Category: 2017

                                        Wednesday, 
Russia's Ties With Armenia `Unhurt' By Arms Sales To Azerbaijan
 . Astghik Bedevian
Russia -- A "TOS-1 Buratino" multiple rocket launcher fires during the
"Russia Arms Expo 2013" 9th international exhibition of arms, military
equipment and ammunition, in the Urals city of Nizhny Tagil, September
25, 2013
A senior Armenian official on Wednesday criticized continuing Russian
arms sales to Azerbaijan but made clear that they will not undermine
Armenia's close military ties with Russia.
"Azerbaijan is not the kind of state that can be supplied with weapons
because weapons ought to be sold to those countries that aim to use
them for self-defense. I hope that everyone will agree with this over
time," said deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, who is also
the chief spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
"On the other hand, this must not impede the deepening of
Russian-Armenian strategic military-political relations," Sharmazanov
told reporters. "They must not be conditioned only by
Russian-Azerbaijani relations. Russian-Armenian relations are deeper
and stem from the interests of the two countries."
Russia has sold around $5 billion worth of tanks, artillery systems
and other weapons to Azerbaijan in line with defense contracts mostly
signed in 2009-2011. The arms supplies continued even after Armenian
leaders strongly criticized them following Azerbaijan's April 2016
offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, the
Russians shipped six heavy artillery systems to the Azerbaijani
military last year. Late last month, a Russian cargo ship delivered a
new batch of anti-tank missile systems to Baku's Caspian Sea port. And
earlier this week, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry announced that it has
received hundreds of Russian thermobaric rockets for TOS-1A
multiple-launch systems which it had purchased from Moscow earlier.
Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the lucrative arms deals
with Baku after holding talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sarkisian in Moscow last August. Putin implied that oil-rich
Azerbaijan could have bought offensive weapons from other nations. He
also argued that Russia has long been providing substantial military
aid to Armenia.
The Armenia army demonstrated new weapons recently acquired from
Russia during a September 2016 military parade in Yerevan. Those
included state-of-the-art Iskander ballistic missiles.
Russia has been Armenia's principal supplier of weapons and ammunition
owing to the military alliance between the two nations. Yerevan has
received Russian weapons at discounted prices or even for free.
Yerevan Hopes For Russian-Georgian Transport Deal
 . Sargis Harutyunyan
Georgia -- A warning sign is pictured behind a wire barricade erected
by Russian and South Ossetian troops along Georgia's de-facto border
with its breakaway region of South Ossetia in the village of
Khurvaleti, July 14, 2015
Transport Minister Vahan Martirosian expressed hope on Wednesday that
Russia and Georgia will agree after all to open new transport
corridors that would facilitate Armenia's foreign trade.
Senior Russian and Georgian diplomats have been discussing the
possibility of reviving a 2011 agreement meant to enable their
countries to maintain commercial ties in the absence of diplomatic
relations. They have specifically looked into modalities of reopening
two highways that used to connect Georgia to Russia via the breakaway
Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The two sides would hire a Swiss company to operate customs
checkpoints to be set up on the administrative boundaries of the two
territories controversially recognized by Russia as independent
states. The Moscow daily "Kommersant" reported this week that they
finalized such a deal at the latest round of negotiations held in
Prague. The Georgian government has not officially confirmed this yet.
Commenting on the report, Martirosian said: "That depends, first and
foremost, on Russian-Georgian relations. We hope that a solution will
be found in the near future."
The minister told reporters that the new Russian-Georgian corridors
would benefit Armenia by reducing transportation costs in its trade
with Russia, its number one trading partner, and other states.
Most of Russian-Armenian trade is currently carried out through the
sole Russian-Georgian border crossing at Upper Lars. Traffic along
that mountainous road is frequently blocked by blizzards in winter
months. Hence, Yerevan's strong interest in the launch of new trade
routes to Russia.
Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetian discussed the matter with his
Georgian counterpart Giorgi Kvirikashvili when he visited Tbilisi in
February. Karapetian said after their talks that "there will be an
alternative to the Lars road" but did not give details.
Karabakh Leader Faces Reelection Challenge From Opposition
 . Hovannes Movsisian
Nagorno-Karabakh - The parliament building in Stepanakert, 2Sep2016.
An opposition member of Nagorno-Karabakh's parliament announced on
Wednesday his candidacy for the post of the unrecognized republic's
next, interim president that will be elected by local lawmakers later
this month.
Eduard Aghabekian, a former mayor of Stepanakert, thus challenged
Karabakh President Bako Sahakian's controversial plans to extend his
rule by at least three years. Aghabekian accused Sahakian's
administration of failing to address economic and security challenges
facing the Armenian-populated territory.
In line with a new constitution enacted in a referendum in February,
Karabakh will switch to the presidential system of government which
will lead to the abolition of the post of prime minister. The
authorities in Stepanakert say the constitutional change will put
Karabakh in a better position to cope with the unresolved conflict
with Azerbaijan. Their opponents maintain, however, Sahakian is simply
keen to stay in power after he completes his second and what was
supposed to be final five-year term in September 2017.
The new constitution will fully come into force after the current
parliament dominated by Sahakian's supporters serves out its term in
2020.Karabakh will be governed by an interim president chosen by the
parliament until then.
Three pro-government parties holding the vast majority of parliament
seats have already decided to back Sahakian's reelection. The largest
of those parties, Free Fatherland, is led by Ara Harutiunian, the
Karabakh prime minister.
Another senior Free Fatherland figure, Artur Tovmasian, defended
Sahakian's track record, pointing to high rates of economic growth
recorded by the Karabakh authorities. He said Sahakian has pledged to
ensure that the local economy expands by around 10 percent annually
for the next three years.
"If there are candidates who think that a growth rate of up to 50
percent is possible in Karabakh then it's absurd," Tovmasian told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
Aghabekian's Movement-88 party holds only three parliament seats,
compared with 28 seats controlled by Free Fatherand and the two other
pro-government groups: the Democratic Party of Artsakh and the
Karabakh branch of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun). Sahakian's challenger may also be backed by Hayk
Khanumian, the holder of another opposition party's sole parliament
seat.
"I personally have a positive attitude towards Aghabekian but believe
that he stands no chance of getting elected," Khanumian said on
Wednesday.
Aghabekian admitted that he is unlikely to unseat Sahakian. He said he
is primarily challenging the Karabakh leader in order to draw public
attention to Karabakh's lingering problems.
Press Review
"Aravot" claims that Azerbaijan seems to have failed to achieve
"political and propaganda results" with its "provocative" actions
taken on the Karabakh frontlines this month. "They have failed to
prove their legend about `bloody-thirsty Armenians,'" writes the
paper. One of the reasons for that, it says, is a glaring
contradiction between Baku's declared commitment to peace and regular
threats to win back not only Karabakh but also "historical Azerbaijani
lands" in Armenia proper. The paper also points to apparent problems
that have emerged in Azerbaijan's relationship with Russia. "Analysts
believe the reason for their differences is competition over gas, an
area where the interests of these two countries do not converge," it
says.
"Who will be Armenia's prime minister after 2018? This is the number
one issue on the Armenian political agenda at the moment," writes
"Hayots Ashkhar." The pro-presidential paper disapproves of the
opposition Yelk alliance's growing efforts to bring up this matter on
the parliament floor. It says that instead of discussing President
Serzh Sarkisian's political future, Yelk and other opposition forces
should seek to "impose their own agenda" on the country's rulers. "The
country is faced with unprecedented external and internal challenges,
and in this situation the opposition # is bothering with changes that
will occur within the ruling elite in 2018," it says.
"Haykakan Zhamanak" reacts to reports that Russia and Georgia have
finalized a deal to open transport corridors through South Ossetia and
Abkhazia. "This is an extremely important development for Armenia,"
comments the paper. "The thing is that the only road currently
connecting Armenia to Russia passes through the Upper Lars [mountain
pass,] which is causing our entrepreneurs considerable damage. If
Russia's and Georgia's representatives indeed reached a final and
irreversible agreement, then Armenia will get a very convenient,
reliable and short overland link to Russia."
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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