Category: 2018

“Armenia has made dynamic progress in terms of democracy’, Speaker of Parliament says

Ani Kharatian
| 18:46 | September 13 2018
Category
Politics

Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan says he is convinced that Armenia has made dynamic progress in terms of democracy during the past years.

“My main emphasis after the meetings with the president, the prime minister, the human rights defender, is that we have made dynamic progress in terms of democracy in the past years. We do not have the right to make backwards steps,” the Speaker told reporters. He added that democracy should now be strengthened even more.

Speaking about the parliamentary Q&A with Cabinet members on September 12, Babloyan said that the Prime Minister was given extra time on the floor in order for his speech to be completed in parliament, and not in the rally. “This is a more accurate approach. We must discuss serious issues, raise questions and get answers in the body where the political forces are represented,” he said.

During the September 12 parliamentary Q&A, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was given additional time to speak. He spoke about the circumstances which led to the release on bail of Yuri Khachaturov, the CSTO Secretary General who is charged amid the ongoing investigation into the March 1 case.

Lawmakers elect new president of high-instance court

Hambardsumian Paul
| 10:34 | September 13 2018
Category
Society

The Armenian parliament has confirmed the nomination of Yervand Khundkaryan as president of the Court of Cassation, the high-instance court of Armenia.

85 MPs from the total 105 took part in the confirmation vote, with 84 voting in favor. One ballot was declared invalid.

Khundkaryan has held various positions in the judiciary since 1993.

Kocharyan says ready to unveil his real income, its sources

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 13 2018

Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan said he is ready to reveal the exact numbers and sources of his income in an exclusive interview to Mediamax, as he dismisses reports about possessing $4 billion worth property as ‘absurd’. 

“Yes, of course. There are two ongoing journalistic investigations and I think their results will be published soon. I believe the Armenian authorities are well aware of what my family have and do not have. But the paradox is that the legend of $4 billion is damaging my reputation while being complete nonsense,” he said in response to the reporter’s observation whether he is ready to unveil his real income and its sources.   

Asked whether he considers himself a rich man, Kocharyan said: “If we assess the financial capacities of my family, I think there are about two hundred families in Armenia with the same income range.”

The ex-president added it also covers the businesses of his sons. He also refuted the claims that his elder son holds a monopoly on mobile phone imports to Armenia as a ‘total absurd’.     

Armenia is sending 100 soldiers to Syria as part of humanitarian mission

Ani Kharatian
AMN Al-Masdar News, Iran
Sept 13 2018


By Leith Aboufadel
 



BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 P.M.) – The Armenian Army is sending approximately 100 soldiers to Syria as part of a humanitarian mission, Armenian Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan stated on Wednesday, as quoted by Panarmenian.

“These are the humanitarian experts of the Armenian Armed Forces, including doctors, sappers, as well as personnel who will ensure their safety,” Tonoyan said.

Armenia has played an integral role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Syria, as their constant aid shipments have helped a large number of Syrians.

Both Syria and Armenia maintain close diplomatic and economic relations, with the latter refusing to cutoff ties to Damascus, despite pressure from the U.S. and other western states.


Armenia delegation head: “Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan” wording not put on PACE draft report

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 13 2018
Armenia delegation head: “Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan” wording not put on PACE draft report Armenia delegation head: “Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan” wording not put on PACE draft report

13:13, 13.09.2018

The desirable wording for Azerbaijan with respect to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) issue was not put on a draft report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

National Assembly Vice Chairperson and ex-ruling Republican Party of Armenia member Arpine Hovhannisyan, who also heads the country’s delegation to the PACE, stated the aforesaid on Facebook.

“If it were not for Azerbaijan president’s military-patriotic and pathos-filled hysteria yesterday, I would not have addressed this matter,” she wrote, in particular. “One of the reasons for the hysteria was that the so desirable wording for Azerbaijan, as to ‘Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan,’ did not find a place in the draft of a regular [PACE] report.

“During the one year of my tenure as head of the Armenian delegation to PACE, this is the sixth time when undesirable wordings that are found in this or that report due to Azerbaijani lobbying are not found in, or are removed from, [PACE] resolutions.

“When the matter refers to our [Armenia and Armenian] existence and identity, there is no disagreement within the country and compromise to Azerbaijan.”

Advancing democracy in Armenia

Andranik Taslakhchian
Washington Times
Sept 12 2018

War, peace, democracy and U.S. policy in the Caucasus

By Stephen Blank – – Wednesday,  

           

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Armenia’s revolution of April-May generated possibilities for real economic and political progress. In no small measure it succeeded because its leader, Nikol Pashinyan, stated that he “had no geopolitical agenda.” He repeatedly stated that Armenia would continue its course of membership in Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union and their Collective Security Treaty Organization. And, since, he has repeatedly reiterated his government’s commitment to improving ties with Moscow.

However, despite rhetoric on efforts to democratize Armenia, Mr. Pashinyan has not only reaffirmed Armenia’s close ties to Russia, he has also displayed its deep intimacy with Iran. Emblematically, before coming to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly he is visiting Iran. In addition, he has made numerous statements and gestures indicating an unwillingness to negotiate on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue with Azerbaijan.

However, in so doing Mr. Pashinyan, possibly unwittingly, but nevertheless clearly, has placed his own democracy campaign at risk. As long as Armenia holds onto Azerbaijani territories it will not have peace. Instead it will have to continue its excessive dependence on Moscow that all but guarantees the eclipse of Armenia’s democratic aspirations. Moscow is already warning of “frank and serious talks”, i.e. difficult negotiations with Mr. Pashinyan due to his democratizing moves.

Simply, peace with Azerbaijan is a precondition for democratization in Armenia. War offers Russia multiple opportunities it will not forego to coerce Yerevan into subservience and act decisively to undermine Mr. Pashinyan’s reforms if not him personally. Peace, however, is the sole guarantee that Armenia can both democratize and move forward provided it receives strong Western backing.

This affects the United States because Mr. Pashinyan allegedly wants a meeting with President Trump in New York. Such meetings with a president possess great resonance in these leaders’ and at home and Armenia is no exception. Before this meeting possibly occurs, Mr. Pashinyan should give the United States reasons to support him.

However, Armenia’s subservience to Moscow and its retention of conquered territories going beyond Nagorno-Karabakh to include purely Azerbaijani and undisputed lands like the Azerbaijani province of Nakhichevan are incompatible with U.S. support or democracy. Therefore, to support, peace, democracy, and the advance of U.S. interests, a well-conceived initiative must be launched to break the deadlock with Azerbaijan and promote a peace settlement that would benefit everyone, except Vladimir Putin, the only actor whose interests are served by continuing strife.

To advance Armenian democracy, regional peace and security, along with opportunities for regional democratization, i.e. long-stated interests, we must offer both sides a truly serious initiative regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. Our previous and ongoing neglect of the Caucasus plays into Moscow’s hands, strengthens its position in the Black Sea and Middle East, and threatens Turkey, our NATO ally, despite the present discord.

Mr. Pashinyan may have hitherto had little choice but to throw in with Moscow, but unless we intervene diplomatically with a serious regional initiative, Armenia’s military and economic dependence on Moscow will strangle its revolution or lead Moscow to try and undermine it by force if necessary. Members of Armenia’s elite have, largely, done well and become wealthy and powerful with the war and are deeply embedded with Russian elite. Thus, both groups have much to lose from reform and peace.

War, in the absence of reform, only strengthens them and their abilities in both Yerevan and Moscow to block democratization and maintain Armenia’s subordination to Russia. Though, peace, backed by strong U.S. and European support creates opportunities for both Armenia and Azerbaijan to cooperate, reducing Russian pressure on Turkey and opening new possibilities for these countries’ integration with Europe, their professed goal.

Mr. Pashinyan must hear from the United States that his democratic aspirations are only realizable if acted upon together, decisively, to bring peace — for Moscow will neither bring peace to the Caucasus nor countenance democratization. But if we continue to remain AWOL in the Caucasus, the logic of war and vengeful nationalism will erode democracy. Thus, maintaining long-held Armenian politics with its hunger for Azerbaijan’s territory, including lands that are not part of Nagorno-Karabakh.

This must be the message the State Department gives to Yerevan. We should encourage democratic reforms, only if accompanied by genuine moves to end the war. If Mr. Pashinyan demonstrates real resolve to end that war then he and the Aliyev government in Azerbaijan deserves the promise of our robust support.

War and independent democratic reform do not go together under Moscow’s watchful eyes and if Mr. Pashinyan thinks he can simultaneously democratize and retain Azerbaijani lands while depending on Russian bayonets, he is deluding himself. In that case he will become the gravedigger of his own revolution and join the long list of would-be reformers whose nationalist and even imperial ambitions caused them to step on the throat of their own democratic song in territories that Moscow thinks should be under its control.

• Stephen Blank is a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. He was formerly the MacArthur fellow at the United States Army War College.



Lawmaker: Anti-Armenian phrasing removed from PACE draft resolution

Antonian Lara
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 13 2018

Another anti-Armenian wording has been removed from a draft resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the head of the Armenian delegation to PACE, Arpine Hovhannisyan said in a post on Facebook.

“Perhaps, I would not address this issue if not for yesterday’s military-patriotic and pathetic hysteria of the Azerbaijani president, since I do not like to open brackets in advance,” she wrote, promising to provide more details of the matter at the PACE October session.

“For now, I can state that one of the reasons behind Azerbaijan’s hysteria is that two days ago another Azerbaijan-cherished anti-Armenian phrasing that “Nagorno-Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan” has not found a place in the regular draft resolution,” she detailed.

The lawmaker stresses this is the sixth time during her one-year tenure as the head of Armenian delegation when such wordings which are a result of Azerbaijan’s lobbying are removed from PACE resolutions.

“This work will be continuous. Aliyev needs to understand that neither praising [Armenian PM] Nikol Pashinyan and then criticizing him won’t give him Artsakh, nor can he ever see the weakening of our defense by relying on domestic political contradictions in Armenia.

“When it comes to our existence and identity, there are no political disagreements inside the country or any compromise for Azerbaijan,” she stressed, adding Azerbaijan would better deal with its own problems, as it is facing many of them.     

Film about devastating earthquake in Armenia coming out Sept. 20

Emil Lazarian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Sept 13 2018
– 14:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The drama “Spitak” about the devastating earthquake that shookArmenia on December 7, 1988, will hit the big screens on September 20, Sharm Holding reveals.

Directed by Russian filmmaker Alexander Kott, the feature film is based on real events and includes stories taken from eyewitness accounts.

In the movie, the director has intentionally left scenes of horror behind the camera, focusing on the experience of the characters instead.

Kott himself describes “Spitak” as ‘a requiem film’, in which he has attempted to convey “the panic, despair, courage and heroism” of those who tried to find their home and family despite everything.

Prior to shooting, the director decided that all the heroes will speak their native languages, so the film ended up featuring Armenian, Russian and French speeches.

Top military official says army wasn’t ordered to open fire during March 1 events

Albert Nalbandian
| 16:10 | September 12 2018
Category
Politics

The army wasn’t ordered to open gunfire in the March 1 events, claims Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Artak Davtyan.

Davtyan served as head of the tactical department of the defense ministry during the events in 2008.

“The army wasn’t given an order to shoot on March 1. The army did not shoot, if shots were fired then it was fired by individual servicemen. They haven’t been ordered to shoot,” he said.

He also said that the border activities of the armed forces during those days proceeded normally.

“The frontline wasn’t depleted. Combat work was ordinary. The border wasn’t weakened during the March 1 days,” he said.

Earlier the head of the Special Investigative Service Sasun Khachatryan said that the probe into the case has revealed that not only has the army taken part in the March 1 events, but it has also opened fire in the direction of civilians.

Pashinyan reaffirms readiness to be fully involved in NK conflict settlement negotiations

Aram Torosian
| 18:15 | September 12 2018
Categories
Artsakh
Politics
Region

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he attaches great importance to the necessity of involving a representative of the people of Artsakh in the NK conflict settlement negotiations. The Armenian PM also reiterated his readiness to be fully involved in the negotiations process.

The PM was speaking at the parliament session today in response to a question from Republican faction MP Tajat Vardapetyan.

Vardapetyan mentioned that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has commented on Pashinyan’s statement on making Artsakh a negotiations party, and said that the responsibility of obstructing the talks in this case falls on Armenia.

“Certainly, I have numerously expressed readiness to be fully involved in the negotiations process. I have said that I consider myself to be authorized to negotiate on behalf of Armenia, because I am the Prime Minister of Armenia, but I am not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh. The people of Artsakh do not participate in the government formation in Armenia, since they have their own government, president, which is capable of negotiating on behalf of Artsakh,” Pashinyan said.

“We very clearly put a simple question – are we negotiating simply for negotiations, or to solve the issue? If we are negotiating to solve the issue, how do we imagine the solution of the issue without the party of the conflict? If we are negotiating for negotiations, we are ready for this format also. However, as long as the necessity of involvement of a representative of the people of Artsakh hasn’t been recorded, it means that we haven’t gotten close to the settlement of the issue at all,” he said.

According to the PM, the belligerent atmosphere which is established as result of the destructive actions of the Azerbaijani leadership is obstructing the negotiations process the most. “I reaffirm my readiness to be fully involved in the negotiations process. There is no single case when it was proposed to negotiate and Armenia has refused,” he said.