Category: 2017

                                        Tuesday, 
Yerevan May Scrap Plans For New Nuclear Plant
 . Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - A general view of the Metsamor nuclear plant, 20May2013.
The Armenian government may abandon its ambitious plans to build a new
nuclear power station in place of the aging plant at Metsamor, Justice
Minister Davit Harutiunian said on Tuesday.
President Serzh Sarkisian pledged to replace Metsamor, which generates
roughly a third of Armenia's electricity, by a modern facility meeting
safety standards shortly after taking office in 2008. The project
never got off the drawing board as his government failed to attract
billions of dollars in funding needed for the new plant's
construction. The government decided instead to extend the life of
Metsamor's 420-megawatt reactor by 10 years, until 2027.
"We will have a new nuclear plant if it is cost-effective in terms of
[electricity] tariffs," Harutiunian told reporters. "Just imagine a
possibility that it turns out tomorrow that modern technologies can
generate the same amount of energy without a nuclear plant and that
nuclear energy ... is much more expensive for consumers. Which path
should we opt for? Of course, modern technologies."
Asked whether that means the government now does not rule out the
possibility of giving up the idea of a new nuclear plant, Harutiunian
said: "You correctly understand my and my government's position." The
government will closely monitor international energy "trends" and
eventually decide "which model will best suit our consumers," added
the minister.
As recently as in July, Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian
insisted that the government remains committed to the expensive
nuclear project. He said the government has only revised the would-be
plant's design capacity from 1,000 megawatts to 600 megawatts.
Yerevan will commit to "the closure and safe decommissioning" of the
Metsamor plant in an extensive agreement with the European Union which
is due to be signed next month. The draft agreement sets no specific
time frames for the plant's shutdown. It also acknowledges "the need
for its replacement with new capacity to ensure the energy security of
the Republic of Armenia."
`No Obstacles' To EU-Armenia Deal
Armenia - Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian speaks to journalists in
Yerevan, 15Jun2017.
Nothing stands in the way of Armenia signing a landmark agreement with
the European Union next month, a senior government official in Yerevan
insisted on Tuesday.
The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), finalized
in March, is widely expected to be signed at the EU's November 24
summit in Brussels. Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for European
neighborhood policy, discussed with Armenian leaders preparations for
the summit when he visited Yerevan on October 2.
There are lingering fears among pro-Western circles in Armenia that
Yerevan will walk away from the agreement under pressure from Russia
at the last minute. They point to President Serzh Sarkisian's
unexpected decision in 2013 to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic
Union. That move scuttled an Association Agreement that was negotiated
by Armenian and EU officials.
Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian was asked by reporters whether
there are any obstacles to the signing of the CEPA. "I don't see
them," he replied.
Harutiunian also denied any geopolitical motives behind the EU's
decision to publicize the CEPA late last week, arguing that Yerevan
and Brussels have already "reached final agreements on the text." "So
there is no need to look for any secrets or messages there," added the
minister.
The 350-page draft agreement posted on the EU website calls for
Armenia's greater involvement in "policies, programs and agencies of
the European Union." It commits the Armenian government to
implementing political reforms and "approximating" national economic
laws and regulations to those of the EU.
Jailed Oppositionist Denied Bail
 . Sisak Gabrielian
Armenia - Opposition activist Andrias Ghukasian goes on trial in
Yerevan, 2Aug2017.
An Armenian court refused on Tuesday to set free an opposition
activist pending a verdict in his trial on charges of aiding gunmen
that seized a police station in Yerevan last year to demand President
Serzh Sarkisian's resignation.
The arrested activist, Andrias Ghukasian, offered to post bail shortly
after the trial began in August. The presiding judge turned down the
request as "unfounded," prompting strong criticism from the defendant
and his lawyer.
They demanded that another, more "impartial" judge take over the
high-profile case. That demand was also rejected.
Ghukasian, was one of the organizers of demonstrations held in support
of the gunmen affiliated with a fringe opposition group. The charges
levelled against him stem from one of those rallies that was organized
on July 29, 2016 in Yerevan's Sari Tagh neighborhood close to the
besieged police base.
Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters
after they refused to march back to the city center. Several
organizers of the protest were arrested and charged with provoking
"mass disturbances." All of them except Ghukasian were subsequently
released from custody.
The 47-year-old also stands accused of planning to have the protesters
break through a police cordon, join the gunmen and thus prolong their
standoff with security forces, which left three police officers
dead. He denies the accusations as politically motivated.
Ghukasian continued to insist on his innocence at Tuesday's court
hearing in Yerevan. He also said that the prosecution failed to
substantiate the charges levelled against him.
"This is a clear political order executed by the prosecutor for
reasons which I think are obvious to all of us," he charged.
More than 60 protesters were injured and hospitalized in the Sari Tagh
violence. The police say that 36 of their officers were injured by
stones thrown from the crowd shortly before the violent breakup of the
protest.
In a January report, Human Rights Watch said that the use of force
against the protesters was "excessive and disproportionate." The
crackdown has also been criticized by Armenian human rights activists.
Armenian Police Back Bill Against Domestic Violence
 . Tatevik Lazarian
Armenia - Colonel Nelly Durian (L) of the Armenian police attends
parliamentary hearings in Yerevan on domestic violence, 17Oct2017.
A senior representative of the Armenian police on Tuesday called for
the passage of a government bill aimed at combatting domestic violence
and helping its predominantly female victims.
The bill drafted by Armenia's Justice Ministry would introduce
criminal and administrative liability for specific cases defined as
domestic violence. It would also obligate the state to protect female
victims by providing them with special shelters or banning their
violent spouses from approaching them and even their children.
The proposed legislation is strongly backed by women's rights groups
campaigning for much tougher government action against the
practice. But it has met with fierce resistance from some conservative
groups and nationalist public figures. The two sides argued bitterly
during a public discussion on the bill organized by the Justice
Ministry on October 9.
The heated debate continued during hearings on the issue held in the
Armenian parliament on Tuesday.Colonel Nelly Durian, head of a
national police division dealing with children's rights and domestic
violence, was among senior officials who attended and spoke at the
hearings.
"We have violence within families and must do everything to help its
victims, to help children, women and even those individuals who resort
to violence," said Durian. "I think that this bill is aimed at doing
just that."
The police recorded 3,571 cases of domestic violence from
2012-2016. Women's rights groups have long accused the police of being
too lenient towards men systematically ill-treating their wives or
children and even turning a blind eye to their violent conduct.
Armenia - Deputy Justice Minister Vigen Kocharian speaks at
parliamentary hearings in Yerevan, 17Oct2017 .
Echoing statements by law-enforcement officials, Deputy Justice
Minister Vigen Kocharian said that Armenia's existing criminal and
family codes do not sufficiently empower relevant authorities to
tackle the problem. Hence, the need for a special law against it,
Kocharian told the hearings.
"About 47 percent of cases of sexual abuse of minors take places in
family milieus," the official said. "Some people may not be concerned
about this problem, but we are concerned."
Hasmik Khachatrian, a young woman who was abused by her husband for
almost a decade, also made a case for the bill's passage during the
discussion. She said it would protect victims of domestic violence and
spare them "the kind of obstacles which I have encountered."
The draft, which is due to be debated by the Armenian parliament soon,
defines four types of such abuse: physical, sexual, psychological and
economic. Some lawmakers asked Kocharian to elaborate on psychological
and economic violence, which prompted a particularly heated discussion
among participants of the hearings.
Press Review
"Zhoghovurd" describes as "quite interesting" Monday's meeting of the
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Geneva and statements that were
made right after the talks. The paper says the talks focused on
efforts to ease tensions on the frontline, rather than details of a
peaceful settlement proposed by the United States, Russia and
France. It believes that "mutual trust" and adherence to the ceasefire
regime is indispensable for a breakthrough in Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace talks.
"Zhamanak" says the best way for Armenia and Karabakh to deal with the
conflict with Azerbaijan is to achieve good governance, social justice
and faster economic growth. "Only after taking such steps at home
would Serzh Sarkisian get the comprehensive mandate, so to speak, to
joyfully talk to [Ilham] Aliyev in a [Geneva] garden," writes the
paper. "Parallel to this, Armenia needs peace on the borders and
stability in the region in order to solve those issues. In that sense,
the Geneva meeting, at least judging from first indications, gives one
reason to conclude that even if fundamental progress was not made
there, there is a possibility of maintaining the current relative calm
for some time."
"Aravot" notes that "almost nothing" is known about the substance of
the Sarkisian-Aliyev meeting. The paper expects Aliyev to again
publicly promise the liberation of "occupied Azerbaijani lands" on his
return to Baku. "Most of Azerbaijan's population probably believes in
that propaganda," it says. "Otherwise, it would have made no sense
[for Azerbaijani leaders] to dish out the same empty promises for 25
years. The Armenian public, which was raised and lives in
comparatively freer conditions, on the contrary believes only in
negative and pessimistic reports. Today our media outlets will
probably come up with headlines like this: `Sarkisian and Aliyev agree
on the surrender of five districts,' `Lavrov's infamous plan
realized,' `Territorial concessions becoming reality.'"
"Haykakan Zhamanak" reports that real estate prices in Yerevan fell to
a 10-year low in the first half of this year. "Apartment were not so
cheap even in the immediate aftermath of the 2008-2009 crisis," the
paper says.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

                                        Monday, 
Mediators `Satisfied' With Armenian-Azeri Summit In Geneva
Switzerland - Presidents Serzh Sarkisian (R) of Armenia and Ilham
Aliyev of Azerbaijan begin negotiations in Geneva, 16Oct2017.
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan reportedly agreed to
intensify the protracted search for a peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and bolster the ceasefire regime in the
conflict zone when they met in Geneva on Monday.
"The meeting took place in a constructive atmosphere," read a joint
statement issued by the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers as
well as the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the Minsk Group
after the talks.
"The Presidents [Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev] agreed to take
measures to intensify the negotiation process and to take additional
steps to reduce tensions on the Line of Contact," it said.
"The Co-Chairs expressed their satisfaction with these direct talks,
which took place after a long interval # As a next step, the Co-Chairs
will organize working sessions with the Ministers in the near future,"
added the statement.
The talks began at the official residence of Switzerland's permanent
representative to the UN office in Geneva in the presence of the U.S.,
Russian and French mediators. They continued in a tete-a-tete format
about an hour later.
Aliyev and Sarkisian then spoke one-on-one for over 45 minutes,
according to Vladimir Hakobian, the Armenian presidential press
secretary. In a series of tweets, Hakobian also posted a photograph
that showed the two presidents seated around a round table placed in
the courtyard of the Swiss diplomatic compound.
Switzerland - Presidents Serzh Sarkisian (R) of Armenia and Ilham
Aliyev of Azerbaijan begin negotiations in Geneva, 16Oct2017.
"We have no concrete agreements on variants of resolving the problem,"
Sarkisian told members of Switzerland's Armenian community shortly
after the summit. "But we agreed to take measures to further ease
tensions so that we have no casualties on the frontlines. I must say
that both the president of Azerbaijan and I are deeply interested in
that."
"God willing, [Aliyev] will always think so," Sarkisian said. "He too
realizes the complexity of the problem very well and obviously so do
I, but the problem is such that there will never be an easy solution
to it."
Sarkisian went on to again rule out any solution that would restore
Azerbaijani control over Karabakh. "No Armenian leader will ever take
and implement such a decision," he said.
Aliyev and other Azerbaijani officials did not make public statements
immediately after the talks.
Neither Sarkisian nor the joint statement by the two foreign ministers
specified the agreed steps aimed at preventing ceasefire violations
along "the line of contact" around Karabakh and the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The two presidents previously met in May and June last year shortly
after four-day deadly hostilities around Karabakh that nearly
denigrated into an all-out war. The negotiation process again stalled
later in 2016. Aliyev and Sarkisian blamed each other for the deadlock
when they addressed the UN General Assembly in New York last month.
EU Reveals Landmark Deal With Armenia
 . Emil Danielyan
Belgium -- EU flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters
in Brussels, October 30, 2014
The European Union has publicized an extensive agreement to deepen its
political and economic relations with Armenia which is expected to be
signed during an EU summit next month.
Citing "common values" shared by the two sides, the draft
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) calls for
"increasing the participation of the Republic of Armenia in policies,
programs and agencies of the European Union." It commits the Armenian
government to implementing political reforms and "approximating"
national economic laws and regulations to those of the EU.
Armenia controversially joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU) less than two years ago, following an unexpected decision that
was announced by President Serzh Sarkisian in September 2013. The
volte face, widely attributed to Russian pressure, thwarted the
signing of an Armenia-EU Association Agreement which had a
far-reaching free-trade component. Most political provisions of that
ill-fated agreement are thought to have been incorporated into the
CEPA.
"The Parties shall intensify their dialogue and cooperation in the
area of foreign and security policy, including the common security and
defense policy," reads the alternative accord, which is more than 350
pages long. It calls for joint efforts to combat international
terrorism, prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and
promote conflict resolution.
Another stated aim of the accord finalized in March is the
"strengthening of democracy and of political, economic and
institutional stability" in Armenia. The EU is to help the Armenian
authorities prevent human rights abuses and reform Armenia's judicial
and law-enforcement systems.A lack of independent courts and
widespread corruption among judges and law-enforcement officers remain
a serious obstacle to the rule of law in the country.
Armenia - Armenian and EU officials initial the Armenia-EU
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in Yerevan,
21Mar2017.
The CEPA contains much more extensive and specific provisions on
economic matters. Armenia, it says, will "gradually approximate its
economic and financial regulations and policies to those of the
European Union, as appropriate." Yerevan will regularly report to
Brussels on "the progress made with regard to approximation" specified
by several annexes to the agreement.
This "regulatory harmonization" would cover a wide range of areas,
including business regulation, agriculture, transport, environment,
consumer protection and even energy. In particular, the CEPA envisages
EU-Armenia cooperation on "the diversification of energy sources and
routes."
Armenia currently buys nuclear fuel and more than 80 percent of its
natural gas from Russia. These energy resources generate more than
two-thirds of its electricity.
The CEPA also covers bilateral trade. "Each Party shall apply import
duties and charges in accordance with its obligations established
under the [World Trade Organization] Agreement," it says. Each side
must also ensure "most-favored-nation treatment to goods" imported
from the other.
There is no reference to Armenia's membership in the EEU which means
that import duties set by Russia and the five other ex-Soviet states
making up the Russian-led bloc are largely identical.
The EU and Armenia would also seek to ease non-tariff barriers to
their trade such as technical regulations and licensing and labelling
requirements. The CEPA contains even more detailed provisions on the
enforcement of intellectual property rights and mutual recognition of
patents.
The draft agreement further makes clear that the authorities in
Yerevan can count on greater financial assistance from the EU. It
cautions, however, that the scale of extra aid will depend on "the
pace of the reforms" promised by them.
Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for European neighborhood policy,
hailed "the groundbreaking new agreement" with Armenia when he visited
Yerevan earlier this month. He said it will not only deepen the EU's
ties with Armenia but also serve as an "example" to other countries.
Speaking after talks with Hahn, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
confirmed that the deal is due to be signed at the EU's November 24
summit in Brussels.
Earlier, President Sarkisian dismissed suggestions that the CEPA, just
like the Association Agreement, may collapse at the last minute. "We
have no reason to not sign that document," he said.
Government Vows To Tackle Election-Related Abuse Of Power
 . Sisak Gabrielian
Armenia - Armenians vote in parliamentary elections at a polling
station in Yerevan, 2Apr2017.
Just months after being accused of forcing public sector employees to
campaign for the ruling Republican Party (HHK), the Armenian
authorities plan to introduce tougher penalties for abuse of
administrative resources during elections.
A government bill to be debated by the Armenian parliament soon would
make it a crime for government agencies, public schools and other
government-funded institutions or their personnel to participate in
election campaigns using their state resources or
positions. Individuals flouting this ban would risk up to five years
in prison or heavy fines.
Armenian law currently imposes such restrictions only on those public
sector employees who run for the parliament or local government
bodies.
The Ministry of Justice drafted the package of amendments to various
Armenian laws in response to domestic and international criticism of
the authorities' handling of parliamentary elections held in April.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
cited "credible information" about "pressure on civil servants and
employees of private companies" exerted during the election
campaign. According to various news reports, they were forced to
campaign for the HHK or risk losing their jobs.
The Union of Informed Citizens (UIC), a non-governmental watchdog,
revealed in the run-up to the April 2 elections that its activists
posing as HHK representatives telephoned 136 schools and kindergarten
chiefs across Armenia. It said 114 of them admitted drawing up lists
of children's parents as well as schoolteachers and kindergarten staff
who pledged to vote for the HHK. The UIC said the lists were submitted
to local government bodies or HHK campaign offices. It also publicized
audio of those phone conversations.
Armenian opposition forces portrayed the revelations as further proof
of their allegations of HHK foul play in the parliamentary race.
The HHK admitted that many school principals participated in its
election campaign. But it claimed that they did so "beyond their work
hours and work duties." None of them was fired or prosecuted.
A UIC representative, Daniel Ioannisian, welcomed the government bill
but said it is overdue. "I wish we had these changes before, not
after, the elections," he told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am).
"Had we had this before the elections, then the case of the school
principals exposed by us should have had much more serious legal
consequences," said Ioannisian.
Varuzhan Hoktanian of the Armenian branch of Transparency
International likewise acknowledged the proposed toughening of
punishments for election-related abuse of administrative
resources. But he questioned the authorities' commitment to enforce
the measure.
Press Review
(Saturday, October 14)
In an interview with "168 Zham," a Russian military analyst, Vadim
Yevseyev, comments on news of a fresh $100 million Russian loan to
Armenia that will finance more acquisitions of Russian weapons by
Yerevan. Yevseyev expects the Armenian military to buy more "attack
systems" and air-defense weapons that will "protect Armenia's airspace
against surprises." He also says that a Russian-Armenian joint
military force could step in if Azerbaijan attacks the territory of
Armenia proper.
"Haykakan Zhamanak" quotes the chairman of the Armenian parliament
committee on defense and security, Koryun Nahapetian, as saying that
the October 16 meeting in Geneva of Armenia's and Azerbaijan's
presidents might result in "surprises." Nahapetian says at the same
time that the run-up to the summit has been anything but encouraging
as evidenced by continuing Azerbaijani truce violations. "This means
that they will not revise their [Karabakh-related] political views
anytime soon," he says. "In any case, we must wait and see how the
negotiations shape up. It's possible that there will be some
surprises."
"Zhoghovurd" reports that Prime Minister Karen Karapetian chaired on
Friday the latest meeting of the Armenian government's Anti-Corruption
Council. A government statement said that the meeting focused on
measures aimed at tackling "corruption risks" in tax collection and
public healthcare. "Prosecutors, judges, road policemen and prison
administration officials have been arrested on corruption charges
lately," the paper says. "Given this context, maybe the
Anti-Corruption Council headed by the prime minister should have
started out by targeting this [area.] Especially considering the fact
that the authorities like to speak of attracting investments in
Armenia."
(Anush Mkrtchian)
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