Category: 2018

Turkish Press: Armenian parliament set to elect Sarkissian as national president

Emil Karabekian
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 1 2018

Armenia’s parliament is set to elect Armen Sarkissian this week as national president to succeed Serzh Sargsyan, who opposition leaders say could become prime minister and continue to wield power.

Sarkissian’s election to a single seven-year term is unopposed because the ruling Republican Party supports him even though he is not a member of any party. One opposition party says it will back him while another has failed to gather sufficient votes to present its own candidate.

Armenia seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991 but remains dependent on Russia for aid and investment. Many Armenians accuse the government of corruption and mishandling an economy that has struggled to overcome the legacy of central planning.

The country is in line with some other former Soviet republics and countries in eastern Europe in moving away from direct democracy and towards strong central leadership, according to analysts.

Sargsyan became president at an election in 2008 and nominated former prime minister Sarkissian in January to succeed him as his term neared its end.

Sarkissian, 64, is a businessman and Yerevan’s ambassador to Britain and the president said he had chosen him because of his experience as a diplomat and manager.

The legislature can elect a president with a three-quarters majority under the terms of a constitution approved in 2015 in a referendum that effectively abolishes direct presidential elections.

Under that constitution, however, the presidency will become largely ceremonial and power will shift to the prime minister and parliament.
“Everything has been done to create a ‘super premier’ … who will have the same rights as the current president and even more,” opposition MP Edmond Marukyan told reporters.

Sargsyan denies that the new constitution was engineered to allow him to continue to dominate Armenia, a country of around 3 million people.

But many members of the ruling party say Sargsyan would be the best candidate for prime minister given his experience, especially in negotiations over neighboring Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Fighting between ethnic Azeris and Armenian separatists backed by Armenia first erupted in 1991 and a ceasefire was agreed in 1994.

But Azerbaijan and Armenia accuse each other of violence around Nagorno-Karabakh and along their common border.

Clashes over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, have intensified in the past three years and turned into a violent flare-up of the conflict in April 2016.

The ruling party won parliamentary elections last April with 49 percent of the vote while the opposition Tsarukyan Alliance took 27 percent.

Azerbaijani Press: US Armenians begging for more money

Jagharian Tania
Trend, Azerbaijan
March 1 2018
1 March 2018 21:34 (UTC+04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, March 1

By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) sent a letter to the US Senate, asking for $70 million worth financial support to Armenia and the occupational regime in Nagorno Karabakh in 2019, Armenian media reported on March 1.

According to the letter, $6 million out of the total sum will be spent on mine clearing in Nagorno Karabakh, $4 million on peace promotion, $30 million on economic support and $10 million on military assistance to Armenia, $20 million on solution of Middle East refugees’ problems.

The ANCA also asked the USA to stop financial assistance to Azerbaijan.

The letter looks absurd not only because of the astronomic sum requested, but also due to the goals listed. It is hard to understand, what problems of Middle East refugees and in what form the ANCA is going to solve, but the appeal seems to be a mere attempt to coax out money for crumbling Armenian economy out of the US.

In 2017, Donald Trump’s administration decided to cut back financial aid to foreign countries.

Financing of Armenia for 2018 was decreased by 77.3 percent from $22.41 million down to $4 million, Azerbaijan and Belarus – by 100 percent down to no financing at all, and Georgia – by 41.1 percent down to $28 million.

With that said, neither Azerbaijan, nor Belarus thought about sending a humiliating letter to the US Senate asking for money, because they seem to be sure of their state economies and feel no need in foreign tips.

Even though the Armenian government continuously praises the state economy, existing only thanks to the foreign loans and contributions of Armenian diaspora, in reality it is in a debtor’s prison and can be helped only by begging for many-million gratuitous help.

Azerbaijani Press: Armenia FM had nothing to share with UN Council on human rights: Azerbaijani mission

Jane Topchian
Trend, Azerbaijan
March 1 2018
1 March 2018 17:06 (UTC+04:00)                                     

    •             

    Baku, Azerbaijan, March 1

    Trend:

    Armenian Foreign Minister did not have anything worthwhile to share with the UN Council on promotion and protection of human rights in Armenia, said Yalchin Rafiyev, Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva.

    Rafiyev made the remarks in his response to the statement by Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, delivered at the High-Level Segment at the 37th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend on March 1.

    “Since the beginning of the High-Level Segment we have been listening to the statements of high-level dignitaries enthusiastically talking about their achievements in the protection of human rights in their own countries. However, the head of Armenian delegation devoted his bulk of speech to Azerbaijan. Proceeding from this, one can assume that the minister did not have anything worthwhile to share with the Council in the field of promotion and protection of human rights in Armenia. Instead, he dedicated his statement on denying the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence on the ground, rejected the responsibility of crimes against humanity committed in Khojaly district of Azerbaijan and attacked my country with ungrounded accusations about tragic events that happened prior to the independence of Azerbaijan,” he said.

    He said the documentary evidence proves that Armenia unleashed the war, attacked Azerbaijan and occupied its territories, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts, carried out ethnic cleansing on a massive scale, and established the ethnically constructed subordinate separatist entity on the captured Azerbaijani territory.

    “The most serious international crimes have been committed in the course of the war,” he added. “Yesterday, the Armenian minister referred to Khojaly, a small town located in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is under the occupation of Armenia for more than quarter of a century. Let me inform you what happened in Khojaly in 1992. On the night of Feb. 26, the civilian population of the town faced the most brutal atrocities and war crimes of history committed by Armenia, as a result of which 613 people were killed, including women, children and elderly. The incumbent president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, was the person leading all these crimes against humanity. In his interview to famous journalist Thomas de Waal in 2003, President Sargsyan described the Khojaly genocide as follows: “Before Khojaly, the Azerbaijanis thought that Armenians were people who could not raise their hands against the civilian population. We were able to break that stereotype”. With these sentences he perfectly described the state of naive trust and hope of the Azerbaijani side to the conflict, which inadvertently fell victim to misguidance.”

    Rafiyev further said the Armenian minister also raised the issue of access by UN institutions to assess the human rights situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

    “I would like to remind the Armenian minister that the people whose rights have been gravely violated are not living in Nagorno-Karabakh due to ethnic cleansing policy of Armenia. They all are residing in other cities of Azerbaijan as IDPs. If any UN institution would like to assess their situation they can visit IDP camps in Azerbaijan.”

    “As for the tragic events that happened prior to the independence of Azerbaijan, we would like to inform the distinguished colleagues that the results of the prosecution and investigation conducted by Central Soviet authorities revealed that the main perpetrators of those events were ethnic Armenians, Eduard Grigoryan and Zhirayr Azizbekian, and their fellow compatriots, orchestrated by Soviet intelligence services. This had been acknowledged by the incumbent president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, in his speech on March 30, 2005, during parliamentary hearings in Armenia: “There are grounds for a judgment that the mass pogroms and killings of peaceful Armenian population in Sumgait … were exercised with the knowledge of Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Moscow”,” said Rafiyev.

    The ambassador emphasized that the international community continues to observe the gross violations of the rights of more than one million Azerbaijani IDPs and refugees with silence.

    “That is why I will conclude my remarks with an appeal to the world community with a famous quote: “Once you see it, you cannot unsee it, and once you have seen it, staying quiet, saying nothing is as much political act as speaking out”. We call on all states to speak out for restoration of the violated human rights of Azerbaijani IDPs and refugees,” he concluded.

    Turkish Press: Armenia scraps deal with Turkey designed to normalize relations

    Vorskanian Yeghisabet
    Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
    March 1 2018

    Armenia scrapped on March 1 a peace agreement it signed with Turkey in 2009 in what turned out to be a failed attempt to normalize relations between the two countries, Armenian Yerkir Media TV quoted the president’s spokesman as saying.

    “Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan told a national security council meeting that the Armenian-Turkish protocols were annulled,” Yerkir Media TV quoted Vladimir Hakobyan as saying.

    Armenia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan wrote on social media that President Sargsyan has declared the Armenia-Turkey protocols “null and void.”

    Armenia and Turkey signed the landmark peace accord in October 2009 to restore ties and open their shared border after a century.

    The protocols have not been ratified since then.

    Chess: Armenia’s Aronian maintains 5th spot in FIDE ratings

    Kanayan Tamar
    Panorama, Armenia
    March 1 2018

    Armenian GM Levon Aronian (2794) maintained the 5th spot in the latest FIDE rating list of the best chess players in the world.

    Magnus Carlsen of Norway (2843) continues to lead the FIDE rating list unveiled on 1 March, followed by Azerbaijani Shahriyar Mammadyarov (2809) and Russian Vladimir Kramnik (2800), the National Olympic Committee informed Panorama.am.

    Standard Top 100 Men March 2018 features three other Armenian chess players. In particular, Gabriel Sargissian (2677) comes the 66th, Vladimir Hakobyan (2667) – the 77th and Hrant Melkumyan (2664) – the 81st.

    Armenian chess player Elina Danielian (2413) ranked the 54th and Lilit Mkrtchian (2403) – the 63rd in the Top 100 Women March 2018 list.

    Music: A place to belong: Folk singer Bedouine draws on her Syrian, Armenian and American roots to find her voice

    Hovhannisian John 
    The Age (Melbourne, Australia)
 Wednesday
A place to belong
by Bruce Elder
Folk singer Bedouine draws on her Syrian, Armenian and American roots
to find her voice, writes Bruce Elder.
What's in a name?
When an artist takes on a single name - think of Cher, Sting, Madonna,
Bono - their real, full name tends to disappear.
But when Azniv Korkejian took on Bedouine (a feminised version of
Bedouin - the North African Arabic nomads) she found she still
couldn't avoid her full Armenian name. Everything written about her
was prefaced by variations of "Azniv Korkejian, who makes music under
the name Bedouine".
The solution, as she explains from Los Angeles in a broad American
accent, is that "Bedouine is a band name. My actual name is Aznif."
With a quiet laugh she adds: "You can call me Aznif."
Just as The Undertones, who came from Northern Ireland, could never
escape questions about the politics of "The Troubles", so Azniv - who
was born in Aleppo, Syria, grew up in Saudi Arabia and won entry to
the United States through the famous "green card lottery" - can't
escape questions about her back story.
She was born in Syria because her mother returned to Aleppo to give
birth. At the time Azniv's father was the manager at an American
compound in Saudi Arabia. Azniv spent the first three months of her
life in Syria and has been back regularly to visit relatives, but for
most of her life she has been surrounded by Americans.
Her views about Syria's war are seen through the prism of that
country's Armenian minority.
"As a minority in Syria my family always felt pretty tolerated and
accepted by the government," she says. "So it was confusing to hear
about these war crimes and things like that."
But when it comes to Trump's immigration clampdown she has no doubt
about the US hypocrisy towards Muslims.
"The whole Muslim ban thing really doesn't make sense and it is
clearly not about ethics. Especially, when Saudi Arabia, the one
country that is not on the ban ... when you are talking about fighting
terrorism and you are not including the one country that is associated
with Wahhabism which is the idea behind the terrorist groups and the
attacks, then it really has nothing to do with ethics."
Although she is happy to talk about her country, she rarely allows
politics to enter her music.
"I don't think I have a direct political agenda but there are a couple
of songs that are reactions to things that are political," she says.
"The song Summer Cold is the reaction I had to hearing that arms,
which had been funnelled through by America, were getting into the
hands of terrorists.
"It's a very loose interpretation. You hear the lyrics, 'I've had
enough of your guns and your ammunition' and you might think it has
something to do with the war."
What makes Aznif/Bedouine musically interesting is that she has
eschewed both her Arabic/Armenian roots and the modern exponents of
folk music and reached back, quite consciously, to early Leonard Cohen
and Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and, quite exotically, the great Astrud
Girl from Ipanema Gilberto.
"A lot of the older stuff I was digging into ... really paying
attention for the first time ... I don't want to call it the 'golden
age' but I do feel that music focused more on the song writing and the
melodies.
"I think the opposite is true for more modern music. The production
process has become more complicated. Artistically, I like it when most
of the grunt work is done on the front end - in my case the actual
song writing, the writing of the melodies, the writing of the lyrics -
and then it tapers off. There's not a whole lot of production work to
do, not a whole lot of mixing to do.
"Nowadays, it seems like a lot of the grunt work is done after ... I
don't have anything against it ... I am not a luddite ... but I do
feel when you are presented with too many options you get away from
what you started with."
At points on the Bedouine CD the listener would be forgiven for
thinking Aznif is channelling her heroes.
Solitary Daughter sees her sounding like the early Leonard Cohen. On
Louise, if you shut your eyes, you would swear Astrud Gilberto was in
the room.
The result, overlaid with strings which give everything a subtle
lushness and restrained sophistication, is a collection of songs that
reaches reach deep into the complexities of the modern world.
Ask Azniv if she sees herself as American, Syrian or Armenian and she
replies: "I think that is one of the overarching themes of the record.
This feeling of detachment and displacement ... not really belonging
to any one place."
Bedouine plays the Northcote Social Club on March 8.

    Do they do bluffs or want to reveal the March 1 events? – Aram Manukyan (video)

    Babken Chilingarian
    • 15:18 | February 28,2018 | Politics
    • Armenian:
    • Rus

    Armenian National Congress (ANC) Vice President Aram Manukyan believes that the authorities’ actions on trying to identify the March 1 tragedy is bluff.

    “Do they do bluffs or want to reveal them. It’s a regular game. Do not have any expectations in that respect.”

    Aram Manukyan sees dangers in this respect. One of them, according to him, will be when the political part is not be accepted, and the part of the consensus will be accepted, so the parliament can show that this is just a matter of money, by giving money to parents, compensating for the part of political sentiments. This will spoil the case, discredit the political nature of March 1.

    The ANC vice-president came to a meeting with journalists in with a book titled The Crimes of March 1, compiled by Aram Manukyan, Armen Khachatryan and Ashot Sargsyan.  PACE resolutions and other international responses to the March 1 events are included in the book. Also, it includes numerous speeches, fact-finding reports, political prisoner lists, their notes from prisons, and more.

    Tomorrow, a rally will be held in commemoration of March 1 victims.

    Gevorg Kostanyan as Chairman of Commission (video)

    Kalantarian Kevo
    • 17:04 | February 28,2018 | Politics
    • Armenian:
    • Rus

    Today, Gagik Melikyan, Head of the Ad-hoc Committee of the National Assembly, announced the results of the election of Gevorg Kostanyan, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) faction, former Prosecutor General, as chairman of the Standing Committee on State, Legal and Human Rights.

    He noted that 93 out of 105 deputies took part in the elections. Gevorg Kostanyan got 63 votes for and 30 against.

    Gevorg Kostanyan thanked in his speech and assured that he would show a consistent principle approach.

    Member of Founding Parliament to continue fight after spending 1 year in imprisonment, (video)

    Emil Lazarian
    • 17:19 | February 28,2018 | Social
    • Armenian:
    • Rus

    Even after being in prison for a year, member of the Founding Parliament Armen Mikaelyan is not going to give up the fight. “If there is a demand for freedom within a person, he cannot refuse it, that is, the struggle continues. One year in the prison gave me inner peace.  Naturally, arrest and deprivation of liberty for one year was related to my political activities,” Armen Mikaelyan told A1 +.

    Armen Mikaelyan was detained on the night of June 26, 2016, after attending a rally after the seizure of Yerevan hostage crisis.

    When the Khorenatsi street rally was over, people in civilian clothes put him in the car and took him to the Police. A weapon was found during the search. “They put their weapons on my waist, and then they took it off. Without a fact, I was sentenced. I do not address small issues yet. ”

    Armen Mikaelyan’s relatives also testified at the court and mentioned that he had no weapons. However, the Court did not consider their testimony credible.

    Immediately after the verdict published on March 17, 2017, Armen Mikaelyan was detained. “They were parliamentary elections on April 2, I think this was connected with the elections.”

    Armen Mikaelyan may apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after consultation with the advocates.

    Do not be annoyed, Mr. Hakobyan – Arpine Hovhannisyan

    Emil Lazarian
    • 18:01 | February 28,2018 | Politics
    • Armenian:
    • Rus

    Today, the National Assembly discussed the bill on making amendments and addenda to the Law on Social Guarantees of State Officials.

    Hakob Hakobyan, Chairwoman of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Health and Social Affairs, mentioned that the amendments were made to ensure the generations’ change.

    According to these amendments, people will receive a pension after their retirement age, if they do not work in the system.

    Republican MP Khosrov Harutyunyan and MP of Yelk (Way out) faction Artak Zeynalyan noted that the bill is unconstitutional and thus deprives a person of the right to a pension.

    Hakob Hakobyan opposed saying that people are not deprived of the right to a pension. The pension will be provided in case of leaving work. According to him, this is done so that the state system does not become group of old people.

    Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Arpine Hovhannisyan intervened the discussion.

    “Do not be annoyed, Mr. Hakobyan.”