud."
It also says that the United States in 2018 saw "a decline in the rule of law"
that put American democracy "on a level with Greece, Croatia, and Mongolia,"
and well below other long-standing democracies like Germany and Britain.
Press Review
“Zhoghovurd” claims that former President Robert Kocharian has adopted a new
“defense tactic” in his efforts to disprove coup allegations brought against
him. The paper quotes Kocharian’s lawyer Hayk Alumian as saying that the
ex-president received information about the 2008 post-election developments in
Yerevan from Gorik Hakobian, the then head of the National Security Service.
Speaking in Armenia’s Court of Appeals last week, Kocharian also seemingly
distanced himself from a secret order that was issued to Armenian army units in
February 2008. This is construed by the paper as a sign that Kocharian now
wants to blame other officials for the March 2008 violence.
“One must not say things that will not become a reality in the foreseeable
future,” writes “Aravot.” The paper points to Mayor Hayk Marutian’s promises to
build new metro stations in Yerevan. It also scoffs at parliament speaker
Ararat Mirzoyan’s explanation for his decision to relocate with his family to a
government compound in Yerevan. It argues that Mirzoyan’s two predecessors did
not reside there while in office. “In Armenia, the National Assembly speaker is
not the kind of a position that requires extraordinary security measures,” it
says. “He or she is not someone who makes fateful decisions.” The paper says
that the controversial payment of lavish bonuses to senior government officials
was another mistake made by the new authorities and they should acknowledge it.
“Zhamanak” reports that former President Levon Ter-Petrosian has dismissed as
untimely and meaningless a heated public debate on the possible change of
Armenia’s national anthem. In written comments publicized on Monday,
Ter-Petrosian said that there are far more pressing issues facing the country.
The paper suggests that he used the topic to “remind” the public of his
existence amid the continuing high-profile inquiry into the 2008 unrest in
Yerevan.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Author: Sonya Jalatian
Letter to the Editor of The Washington Post: A remarkable admission about an Azerbaijani blogger
The Washington Post
February 1, 2019 Friday
A remarkable admission about an Azerbaijani blogger
Letters to the Editor
Regarding Vugar Gurbanov's Jan. 26 letter "The real discontent is in Armenia":
How remarkable. A counselor for the Embassy of Azerbaijan criticized the lack of attention to the democratic change in Armenia while noting that Azerbaijan has dropped all new charges against Azerbaijani blogger Mehman Huseynov – bogus charges that had led to hunger strikes against continued violations of his (and others') human rights.
Richard D. Kauzlarich , Falls Church
The writer, a distinguished visiting professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, was U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan from 1994 to 1997 andBosnia from 1997 to 1999.
168: ”Robert Kocharyan is suffering a flagrant denial of justice in Armenia”
Category
Politics
Edward Fitzgerald, Doughty Street Chambers
– Could you please provide information on the current situation of the Kocharyan’s case in Strasbourg?
-The Kocharyan’s legal team have submitted two applications to the European Court of Human Rights. We have alleged that the President’s repeated detention is unlawful and unsubstantiated, and gave rise to violations of his rights under Articles 5, 6 and 18 of the Convention. The charges against Mr Kocharyan are vague and fabricated. It will be soon recognised that it is a politically motivated arrest and persecution. It will be very important not only for us, but also for the entire society in Armenia. Currently, we are working on another application to be lodged with the Strasbourg-based court, alleging that Mr Kocharyan is suffering a flagrant denial of fair trial, i.e., a flagrant denial of justice.
– What do you mean saying a denial of justice?
– There is sufficient evidence to show that the authorities have failed to provide general and specific guarantees under the Convention. The irregularities and lack of safeguards in the criminal proceedings undoubtedly constitute a denial of justice under the case law. Let me give you some vivid examples:
• the appointment of the appeal judge hearing the Kocharyan’s case in December 2018 was unlawful, manifestly contrary to the domestic legal provisions;
the individual judges have been influenced outside the judiciary, and from within (e.g., the well-known conversations between the Special Investigative Service and the National Security Service);
• the statements by Nikol Pashinyan and other officials infringing the presumption of innocence. They encouraged the public to believe Mr Kocharyan guilty and prejudge the assessment of the facts by the court;
• the principle of non-retroactivity has been infringed in the Kocharyan’s case (the famous Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code) which Article 7 of the Convention unconditionally prohibits;
• State-controlled media has initiated a virulent press campaign to affect adversely the fairness of the trial by influencing the public opinion and the Kocharyan’s presumption of innocence.
– Do you think the Case has political motives?
Let me be clear here. On 07 December 2018, the Court of Appeal rapidly issued an arrest warrant on the eve of the parliamentary elections…
Look, Mr Kocharyan has been detained on vague and fabricated charges and his detention was extended in order to punish him (vendetta) and to prevent his participation in any political processes. The authorities are intimidating and putting pressure on other persons with a view to obtaining information or other advantage to use against Mr Kocharyan. Certainly, his freedom has been deprived due to the existence of political motivation.
The prosecution and investigative authorities themselves were driven by ulterior motives. Finally, there is evidence that the courts were not sufficiently independent from the executive authorities.
A1+: Communities are developed unevenly – EU Ambassador (video)
Official opening ceremony of the program “Citizens’ Voice and Actions in Large Communities of Armenia” took place at Gyumri Technology Center.
Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski, representatives of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration Development, community leaders and others were present at the event, which aims to activate the communities of Armenia, in particular by stimulating tourism.
More information is provided in “Tsayg” TV footage.
Armenian PM comments on latest meeting with Azerbaijani president
Armenian PM comments on latest meeting with Azerbaijani president
16:31,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has commented on his recent meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that took place in Davos within the framework of the World Economic Forum.
Asked at a press conference in Moscow on how he assesses the results of the meeting, Pashinyan said that there are no results because the meeting was simply an interaction.
“We’ve had a similar interaction in Dushanbe also. True, in Dushanbe we had clear results. We have also talked in St. Petersburg, which too was simply a conversation. Neither Aliyev, nor I, or anyone else has anticipated any results from this meeting. It was simply a conversation, an interaction,” Pashinyan said.
The PM said they talked about the NK conflict during the conversation.
“I would like to say that factually these aren’t negotiations. These are unofficial contacts, during which both Aliyev and I speak about our perceptions, on how we perceive this issue, how our peoples perceive this issue”.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Aliyev conversation proceeded within framework of earlier public statements, Pashinyan says
Aliyev conversation proceeded within framework of earlier public statements, Pashinyan says
17:10,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan has reassured that during the Davos meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev he discussed all the public statements made earlier.
The PM made the remarks when asked at a Moscow news conference whether or not returning Nagorno Karabakh to the negotiations table has been discussed.
“The statements that I have done publicly, certainly, all issues have been discussed during our meeting. Not once have I said that I can represent the Republic of Armenia in these talks, I cannot represent the Republic of Artsakh due to the simple reason that the citizens of Artsakh do not participate in elections in Armenia, meaning they haven’t elected me prime minister, they elect their own president, they have their parliament and government. Due to this reason I cannot negotiate on behalf of Nagorno Karabakh. This is clear for everyone,” Pashinyan said.
Pashinyan added that understandably citizens and journalists are interested to know every detail about what he and Aliyev spoke about. “But in terms of ethics it is inadmissible when they go out and disclose everything they’ve spoken about. But generally you all know what we have talked about, because the conversation proceeded within the framework that complies with my public statements”.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Asbarez: Kalashnikov to Supply AK-12 Rifles to Armenia
Kalashnikov-12 rifle
Kalashnikov Concern, the Russian defense manufacturer known for its iconic AK rifles, will supply 50 new AK-12 assault rifles to Armenia, according to a report by Kommersant newspaper on Thursday.
“The contract is signed, we are now preparing a small batch that will include around 50 assault rifles. They will be tested and viewed,” the chief executive officer of Kalashnikov Concern Vladimir Dmitryev told Kommersant.
According to Dmitryev, Armenia will be the first foreign country to buy the AK-12 assault rifles.
In August, Armenia’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Artstrun Hovannisyan announced that an Armenian company Royalsys Engineering signed a manufacturing license contract with Karashnikov to produce AK-12 and AK-15 rifles in Armenia.
Photographs posted on Hovannisyan’s Facebook page showed that Armenia’s Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan attended the signing ceremony in Moscow.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Thursday’s announcement was part of the August deal with Kalashnikov.
Kalashnikov Concern opened an official representation in Yerevan in 2014. At the time it was announced that an agreement between Russia and Armenia allowed Armenian and Russian defense companies to supply each other with equipment, assembly parts and other materials needed for the production, modernization and repair of various weapons.
He did not manage to do much – Gevorg Yazicjian about Hatspanyan (video)
“Truthful, fearless, he was not asking who liked his this or that phrase. He himself believed that he was right,” says his friend, journalist and historian Gevorg Yazicjian about Sargis Hatspanyan.
Because of illness Hatspanyan could not do much. Yazicjian noted that Hatspanyan wanted a civil society to be created in Armenia.
“During the Velvet Revolution and after that, many friends from abroad applied me, and I have made their request: go and bow their head in front of his tomb in Yerablur and put a flower. And they wanted him to see, to be happy with the spiritual awakening of the Armenian people,” continues Yazicjian.
Referring to the optimization of the ministries, the historian said that Hatspanyan was for that, but he was demanding to be strict, increase salaries and raise the effectiveness of the rest of the ministerial institutions.
According to him, Hatspanyan made some criticisms during Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s and Robert Kocharyan’s terms in office, and after them he was extremely critical towards during Serzhik’s presidential tenure.
Hostage of Armenian Origin in Azerbaijan: Lavrov Has Hopes, How About a Plan?
Lragir, Armenia
Jan 16 2019
The Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov stated that he hopes to succeed returning the Russian citizen Marat Ueldanov-Galsyan from Baku to Russia. Ueldanov-Galstyan has been in an Azerbaijani prison for 2 years. He was charged with drugs, and he and his family believe that the reason is his Armenian origin. Ueldanov is his wife’s family name. In Baku he was arrested in 2016, first he was charged with espionage, then drugs.
Lavrov said that in his meetings with Azerbaijani counterparts they regularly bring up the issue and hope to achieve a solution in the framework of legal procedures.
In fact, it has been two years Russia cannot return its citizen of Armenian origin.
No doubt the citizen is a hostage held by Baku, Azerbaijan is trying to use him in his relations with Russia. The interesting thing is the expectation from playing this card. What does Baku want in return for Ueldanov-Galstyan and is this related to the Armenian side?
In this sense, it is notable that a Russian citizen of Azerbaijani origin Dilham Askerov arrested by the Armenian side is one of the saboteurs of Karvachar who were sentenced for life in Artsakh for reconnaissance-in-force and for killing a 17-year old young man from Karvachar, Artsakh.
It became known that the Azerbaijani saboteur was a Russian citizen. This is an extraordinary situation. The employee of the Azerbaijani special service, special units is a Russian citizen. Was it unexpected for Russia that its citizen, a person with a Russian passport attacks Artsakh on the Azerbaijani side. And are there many such Russian citizens in Azerbaijan?
Unlike Azerbaijan, Artsakh sentenced the Azerbaijani citizen of Russia for life applying all the legal processes and on grounds of proven crime.
It has been a long time Azerbaijan makes all possible effort to get back its two saboteurs. What was expected afterwards is not hard to imagine. After their return Azerbaijan will declare them heroes and at the time it will celebrate a diplomatic, political, moral victory.
In this sense, Baku uses not only the circumstance of the hostages who are citizens of Armenia but also the Russian citizen of Armenian origin, Marat Ueldanov. It is not ruled out that the Azerbaijani government expects support from Russia to return its saboteurs from the Armenian side.
The point is that a few years ago Sergey Lavrov stated that they are working on this. He means the Azerbaijani saboteur with Russian citizenship sentenced for life in Artsakh.
By the way, in February 2015 the press rumored a backstage discussion with Russia, and Moscow is trying to get the consent of the Armenian government to return Askerov.
At that time the U.S. Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland was visiting the Caucasian region who stated in Armenia that it is worth discussing this humanitarian issue. By formalizing the issue and directing arrows at herself, Nuland prevented a possible backstage process because her statement caused a big public dissatisfaction and drew attention to the issue, making the public moods stiffer.
Why would the American side need such a deal is another question, and the situation includes a wider range of issues.
How long will Baku keep the Russian citizen of Armenian origin as hostage? Lavrov has hopes for a solution. How about a plan that does not limit the Armenian interests?
Expert: New Armenian authorities will enjoy full-fledged public support for the implementation of in-depth reforms for at least another two years
Arminfo, Armenia
Jan 11 2019
Tatevik Shahunyan
ArmInfo. The main problems faced currently by the Armenian society, the solution of which the people expect from the new authorities, are unemployment, depopulation, low basic pensions and wages against the background of growing inflation.
This opinion was expressed by Aram Safaryan, Head of the "Integration and Development" Analytical- Research NGO, coordinator of the Eurasian Expert Club, in an interview with ArmInfo correspondent, based on the data of the research report "Armenia in New Conditions" prepared by the club experts.
In addition, according to him, the society expects the authorities to uncompromisingly fight corruption, severely punish all former officials who have been illegally enriched by abusing office authority and bribery and returning to the state treasury the property acquired bypassing the law, to invest these funds into the country's economy in order to obtain further multiplicative effect. At the same time, according to the expert, the Armenian society does not want a vendetta.
Nevertheless, as Safaryan noted, the new year's appeal of the Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan showed that the new government is aware of these impulses coming from society, understands that the time for slogans and revolutions ended with the early parliamentary elections held on December 9, and now it is time for civilian consolidation in order to implement real and deep reforms. "As our studies have shown, the society is now ready to fully assist the authorities in the implementation of these reforms and the resolution of socio-economic problems. It is difficult to say how long the current government will enjoy such goodwill of society. But we believe that this will last at least two years. That is, the authorities have two years to make changes. But during these two years, the authorities must show their competence, not only honesty and decency, the desire to work with clean hands, but also professionalism and efficiency, "he said, recalling that the figures for the last two quarters of 2018 showed that political processes affected the pace of economic growth, somewhat slowing them down, which in principle is an objective, but disturbing phenomenon. Therefore, he stressed, the year 2019 should become a year of economic and political stability, create prerequisites for attracting investment. "Of course, this is not an easy process, businessmen from the Diaspora, are monitoring the situation in the country, refraining from real projects. They are waiting for specific actions of the authorities, the establishment of stability and predictability of processes. The measures taken by the government in 2017, early 2018, created the conditions for further economic growth, which would be able to somewhat improve the well-being of society and reduce the rate of depopulation. Unfortunately, in the second half of 2018 these rates were reduced. And the main task of the government in 2019 should be to restore these rates. The Eurasian expert club believes that if Armenia succeeds in fixing 7% of GDP growth, then within 7-10 years the country will be able to "jump out" from the list of poor states and replenish the list of developing economies, Safaryan said. Summarizing, he stressed that society has positive expectations from the new parliament and government.