2019 – Page 172 – Armenian Directory & News

Azerbaijani Press: Pashinyan: Populist balancing

August 19, 2019March 12, 2026 Aram Torosian

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani Opposition Press

August 11, 2019 Saturday

Pashinyan: Populist balancing

by ASTNA.biz

Addressing the opening of the Pan-Armenian sporting games-2019 in Nagorno Karabakh, August 5, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that «Artsakh» is Armenia, that’ll do».«We are supportive of peace resolution to the issue. Strengthening of security of Armenia and «Artsakh» is a priority for us», he added.It’d be appropriate to note that his statement has widely been discussed in mass media and social networks of Azerbaijan. Writing for the press on the issue, a head of foreign relations department of the Presidential administration, Hikmet Hajiyev pointed out that «official Baku is totally against the Armenian Prime Minister’s statement that «Karabakh is Armenia» made in the course of his illegal visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan». H. Hajiyev emphasized that «Nagorno Karabakh is Azerbaijan! Nagorno Karabakh is a historical land and integral part of Azerbaijan » (https://ru.oxu.az/politics/325019).What did Pashinyan mean to say in his statement?Political expert Asrastun Orujlu responded ASTNA questions.

–Arastun bey, addressing the opening of the Pan-Armenian sporting games-2019 in Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated: “Artsakh is Armenia”. His words had a wide public response in Azerbaijan. What did Pahinyan mean under his statement?

– First of all, I”d like to note that relations between Pashinyan and the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh are strained as a result of struggle between him and the Karabakh clan, especially as Russia is eager to make Armenia its humble servant.

It is worth reminding that Pashinyan not only deprived the Karabakh clans of 20-years long power in Armenia but even tried to weaken their position by means of arrests and persecutions. It was no mere coincidence that I used a word “clans” because the point is about two clans – Kocharyan and Sargsyan”s that are far from unanimity in their approaches to many issues. Thus, Robert Kocharyan and his clan are closely related to the Presidential administration of Russia while Sargsyan and his adherents are close to the Russian military circles. It is no secret that the two branches of power are competing with each other.

In this respect Pashinyan”s aspiration to draw his country nearer to the West or integrate it into Europe looked slightly naïve, and this is natural. One must allow that Pashinyan is a populist politician following which persons of this sort are victims of such a policy. Another dangerous feature of populism is that persons of this sort give unrealistic promises that cannot be redeemed: credit of trust arising from these promises is rapidly devaluated. In this connection, Nikol Pashinyan is a hostage of his own populisn: instead of reforms he, improperly assessing the social-economic crisis in his country, tries to focus on internal/foreign political issues which, in turn, caused a reciprocal response inside/outside the country.

In other words, unrealistic foreign political initiatives of Pashinyan are straining not only Moscow but its opponents as well. Failing to make adequate conclusions, the Prime minister got down to still more dangerous populism through the use of the Karabakh card.

To be fair, Pashinyan is vitally interested in getting support of the Karabakh regime; hence, the Karabakh populism serves two goals: to secure his own power and concurrently assure Kremlin that he is loyal to the Karabalkh policy of his predecessors. The time will show effectiveness of his policy but but it is safe to say that Pashinyan cannot play his role for Moscow as Kocharyan and Sargsyan did.

– Is the response of the Azerbaijani party to the Pashinyan”s statement adequate? What steps should official Baku have taken as a response to his “sentence”?

– In my view, under complex geopolitical conditions the manifestation by the Azerbaijani party of emotional, populist attitude to the present developments would mean that our country has fallen under Pashinyan”s provocative statement. Indeed, it is difficult to say something definite …

Who is concerned with violation of stability and relapse of combat operations in the Karabakh front, in terms of international tensions around Iran?

Unfortunately, I can suggest assumptions only. For instance, on the eve of probable military operation against Iran, Russia is eager to strengthen its position in South Caucasus. Ideally for this country would be start of military clashes in the region. As for Azerbaijan, if involved, our country risks to find itself isolated internationally and even jeopardize its sovereignty.

An adequate response to the above proved to be an even-tempered, based on standards on international law, statement of Hikmet Hajiyev, a head of foreign relations department under the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan.

– Some experts insist that Pasinyan”s statement was aimed at stirring up a military conflict. To their thinking, he is about to lose West”s support finally. The West demands from him to decline from Russia for good and all. In the meanwhile, Pashinyan is eager to foment a war conflict and thus turn away from Moscow in an attempt to get support from the USA and Europe. How far are these versions correct?

-It”d be too complex, multimove combination for the Armenian diplomacy, and I don”t think that this country is capable of gaining success. As mentioned before, the military conflict is likely to strengthen Russia”s influence in the region, and this is axiom.

As for West”s plan over Armenia, to my thinking, it is none other than overdoing of this country”s significance. At present, the West is interested in Armenia as means of pressure against countries of the region. For this to happen, it is not urgent to include Armenia into sphere of its influence which makes it necessary to help this country with billions of dollars, especially Armenia is gladly involved in this game. The very existence and maintenance of the Armenian statehood over the past 100 years have been based on rendering services of this sort. Regretfully, Armenia fails to get rid of this “strategy” and Armenia is baneful not only for its neighbors; it is a hostage of its own ambitions.

– With reference to Armenian political experts, some Russian mass media are alleging that in doing so Pashinyan is willing to change 7 regions of Azerbaijan into Karabakh. How far is it logical?

– Nearly all Pashinyan”s predecessors in Armenia attempted to conclude such a deal but failed: Azerbaijan will never accept it, for it”d be none other than capitulation. In my opinion, nobody in Azerbaijan would welcome such a “peace plan”. Both Nagorno Karabalh and occupied regions around it are a territory of Azerbaijan and cannot be a subject of talks.

– Isn”t it strange: first border problems with Georgia, then Armenia”s statement on Karabakh … What”s happening in the region as a whole? What do they want from Azerbaijan?

– I”ll start with your last item: you reaffirmed that clouds are gathering over Azerbaijan, and I”m confident that this is nonrandom. It”d be wrong to consider all the developments in the regional context. Today Azerbaijan attracts attention for, at least, three reasons:

First, the Iranian issue I mentioned above is much more complex that it may seem. Azerbaijan is considered to act as a bridgehead for combat operations against Iran. It should be borne in mind that involvement in actions of this sort may lead to disastrous consequences not only for the Azerbaijani statehood but the Azerbaijani nation as a whole.

Priority for us today is the national idea, national unity and solidarity of Azerbaijanis regardless of country of their residence; irrespective of their political and other views. The point is that our future is meant to be laid on the ideas above, for there is no alternative. In this respect, our participation in any campaigns threatening millions of our compatriots residing in Iran, is possible under no circumstances.

Second, owing to its geographical location Azerbaijan is ranked high to resolve important problems of communications and logistics as crucial issues of today”s geopolitics. Suffice it to recall that transport-communication corridors North-South and East-West run through a territory of Azerbaijan. However, the same advantageous position of the country attracts attention to Azerbaijan and enhances vain attempts of super powers engaged in these projects to carry out interventions into Azerbaijan. Loyal to their traditions in attaining goals, the global actors are seeking to avail of economic, political and military means to thus gain priorities. The factors mentioned above lay down reasons of enhanced activity both of Georgia and Armenia against Azerbaijan, and beyond any doubt, the two of them are governed from one and the same center.

Third, from integration of cultures” standpoint, today”s growing interest in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis on the part of political and academic circles is not a mere coinsidence. Development of the expanse where various civilizations and cultures, ethnoses and faiths are mutually enriched and peacefully co-exist, will be a crucial factor for this rapidly polarizing world.

In all probability, the time for tensions between Azerbaijan and Georgia on religious grounds, and Armenia on ethnic-territorial basis is not coincidental. As has noted above, coincidence of tensions between three countries would provoke an intervention into their territories and seize communications, first of all, sea ports of Azerbaijan and Georgia.

It is obvious that prospects are not promising; however, to my thinking, there are some encouraging aspects. Contributing to maneuvering opportunities are diversity of global interests in the region and a great number of actors involved. In other words, should flexible, well thought-out steps be taken in the internal and foreign policy, it”d be possible to get out of the situation as winner or, at least, unloser. However, there is still lack of political will to take a decisive step.

Fresno State to host panel on Western Armenian research

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Elizabeth Jabejian

PanArmenian, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

– 11:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Four scholars from the University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles will discuss their research on Western Armenian in a panel discussion entitled “Western Armenian in the 21st Century: Challenges and New Approaches.”

The panel will take place on September 6 in the University Business Center’s Alice Peters Auditorium at California State University, Fresno. Armenian Studies Program Director Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian will moderate the discussion, Asbarez reports.

The presentation is part of the Armenian Studies Program Fall 2019 Lecture Series and is supported by the Leon S. Peters Foundation.

For the past few years, scholars have discussed how to best teach, and transmit, Western Armenian to future generations. In November of 2017, the Society for Armenian Studies and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation organized a conference on “Transmitting Western Armenian to the Next Generation,” with the participation of six scholars. The conference was organized based on this 2017 discussion, as well as from the 2010 report that UNESCO had placed Western Armenian on the list of the world’s endangered languages. The scholars at the conference presented the latest research in the field of language acquisition, which benefits from theoretical and practical approaches in the field of teaching minority languages in a diasporic situation.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/272126/Fresno_State_to_host_panel_on_Western_Armenian_research

In 2018, The Press at Fresno State published “Western Armenian in the 21st Century: Challenges and New Approaches” as part of the Armenian Series at the university. The book was edited by Bedross Der Matossian and Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Barlow Der Mugrdechian. Four of the contributors to the volume will present their conclusions on September 6.

Dr. Shushan Karapetian is Deputy Director of the Institute of Armenian Studies at USC. She received a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from UCLA in 2014, where she has taught Armenian Studies courses for the past nine years. Her dissertation, “‘How Do I Teach My Kids My Broken Armenian?: A Study of Eastern Armenian Heritage Language Speakers in Los Angeles,” received the Society for Armenian Studies Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2015.

Jesse Siragan Arlen is a PhD Candidate of Armenian Studies in the Near Eastern Languages & Cultures department at UCLA. He has taught Western Armenian at a Sunday school since 2016, and his creative prose and poetry in Western Armenian has appeared in literary journals such as Inknagir and Pakine.

Elizabeth Mkhitarian graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in English and Armenian Studies in 2018. She is a published writer of prose and poetry in English and Armenian. Her first book of poetry in Armenian is forthcoming.

Dr. Hagop Gulludjian received his PhD with highest distinction from the Jesuit University of Buenos Aires. He has been teaching modern Western Armenian at UCLA for many years. His area of research is in post-structural rereading of medieval mystical poetry and in languages without a country: language vitality programs and their replicability.

Mikayel Minasyan: If we remove the arrests from the ‘revolution’, nothing remains

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Karagyozian Lena

Panorama, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

Politics 16:06 17/08/2019 Armenia

Armenian news agency NEWS.am has interviewed Mikayel Minasyan, Armenia’s former Ambassador to the Holy See. Below is the text of this interview.

– Mr. Minasyan, your Facebook post yesterday received a wide reaction. Your one quick remark, however, raised questions. You had noted not about the arrested former president, but the presidents. Were you implying [third President] Serzh Sargsyan? Do you think he will be arrested, too?

– Of course. This is the whole logic of the activities of these authorities: indictment and arrest. Today, a significant portion of the state resources is spent on indictments and arrests. But the problem is that it no longer works. After the first 5, 10, 15, 20 arrests, the heated public reaction has already weakened, it does not change the public mood, it does not become an agenda. Tomorrow, the next day those steps will only cause disdain, no doubt, especially because in many cases, there is an impression of corruption-risk containing dealings is being formed.

As a result of [their] own illogical steps, the authorities have created for themselves and have three difficult tasks to address at this time: the Amulsar [gold mine], the Istanbul Convention, developments around Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)]. These have been compounded by a total absence of executive and legislative work. As a result, the wave of public discontent is on the verge of going beyond the limits of being manageable; this is already visible to the authorities. Knowing well the primitive logic of these authorities, one can easily predict that instead of seeking solutions, they will go on their loved road of sidetracking public opinion through arrests. In their view, by way of deviation.

The authorities have one long-kept, planned “gold reserve” mega arrest; it is Serzh Sargsyan’s arrest. The authorities’ media trumpets have long been saying that. Simple calculation suggests that in the near future Serzh Sargsyan will be arrested to sidetrack the public from the real problems for a while more.

Moreover, the authorities’ fear from the possible consequences of the three problems I already have noted is so great that they, in all likelihood, will not be satisfied only with Serzh Sargsyan’s arrest, but will concoct something also toward one or several generals. I do not rule out that I will fill those ranks as well.

Going for the step of a myopic leak through foreign press has attested [to the fact] that one of our heros –Major General Samvel Karapetyan – will also be arrested. It is not hard to understand why they [the Armenian authorities] need that. It is apparent that they also have a task of silencing the military elite.

– In your view, is Serzh Sargsyan aware of this scenario, of the possible developments? And is he ready for it?

– He is always ready for any development of events. Serzh Sargsyan will be arrested and, with that, he will serve his next great service to his people. He will be imprisoned, and everyone will once and for all be convinced that if we remove the arrests from the “revolution,” then as a result, nothing remains. The people’s condition—all the same—is not changing, the investments are not increasing, new jobs are not opened, life is not becoming safer and better; on the contrary, it is getting worse. Serzh Sargsyan will show—with himself—so that temperance prevails as soon as possible. By arresting him, the authorities will exhaust both the effectiveness and opportunity to use repression as a tool.

It is now a fact that the objective of the change of power [in Armenia] was the primitive fight for the seat, to comfortably sit in the seats of power; nothing else. Very soon it will be clear to everyone [as to] who is the thief and the plunderer, who is the shameful liar and the schemer without proof, moreover, who is the incapable loser. It is perhaps a twist of fate that these authorities of losers can do nothing without the figures they themselves have mythicized. Even without enmity against them, these authorities are nothing. These authorities have nothing to say and do without fighting against their [those figures’] shadow. It is funny, but a fact.

– You implied that a legal process would start against you, too. Do you think a criminal case will be brought against you, too?

– Definitely. In fact, ever since the new authorities were formed, one of the first actions [of theirs] has been to check everyone and companies associated to and with me. They have checked everything possible, and everything related to all times possible. So far, they have not succeeded, but that does not yet mean that they have stopped searching. Ultimately, it is a matter of time. As they say: if there is a person, an article [against him] will be found, and someone will be found in the legal system who will “frame” that case with the order from above.

After finding nothing [on me] for a year and a half, now launching a criminal case will already be the political order being carried out with the most direct instruction. And that is highly predictable, risky, and life will put everything in place. The authorities of the day are crossing all boundaries, [but] forgetting that we will all live under the same sky, and nothing—especially power—is eternal. And the real challenges surrounding our homeland require solutions by the hour. This is the key issue that will force the temperance of all layers of society, as soon as possible. The time has come to break down all myths.

How a Plymouth neighborhood became an Armenian-American paradise

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Emil Lazarian

The Patriot Ledger, MA

Aug 16 2019

How a Plymouth neighborhood became an Armenian-American paradise

By David Kindy

For a time, the four or five blocks around the Idlewild Inn in Manomet was an Armenian-American paradise, a place where survivors of a genocide found refuge and a new generation of Americans soaked up the tastes, smells and sounds of their parents’ culture while basking in the joy of their family’s new land.

From the 1930s through the 1970s, curious otherworldly music could be heard outside the Idlewild every Saturday night during the summer. Unusual aromas of food cooked by elderly women who barely spoke English wafted around and through nearby homes, tantalizingly teasing neighbors and passersby alike.

Yet, no one seemed to mind or care about the differences. In fact, they were celebrated and embraced at neighborhood parties, on sandy beaches, around backyard grills and on the local baseball field, where the community came together to celebrate the warm weather and relaxed atmosphere that was Manomet in this era.

For Steve Kurkjian, summers here as a young boy were heaven on earth. He was part of the new culture that was absorbed into this neighborhood. As a first-generation Armenian American, he was proud of both his heritage from the old country and his citizenship in this land. Mostly, he loved baseball and going to the beach.

“We played baseball all summer long at Briggs Field,” he remembers of his time coming of age in Manomet in the 1950s and ’60s. “If we weren’t on the baseball diamond, then we were on the beach chasing girls. It was a glorious time. I have so many memories.”

Now 75, Kurkjian once worked for the Boston Globe on the Spotlight investigative team, where he won three Pulitzer Prizes. One was for his work on uncovering sexual abuse cases related to the Catholic church in Boston. He is also the author of the book “Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World’s Greatest Art Heist,” which chronicled the $500 billion theft of paintings at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

More than 70 years ago, Steve’s family lived in Dorchester and started spending summers in Manomet. At first, they stayed at the Idlewild Inn, which had been purchased by an Armenian family in the 1930s. The Sarafians welcomed all guests to their hotel on Manomet Avenue, though many Armenians stayed at the inn and later bought nearby cottages and homes.

How the Sarafians found this cozy coastal community is a bit of mystery, though there is a tantalizing clue at the Second Church of Plymouth. Records show that in 1897 the church hired a young Armenian minister, Haig Adadourian, who led the parish until 1904 and again from 1916 until 1923. He sponsored numerous people from the old country and helped them immigrate to America. It is believed some of those newly landed émigrés, including the eventual owners of the Idlewild, visited the reverend in Manomet.

The inn still stands on the bluff above Manomet Beach and offers a stunning vista of the seashore and beyond. To the south lies Cape Cod. Across the bay is Provincetown, clearly visible when the humidity is low and the sun is at your back. To the north, where Manomet Beach curves toward Cape Cod Bay, are Stone Horse Rocks, a rough outcropping that is a favorite for local swimmers.

“I’ve traveled around the world and to me, this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” Kurkjian said. “It’s breathtaking. Not a bad place at all.”

The Kurkjians bought a cottage in Manomet in 1948. The father, Anooshavan, was a toddler during the Armenian genocide at the hands of Turkey in 1915, when as many as 1.5 million are believed to have died. He came to America with his mother, the only surviving members of their family, and grew up to become a respected commercial artist and portrait painter in Boston. Anooshavan and his wife Rosella wanted their children — Stephen, Karolyn and Elizabeth — to enjoy all the fruits this new and exciting country bore.

“We didn’t even own a car when we first started coming here,” Kurkjian recalls. “We would get a ride from cousins and friends. We would stay for the summer and my father would come down on weekends and for his vacation. I remember there always people at the house – 25 or so at a time. The women were constantly cooking. I don’t know where all those people slept because the cottages were tiny back then!”

Affable and athletic, the young Kurkjian made friends easily and played with other children in the neighborhood. Baseball and epic late-night games of tag ranging across the neighborhood filled their summer. One of his younger companions was Miriam “Mimi” O’Neal, who still visits the family home in Manomet during the warm-weather months.

“I always thought I was Armenian,” says O’Neal, who is as Irish as the day is long. “All my friends were Armenian. I loved the language and the food. I didn’t know ethnicity as a child. Steve’s father cooked pancakes every Saturday morning for the neighborhood kids. We spent time together and all blended as one.”

Like an extended clan, everyone in the community kept an eye on the younger ones. Neighbors dutifully watched out for the children to make sure everyone was safe and would report youthful indiscretions. Once, Anooshaven caught O’ Neal’s older sister smoking and told her parents about her illicit activity.

“She was horrified,” she recalls. “But that’s what happened here. It was very family-oriented.”

O’Neal also attended the Idlewild dances with Kurkjian’s sister Elizabeth. They couldn’t actually go into the dance hall because children were prohibited, but they sat outside in back of the inn and listened to the lively and strangely enjoyable music as it poured forth from doors and windows left open in an effort to cool sweaty bodies from the summer heat.

“Elizabeth never really wanted to go, but I made her,” she says. “I think she was uncomfortable because it was the older generation of her family, but I loved it.”

Manomet’s Armenian enclave also mingled with neighbors on the beach. The community gathered together on the shore to bask in the sun and enjoy the salt water. Steve still remembers all the Armenian women holding hands and walking tentatively into cold Cape Cod Bay.

“The women were always busy cooking and running the home,” he says. “This is where they could rest and bond together. They would walk arm and arm into the water and hold hands in a circle. No one ever swam because it was too cold.”

One of those women was Ann Kalajian. She started coming to Manomet in 1947 with her husband Charles and later her three sons, Edward and twins Arthur and Peter. They also stayed at the Idlewild Inn before purchasing a cottage on Vinal Avenue. Ann, 91 and an ethnic Armenian who was born in Syria, lives year-round in the home now.

“It was a nice community,” she says. “You could hear the music from the bands at the Idlewild all over the neighborhood. The inn had good food and service.”

For Arthur, summers in Manomet were all about the beach and swimming. His family would head down the stairs in the morning to enjoy as much time as possible in the surf, sand and sun.

“We would spend a full day at the beach,” he remembers. “It was a lot fun. My mother taught me how to swim. How she learned to swim, I don’t know. She grew up in Damascus, where there is no water.”

Of course, all things must change. Just as the summer winds give way to the cool breezes of autumn and the carefree days of childhood drift into the endless demands of adulthood, Manomet would begin to evolve again.

The Sarafians sold the Idlewild Inn in 1968. It still welcomes all guests, but no Armenian bands play music late into the night on weekends anymore. The nearby summer cottages were replaced with expansive year-round homes. Families moved away seeking better opportunities. New people arrived in and made those houses their own.

Today, a few Armenian-American families live in the neighborhood, which now has a much more diverse population. People are still friendly and care about their neighbors, but the ambiance has changed. Bigger homes and the increased demands of 21st century life mean less opportunity to rub elbows together and to connect as a community.

Manomet is now Steve Kurkjian’s full-time address. He loves the casual feel of the neighborhood and cheerfully greets everyone he sees while around – whether he has known them for 70 years or met them last week at the beach. For him, the place is home. He wrote about it recently in a reflection of his recollections growing up in that friendly corner of Plymouth:

“I can still see them, small groups of older Armenian women, all dressed in their billowing black bathing suits, walking together down the long flight of stairs onto the warm sands, then wading hand in hand into the water, conversing in soft somber tones in their native Armenian, yet shouting, almost with laughter, as another cold wave came splashing towards them.”

What did Armenia parliament majority faction MPs discuss in closed meeting?

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Garnik Zakarian

News.am, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

What did Armenia parliament majority faction MPs discuss in closed meeting? What did Armenia parliament majority faction MPs discuss in closed meeting?

17:58, 17.08.2019

YEREVAN. – Matters related to the Amulsar gold mine and the Istanbul Convention were discussed Friday at the headquarters of the Civil Contract party. Hovik Aghazaryan, a member of Armenia’s parliamentary majority My Step faction, on Saturday told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am. Aghazaryan added that although he had not participated in this talk, he is aware of the range of matters that were conferred on.

As for the Istanbul Convention, the MP noted that the ruling My Step faction deputies have two opposing views as to whether Armenia should ratify this document.

Asked what he himself thinks about this convention, Aghazaryan said he believes he is against it.

“By gradually getting familiarized with the convention, it seems to me I’m already against [it] because, in my evaluation, that convention is not a transparent document—as a document, there are ‘bumps’ in it; at the moment, at least I am against it,” he said. “But I will still discuss [it] with my colleagues, and my view may change.”

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan and MPs of the My Step faction on Friday had a closed discussion at the headquarters of the Civil Contract party.

Train goes off rails in Armenia 

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Karagyozian Lena

News.am, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

Train goes off rails in Armenia  Train goes off rails in Armenia 

21:46, 17.08.2019

Armenia Constitutional Court judges to reject authorities’ proposal

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Jagharian Tania

News.am, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

Newspaper: Armenia Constitutional Court judges to reject authorities’ proposal

10:03, 17.08.2019

YEREVAN. – The predicament regarding the Constitutional Court (CC) of Armenia will not be resolved also as a result of the legislative changes proposed by the authorities, Hraparak (Square) newspaper reported.

“In exchange for resignation, the authorities have offered [the current CC members-judges] a lifetime salary and social guarantees, as well as a threat [to them]—with the prospect of being prosecuted—in the event of not resigning.

“[But] according to our information, the [current] CC judges are going to reject this proposal, since, first of all, such a law is unlawfulness; and even if the new CC judges who come in their stead do not recognize it as unconstitutional, not only will the lifetime salary will not be maintained after the dismissal of [PM Nikol] Pashinyan’s power, but, also, years later they will have to return that money to the state and answer for being a participant in the unlawful process. And second, by accepting the offer, it would mean giving in to the blackmail by the authorities.

“According to the vision of newly elected [CC] Judge Vahe Grigoryan who is sent by the authorities to the CC, there are currently [solely] two judges in the CC, [whereas] the others are [just] members, so, [new CC] judges shall be elected with new elections,” Hraparak wrote.

Mikael Minasyan: Serzh Sargsyan will be arrested to sidetrack Armenia public from real issues for a while more

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Lilit Nahapetian

News.am, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

Mikael Minasyan: Serzh Sargsyan will be arrested to sidetrack Armenia public from real issues for a while more Mikael Minasyan: Serzh Sargsyan will be arrested to sidetrack Armenia public from real issues for a while more

14:52, 17.08.2019

Armenian News-NEWS.am has interviewed Mikael Minasyan, Armenia’s former Ambassador to the Holy See. Below is the text of this interview.

Mr. Minasyan, your Facebook post yesterday received a wide reaction. Your one quick remark, however, raised questions. You had noted not about the arrested former president, but the presidents. Were you implying [third President] Serzh Sargsyan? Do you think he will be arrested, too?

Of course. This is the whole logic of the activities of these authorities: indictment and arrest. Today, a significant portion of the state resources is spent on indictments and arrests. But the problem is that it no longer works. After the first 5, 10, 15, 20 arrests, the heated public reaction has already weakened, it does not change the public mood, it does not become an agenda. Tomorrow, the next day those steps will only cause disdain, no doubt, especially because in many cases, there is an impression of corruption-risk containing dealings is being formed.

Let me say more. The authorities’ fear from the possible consequences of the three problems I already have noted is so great that they, in all likelihood, will not be satisfied only with Serzh Sargsyan’s arrest, but will concoct something also toward one or several generals. I do not rule out that I will fill those ranks as well.

Going for the step of a myopic leak through foreign press has attested [to the fact] that one of our heroes—Major General Samvel Karapetyan—will also be arrested. It is not hard to understand why they [the Armenian authorities] need that. It is apparent that they also have a task of silencing the military elite.

In your view, is Serzh Sargsyan aware of this scenario, of the possible developments? And is he ready for it?

He is always ready for any development of events. Serzh Sargsyan will be arrested and, with that, he will serve his next great service to his people. He will be imprisoned, and everyone will once and for all be convinced that if we remove the arrests from the “revolution,” then as a result, nothing remains. The people’s condition—all the same—is not changing, the investments are not increasing, new jobs are not opened, life is not becoming safer and better; on the contrary, it is getting worse. Serzh Sargsyan will show—with himself—so that temperance prevails as soon as possible. By arresting him, the authorities will exhaust both the effectiveness and opportunity to use repression as a tool.

You implied that a legal process would start against you, too. Do you think a criminal case will be brought against you, too?

Definitely. In fact, ever since the new authorities were formed, one of the first actions [of theirs] has been to check everyone and companies associated to and with me. They have checked everything possible, and everything related to all times possible. So far, they have not succeeded, but that does not yet mean that they have stopped searching. Ultimately, it is a matter of time. As they say: if there is a person, an article [against him] will be found, and someone will be found in the legal system who will “frame” that case with the order from above.

Iran-born businessman asks Armenia PM for assistance

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Emma Jilavian

News.am, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

Iran-born businessman asks Armenia PM for assistance Iran-born businessman asks Armenia PM for assistance

16:26, 17.08.2019

A businessman participating in Saturday’s “My Step for Kotayk Province” business investment forum in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia, presented to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan a banking-sector problem that hinders their activities.

This Iranian-born businessman noted that there are banking issues for Iranian-born Armenians, since they are subject to US sanctions. But at the same time, he noted that, for example, Iranians living in the US do not have these problems, whereas Iranians living in Armenia—do.

Pashinyan noted that there is an important nuance in what this businessman was saying, and that we need to understand exactly what this is about.

“The [Armenian] government doesn’t interfere—at least negatively—in any way on this matter,” he said. “Banks are private companies, they also have foreign shareholders, and the government can’t interfere (…), especially in giving-not giving a loan.

“But months ago when there were problems also with our compatriots who are the citizens of Iran, the government started communication with the banking system, so that we could maximally protect the interests of our citizens so they would not be discriminated against.

“In terms of protecting against discrimination, the government can of course understand, record that if there is a case of discrimination, it can also take some action that stems from it.”

Sports: Historic victory of FC Ararat-Armenia, exclusive report from Tbilisi

August 18, 2019March 12, 2026 Maral Takmazian

News.am, Armenia

Aug 17 2019

NEWS.am Sport presents the 43^rd part of #Corner with Samvel Sukiasyan football program.

#Corner traveled to Tbilisi and witnessed Armenia’s champion, FC Ararat-Armenia score a historic victory over Georgia’s champion Saburtalo. A week after losing 1-2 to Saburtalo after the first match of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, Vardan Minasyan’s team took revenge, won 2-0 and became the first Armenian team to make it to the final qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

#Corner presents an exclusive report from Tbilisi, featuring the match, the entourage, the march of Armenian fans, a city tour and incredible emotions.

FC Ararat-Armenia will compete with Luxembourg’s champion Dudelange to score a pass to the group round. Dudelange will play with FC Ararat-Armenia on August 22, and the return match will be held on August 29.