On May 4, at 01:10, the body of soldier Artur Gasparyan, born in 1998, was found in the military position of one of the military units located in Armenia’s north-eastern direction, with a fatal gunshot wound in his head.
Investigation is underway to clarify the details of the incident.
The defense ministry extends condolences to the family, relatives and co-servicemen of the soldier.
The Armenian parliament failed to elect a member of the Constitutional Court during today’s vote. Emil Babayan was nominated for the post by the Armenian President.
Gagik Melikyan, chairman of the counting committee, announced the voting results.
54 MPs took part in the voting from the overall 105. 51 lawmakers voted in favor of Babayan’s candidacy, while three voted against.
Babayan needed at least 63 votes to be elected member of the Constitutional Court. Prior to the voting, opposition factions Tsarukyan and Yelk said they will not vote.
Investigation has been launched to clarify the details of the death of soldier Artur Gasparyan, the Investigative Committee reported.
On May 4, at 01:10, the body of soldier Artur Gasparyan, born in 1998, was found in the military position of one of the military units located in Armenia’s north-eastern direction, with a fatal gunshot wound.
Criminal case has been launched over the incident. A forensic examination has been appointed. Investigative operations are underway.
As the Armenian political crisis escalated during the past two weeks and the country was under global media spotlight, many foreign news agencies and journalists were dispatched to Armenia to cover the developments. Over 100 foreign journalists were accredited to cover the May 1 vote, which eventually failed to elect a Prime Minister. A second round of voting will be held May 8.
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who took office April 9, was greatly involved in trying to de-escalate the crisis and mediate dialogue between the parties. Sarkissian numerously called for constructive dialogue and constitutional solution.
British online newspaper The Independent had an interview with President Sarkissian ahead of the May 8 election.
The president told The Independent that he often reverts to logic models for political guidance, taking into account that the president is one of the scientists behind Tetris. However, Sarkissian says there was little in this crisis, or in his words in the “democratic change”, that he could have predicted with math.
“Humans are not machines,” he tells The Independent. “They are much more complex.”
“It was quite hard work bringing the sides together,” says President Sarkissian. “I did things that are not usually expected of a president, such as going into the crowds. But you couldn’t do your job by simply sitting in an office”, Sarkissian said, referring to his surprise April 21 visit to the heavily overcrowded Republic Square in Yerevan amid raging protests when he walked into a crowd of few thousands to negotiate with opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan.
Many protesters voiced suspicions regarding the British citizenship issue of the President, which was a subject of doubts and concerns from the opposition before Sarkissian took office. But later on April 27, Pashinyan himself released a statement saying that he had met with the President who showed him documents proving the renunciation of British citizenship.
President Sarkissian told The Independent that he enjoyed the “fantastic” experience of visiting the square. He described his relations with Pashinyan as “constructive”.
During the April 21 meeting in the central square of Yerevan, which had become the main rally site of the opposition, the President told Pashinyan he would arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Sargsyan the next day.
“The one thing I emphasised was that this must be decided by dialogue and within the constitution,” the Armenian president said.
The opposition leader and then-Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan eventually met in the highly anticipated televised meeting on April 22. The meeting lasted only about three minutes, and the PM walked out – accusing the opposition leader for blackmailing the state.
Hours later Pashinyan and two other fellow opposition MPs were detained by police.
The Armenian president told The Independent that the incident was not a development that he welcomed. Sarkissian says he responded by arranging a meeting with PM Sargsyan and other leading officials the next day.
“Confidential meetings will remain confidential, but you can make your judgments from the results,” Sarkissian told The Independent.
“Straight from the meeting, the deputy prime minister went with a warrant to release the parliamentarians. And a couple of hours later, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned.”
“We are all learning, and I’m ready to get involved again if things go wrong,” he says. “I’m ready to stand between police and protesters if I have to.” “Mr. Pashinyan has shown himself to be a very talented politician, with an acute sense of public opinion,” he says.
“But running the government provides a completely a different challenge. He will have to provide answers to all the questions he has asked. And people will have to realise that not everything that went before was black, and not everything will be white tomorrow.”
The President said he is confident that Armenia is finally heading for less choppier waters.
A minor earthquake has been detected in the territory of Armenia on May 5 by the seismic agency.
The 2-3 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the village of Zovuni, Kotayk province.
The quake happened 07:13 in the village which is 6km north-west of Yerevan, the ministry of emergency situations said.
The situation in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact continued to be tense during the week.
Mobilization and movement of Azerbaijani manpower and military equipment was observed from April 30 in various parts of the line of contact.
OSCE carried out a monitoring mission on May 3 to assess the tactical situation. No violations were observed and the monitoring proceeded according to the schedule.
“Overall, Azerbaijan made more than 200 [individual] ceasefire violations from April 29 to May 5, firing nearly 3000 rounds in the direction of Artsakh soldiers”, the defense ministry said in a statement, adding that Artsakh’s military continue confidently carrying out their service.
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Friday,
Dashnak Leader Ousted From Party For Not Backing Pashinian
Armenia - Aghvan Vartanian, a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation,
speaks at a news conference in Yerevan, 26Dec2016.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) has expelled one of its
longtime leaders, Aghvan Vartanian, from its ranks because of his refusal to
back opposition leader Nikol Pashinian’s bid to become prime minister.
Dashnaktsutyun voiced support for Pashinian’s opposition movement after pulling
out of Armenia’s governing coalition following the April 23 resignation of
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian. Accordingly, it decided that the seven members
of the Armenian parliament affiliated with must vote for Pashinian’s becoming
the country’s new premier at a May 1 session of the National Assembly.
During that session, Vartanian unexpectedly announced that he will not vote for
the outspoken oppositionist who has led massive anti-government protests that
have rocked Armenia. While acknowledging the sincerity of Pashinian’s
pro-democracy agenda, he said that the protests could be exploited by
unspecified foreign powers and result in “irreversible bitter consequences” for
the country. He did not elaborate.
Dashnaktsutyun’s governing body in Armenia was quick to accuse Vartanian of
violating the century-old party’s strict internal discipline and demand his
resignation from the parliament. Vartanian tendered his resignation on
Thursday. He will be replaced by another Dashnaktsutyun member.
The Dashnaktsutyun leadership announced on Friday that it has discussed the
“disciplinary issue” and decided to also expel Vartanian from the party.
A former newspaper editor, Vartanian has been one of Dashnaktsutyun’s most
prominent figures since 1990. The 59-year-old has held various leadership
positions in the pan-Armenian party. He served as Armenia’s minister for labor
and social affairs from 2003-2008.
Senior MP Won’t Rule Out Defections From Sarkisian’s Party
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Deputies from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia at a parliament
session in Yerevan 28 February 2018.
A senior lawmaker acknowledged on Friday that Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican
Party (HHK) might lose control over Armenia’s current parliament if opposition
leader Nikol Pashinian is elected prime minister next week.
The 105-member parliament is scheduled to again vote on Pashinian’s candidacy
on May 8.The HHK, which now controls at least 55 parliament seats, has promised
to ensure that he garners enough votes to replace Sarkisian as prime minister.
Gevorg Kostanian, the chairman of a key parliament committee representing the
HHK, commented cautiously on further political developments in the county. He
only suggested that Pashinian would either lead a minority government or gain a
majority in the current National Assembly.
“In a parliamentary republic, the government changes if there is a change of
the parliament majority,” Kostanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am). He said that could happen “if someone leaves a particular
faction or if factions form coalitions.”
Asked whether that means some deputies may defect from the HHK faction to the
Pashinian camp, Kostanian said: “From the political standpoint, it’s a bit hard
for me to make forecasts … But from the legal standpoint everything is
possible.”
Armenia -- Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian meets with parliament deputies
from the Republican Party, 30 April 2018.
Pashinian is now fully backed by the three other parliamentary forces: the Yelk
and Tsarukian alliances and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He has
repeatedly said that once elected prime minister he will try to push through
major amendments to Armenian electoral legislation and force fresh
parliamentary elections. It is not yet clear whether the HHK leadership will
agree to that.
The Armenian constitution stipulates that snap elections must be called only if
the parliament twice fails to elect a prime minister or refuses to approve a
policy program submitted by a newly formed cabinet. Pashinian has said during
massive anti-government protests organized by him that he would therefore seek
a parliamentary vote of no confidence in case of his premiership.
Edmon Marukian, a senior Yelk lawmaker, said he is optimistic that Pashinian
and his allies will convince most lawmakers to accept such a scenario.
“Otherwise, the political crisis will continue,” he warned.
Karabakh Hopes For Quick End To Armenian Crisis
• Astghik Bedevian
Nagorno-Karabakh - An Armenian parliamentary delegation (L) meets with
Karabakh's political and military leaders in Stepanakert, 4 May 2018.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s political leadership expressed hope on Friday that the
political crisis in Armenia will be resolved soon “in a peaceful and legal way.”
Bako Sahakian, the Karabakh president, discussed the recent dramatic
developments in Yerevan with visiting representatives of the four political
groups represented in Armenia’s parliament. According to his press office,
Sahakian told them that “internal political stability” in Armenia is also vital
for Karabakh’s security.
The Armenian parliamentary delegation visiting Stepanakert included Ararat
Mirzoyan, a close associate of opposition leader Nikol Pashinian, who looks set
to become Armenia’s new leader after three weeks of massive protests that have
forced Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian to resign.
Sahakian travelled to Armenia nearly two weeks ago to try to help defuse
mounting political tensions there. He held a series of political consultations
with Pashinian, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian and former Presidents
Robert Kocharian and Levon Ter-Petrosian last week.
Karabakh’s Armenian-backed military said, meanwhile, that Azerbaijan could
exploit the political turmoil in Yerevan and launch offensive military
operations along “the line of contact” around Karabakh. Baku denied massing
troops and military hardware there, however.
Incidentally, the commander of Karabakh’s Defense Army, Lieutenant General
Levon Mnatsakanian, was also preset at Sahakian’s meeting with the Armenian
parliamentarians.
Armenia -- Bako Sahakian (R) meets Nikol Pashinian in Yerevan, 24Apr2018
A top aide to Sahakian, Davit Babayan, said earlier in the day that he hopes
the crisis will be resolved “as soon as possible.” He also indicated that the
Karabakh leadership is prepared for a leadership change in Armenia.
“If the people of Armenia and all political forces represented in Armenia’s
parliament make a choice congruent with the constitution and laws and help to
stabilize the internal political situation, what can Artsakh (Karabakh) say?
Artsakh is ready to work with leaders elected by the will of Armenia’s people
and political forces,” Babayan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
While in Stepanakert, the Armenian lawmakers were also due to meet with their
Karabakh colleagues.
“I think it’s important for us to understand how the parties represented in
[Armenia’s] National Assembly have responded to these events and what lessons
they have learned,” said Hayk Khanumian, an opposition member of Karabakh’s
parliament. “After all, something amazing has happened: the Armenian society
has become more mature than Armenia’s political elite.”
Press Review
“Haykakan Zhamanak” says that on May 8 Armenia will either have a “legitimate
prime minister” or be thrust into further political uncertainty. “All the
indications that there will be no shocks and the velvet revolution will reach
yet another milestone on May 8,” writes the paper. “Yet another but not the
last one. Under the most logical scenario, that will be followed by pre-term
parliamentary elections. Only as a result of those elections will a new
government be formed. In the meantime, an atmosphere of major or minor
uncertainty will reign in the country because the HKK will maintain a majority
in the parliament, the most important state body, and could take, at least in
theory, some actions against the velvet revolution.”
“Zhamanak” wonders whether the HHK will really honor its pledge to help install
Pashinian as prime minister on May 8. The paper warns that by opposing a
“smooth transfer of power” to the Pashinian-led popular movement the party
still headed by Serzh Sarkisian would only deepen the political crisis in the
country.
“The task of regime change seems to have been finally accomplished in Armenia,”
writes “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun.” “Unless something extraordinary happens, Nikol
Pashinian will become prime minister on May 8 with the help of all
parliamentary forces. Equally important is the question of who the next
opposition will be. After all, everyone understands that without adequate and
strong opposition we cannot have an adequate society and a strong state.”
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. Many years have already passed since independence and it’s time to make fundamental changes in the science sector, acclaimed physicist Felix Aharonian told ARMENPRESS. Aharonian, a renowned astrophysicist, is a laureate of the V. Ambartsumian International Science Prizeand the Bruno Rossi Prize. Aharonian is a Professor of Astrophysics,Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies(DIAS),Dublin,Irelandand Head of High Energy Astrophysics Theory Group,Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics(MPIK),Heidelberg,Germany. He is a recognized authority on the origin of cosmic rays,and has written books and research papers onastroparticle physics, andcosmology.
In an interview to ARMENPRESS, Aharonian mentioned that numerous changes happened in the science sector in the past 20-30 years in the world. According to the physicist, it is necessary to understand modern trends in international scientific centers and to design plans for forming primary scientific directions in Armenia.
“As a scientist I was formed in the Soviet Union, I speak about both good and bad sides of that period of time. But I find it wrong to after so many years to sit and say that everything was good in the Soviet times while today the funding for science is little and that is why we have such a situation. The role of the Soviet times is being exaggerated a bit. Ways for elevating the science sector to a new level must be sought instead of saying there is no money,” Felix Aharonian said.
To what extent is it accurate to keep 5-6 institutes of the same direction, for example physics, argues Aharonian. He says it is a luxury even for countries with much greater budgets.
“If you separate 3-4 scientists from each institute, then overall you’ll have 20 high class professionals. They in turn will gather around themselves young people and this will be completely enough for Armenia in case of several directions of physics. It will be correct to select several modern directions and develop them, there is no need to keep institutes in all directions whatsoever. Whoever would become an academician in the Soviet times would open a separate institute, and this became a legacy. There are many institutes today in Armenia, which were in demand 40-50 years ago,” he said.
Regarding physics and astrophysics, Aharonian argues that all active physics institutes and scientific research centers should be merged where several efficient departments will operate. Aharonian pointed out the Weizmann Instituteof Scienceof Israel as an example. The physicist says he is sure that a similar center can be founded in Armenia, which will also be appealing for foreign experts.
“Indeed, a scientist must be ensured and not think about household issues, but rather focus on work, but at the same time saying all the time that there is no money and doing nothing is inappropriate. It is even possible to do something with the current funding, the way can be found in the current conditions. In the first 10 or 20 years of independence it was understandable that reforms were being done, but now it is time,” he said.
With regret he mentioned that he doesn’t yet see the desire and positive steps in Armenia for drastic improvement of the sector.
“One must be a professional in any work, regardless if you are a scientist, a barista or a tailor. This requires daily hard work, self-confidence on abilities, but at the same time modesty, desire to walk in line with time and ability,” he said.
The full interview is available in Armenian.
ENGLISH: Editor/Translator – Stepan Kocharyan