Monday,
Pashinian Discusses Armenia-EU Ties In Brussels
• Artak Khulian
BELGIUM -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is welcomed by EU Council
President Charles Michel in Brussels, March 9, 2020
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held meetings with European Union
officials as he paid a working visit to Brussels on Monday.
There was no traditional handshake at the start of Pashinian’s meeting with
European Council President Charles Michel as the politicians took a precaution
against the new deadly coronavirus because of which a considerable number of
people in Europe and elsewhere, including Armenia, has been quarantined recently.
According to Pashinian’s press office, during their meeting the two discussed “a
wide range of issues concerning Armenia-EU relations.”
“At the center of the discussion was the broad agenda of democratic reforms in
Armenia,” the statement said.
“The European Union is the main partner of our reforms, we have always felt the
EU’s useful support in their implementation,” Pashinian was quoted as saying
during the meeting.
The two sides reportedly expressed their readiness to further develop Armenia-EU
cooperation, including trade and economic relations.
According to the Armenian government’s press release, the president of the
European Council highlighted the importance of the reforms that Armenia has
embarked upon, adding that the European Union will continue to actively
cooperate with and assist Armenia in bringing about democratic reforms,
including in the judiciary.
Pashinian and Michel also reportedly talked about their expectations from the
upcoming Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels in June.
According to the statement, Prime Minister Pashinian stressed that Armenia will
consistently move forward in strengthening democracy, protecting human rights
and ensuring the rule of law.
Later during the day Pashinian also met with leader of the European People’s
Party (EPP) Donald Tusk.
Despite the coronavirus-related precautions the two still shook hands in front
of the media, as seen in a video posted on Pashinian’s Facebook.
“With or without a handshake?” a hesitating Pashinian asked Tusk as the latter
was going to give him one. “Ah, because of the virus?” replied Tusk having
already shaken hands with the Armenian premier.
Tusk said he had no problem shaking hands with Pashinian, continuing, jokingly,
that “sometimes politicians are more dangerous than the virus.” “But it’s not
you, ok,” the EPP leader added.
During the meeting Tusk said he was happy to welcome the Armenian prime minister
in his new capacity, but with “old traditional friendship.” “It is not only
about you, but also our traditional friendship with Armenia.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and EPP President Donald Tusk during
their meeting in Brussels, Belgium, March 9, 2020
According to the Armenian government’s press service, Tusk emphasized that in
society and among politicians in Europe there was a high level of trust towards
Armenia’s new authorities and the prime minister personally and said that
Pashinian could rely on him in his new position.
Pashinian reportedly thanked the EPP leader for the warm reception and attitude,
noting: “We highly appreciate your role in the development of Armenia-EU
relations. We are confident that as EPP president you will also contribute to
the further advancement of our cooperation.”
The two reportedly exchanged views on Armenia-EU relations, highlighting the
close and active cooperation between Armenian parliamentarians and members of
the EPP faction.
During the meeting the Armenian prime minister also addressed the process of
judicial reforms in Armenia, including the upcoming constitutional referendum,
according to the statement. It added that opinions were also exchanged on
current efforts to fight against corruption in Armenia.
“The EPP president highly appreciated the reforms being implemented in Armenia
and expressed readiness to contribute to the development and deepening of
cooperation with Armenia,” the Armenian premier’s office said.
Pashinian’s meeting with Tusk was preceded by some speculation that Armenia’s
current ruling party, Civil Contract, may be contemplating membership in the EPP.
Lawmaker Ruben Rubinian, a senior member of Pashinian’s Civil Contract party,
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) on Monday that as of this day the
party has not applied for membership in any European party structure.
Remarkably, on March 5, Tusk also met with Armenia’s former President Serzh
Sarkisian who was visiting Brussels for meetings with European politicians last
week. Sarkisian’s former ruling Republican Party of Armenia is a member of the
grouping of Europe’s leading center-right parties.
Sarkisian traveled to Brussels with the court’s permission as he currently
stands trial on charges of embezzlement that he denies as politically motivated.
While on his visit to Brussels Pashinian also met with EU High Representative
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell later on Monday.
Armenian Government Wary Of Tumbling Russian Ruble
• Sargis Harutyunyan
RUSSIA -- A woman walks past an exchange office screen showing the currency
exchange rates of U.S. Dollar and Euro to Russian Ruble in Moscow, March 9, 2020
The Armenian government is analyzing the global and regional economic trends
influenced by the falling oil prices and the tumbling Russian ruble in order to
send “correct signals” to local manufacturers and exporters, an Economy Ministry
spokesperson said on Monday.
Talking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am), Anna Ohanian said that
changes taking place in Russia cannot but have an effect on the Armenian
economy, which is a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, a
post-Soviet trade bloc also including Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
“The Russian Federation is one of our main trading partners. The Eurasian
Economic Union, and Russia in particular, are a market for a considerable amount
of our exports. Naturally, changes taking place there cannot but have an effect
on our economy. Other things being equal, a depreciating ruble may have an
impact on the competitiveness of Armenian manufacturers as compared to other
main producers,” she said.
Armenia’s Central Bank issued a statement on Monday, saying that it is “closely
following the world economic developments influenced by [the outbreak of] the
new coronavirus.”
“According to current estimations, it is expected that these influences on the
global economy and the economy of Armenia will be of a short-term nature,” it
added.
Ohanian said that under the current circumstances “everything depends on how
short-term or long-term these changes are.”
“In such situations short-term estimations cannot reflect all aspects of the
situation, and therefore we are conducting a comprehensive analysis of the
situation in order to send correct signals to our manufacturers and exports.
Obviously, the developments of these days once again underscore the importance
of diversifying the export markets for our goods,” the Economy Ministry
spokeswoman said.
The Russian ruble fell to a four-year low on March 9 after oil prices collapsed
following a breakup of talks between OPEC leader Saudi Arabia and Moscow.
The ruble tumbled today by more than 7 percent to nearly 74 to the U.S. dollar,
its weakest rate since early 2016.
Meanwhile, the benchmark Brent oil futures were down 25 percent, at $33.89 a
barrel, as concerns of an oversupply in the market resurfaced after the
so-called OPEC+ grouping, which includes Russia and Kazakhstan, failed to reach
an agreement in Vienna last week on extending output cuts to bolster prices.
Russia is one of the key trade and economic partners of Armenia. According to
Armenia’s Statistics Committee, the Russian market accounted for nearly 28
percent of Armenia’s exports (worth over $730 million in absolute terms) in 2019.
Economist Haykaz Fanian believes that if negative trends persist in the Russian
economy, it may also take its toll on Armenian companies linked to the Russian
market.
“If it lasts long, undoubtedly, companies of our processing industry, for which
Russia is the main export market, will be considerably affected in terms of
their competitiveness on the Russian market,” said the expert, explaining that
in conditions of a depreciating ruble the cost of Armenian goods on the Russian
market will also rise.
Another factor, according to Fanian, may also be the decreasing purchasing power
of the population in Russia. “It may also affect our exporters,” the economist
said.
Jailed Former Armenian President Kocharian Hospitalized
Former President Robert Kocharian greets supporters during his trial in Yerevan,
May 15, 2019.
Armenia’s jailed former President Robert Kocharian was hospitalized late on
Sunday, according to his lawyer.
Hovannes Khudoyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) on Monday that
doctors at Yerevan’s Erebuni medical center had assigned inpatient treatment to
his client.
“Kocharian is to undergo some medical examinations and will probably need to
stay in hospital for several days,” said the lawyer, without elaborating as to
what medical problem the 65-year-old former president has.
Head of Kocharian’s office Viktor Soghomonian, meanwhile, told RFE/RL’s Armenian
Service (Azatutyun.am) that the former president was taken to hospital with
fluctuating blood pressure.
Kocharian, who ruled Armenia in 1998-2008, currently stands trial on coup and
corruption charges mostly stemming from the 2008 post-election violence in
Yerevan. He rejects these charges as politically motivated.
Since being arrested in July 2018, Kocharian has twice been released from
pretrial detention by court decisions, but in both cases he was rearrested after
prosecutors’ appeals. The last time he was remanded in prison was last June.
In October the former Armenian president underwent what medics described as a
successful surgery at a Yerevan clinic. Doctors then refused to reveal the
medical condition Kocharian suffered from for privacy reasons. The
ex-president’s son Levon Kocharian told media in November that his father had a
benign tumor removed. He did not give further details.
Pashinian Criticized For Campaigning In ‘Official Capacity’
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (far right) during a visit to the Lori
province, March 7, 2020
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian heard criticism at the weekend over
allegedly campaigning for constitutional changes in his official capacity as he
paid a visit to one of the country’s provinces where he also inspected a
recently renovated road.
Pashinian traveled to the northeastern Lori province on March 7 and there in the
town of Stepanavan accompanied by Minister for Local Government and
Infrastructure Suren Papikian he distributed booklets for his ‘Yes’ campaign in
the April 5 referendum.
The only issue put to the referendum is whether Armenians agree to the powers of
Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tavmasian and six other judges who were
elected before the 2015 constitution was fully enforced in April 2018 to be
terminated.
The amendment was initiated by Pashinian’s political team and the campaigning in
the referendum officially kicked off on February 17.
A group of lawyers representing the ‘No’ camp in the referendum claimed,
however, that the kind of campaign overlapping with the prime minister’s
official functions was at least “controversial.”
The prime minister’s press office released a statement on Saturday, saying that
during his visit to Lori Pashinian also made a stop at the 2.5-kilometer section
of the Gyulagarak road that officials said was fully renovated in 2019.
Ruben Melikian, a ‘No’ campaign representative, said it was not clear to him
whether Pashinian inspected the road in his capacity as prime minister or as a
politician engaged in a referendum campaign.
“If Pashinian travels to some place for the purpose of campaigning there, then
he should fulfill only the campaigning part and not combine it with his official
duties as prime minister,” Melikian complained. “I think all this is very
important for developing a rule-of-law culture in our country.”
While meeting with people on his current campaign trail Pashinian has markedly
avoided answering questions from citizens relating to his duties as prime
minister, repeatedly telling them that his outing is focused only on the
upcoming constitutional referendum.
Before traveling to Stepanavan Pashinian and two of his daughters took a ride in
Yerevan’s metro and went around the city’s streets distributing booklets
designed in the form of an Armenian passport.
During nearly a two-hour tour that was steamed live on Facebook on Friday
evening Pashinian met with a large number of citizens, a vast majority of whom
were sympathetic of his campaign and took selfies with him. Still, the prime
minister was confronted by one citizen apparently critical of his
administration. A young woman in a metro carriage ripped up the booklet that
Pashinian had handed her and threw the pieces at him.
Pashinian took the woman’s reaction in its stride. “This is what democracy is
for,” he told her in an undaunted manner.
Later, the prime minister reflected on the incident in a Facebook post. “I think
this is the best way of campaigning in favor of the ‘Yes’ message [in the
referendum], because the safety of this young woman is not threatened, she will
not be ‘accidentally’ beaten up in the nearest restroom, she will continue to
live her usual life, freely express her views and she won’t be fired from her
job because she lives and will live in a free and happy Armenia.”
Pashinian’s words about “being ‘accidentally’ beaten up in the nearest restroom”
are an apparent reference to the 2001 killing of a man in a café restroom by
then President Robert Kocharian’s bodyguard. Poghos Poghosian, 43, was then
beaten to death for allegedly greeting Kocharian in a familiar manner. The court
later found Kocharian’s bodyguard guilty of only manslaughter and gave him a
suspended prison sentence. An appeals court in Armenia is reviewing the case at
present after fresh evidence has emerged to suggest a possible murder.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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