Armenian national football team and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be heading back to Borussia Dortmund this summer, Onefootball said, citing reports in Italy.
Mkhitaryan enjoyed the best spell of his career so far at Dortmund before he left to join Manchester United in the summer of 2016.
The Armenian playmaker then joined Arsenal in a swap deal for Alexis Sánchez in January 2018 and has since scored nine goals and assisted 12 others in 54 appearances for the Gunners.
But the 30-year-old’s time in England has been underwhelming overall and with Arsenal set to overhaul their squad this summer, Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb claim he could be offered a route back to Dortmund in the summer.
Mkhitaryan previously spent three years at the Westfalenstadion and was voted Kicker’s Bundesliga Players’ Player of the Season in 2015/16.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, the players’ agent Mino Raiola has told Italian media that his client would be interested in a move back to his old stomping ground.
Soria, 9 may (EFE).- El Ayuntamiento de Soria ha aprobado este jueves una declaración institucional, en el último pleno de la legislatura, que reconoce oficialmente el genocidio armenio y condena los crímenes contra la Humanidad que se cometieron entre 1915 y 1921.
La declaración institucional, leída por el alcalde de Soria, Carlos Martínez,, será trasladada a la asociación Ararat, al presidente del Gobierno, al ministro de Asuntos Exteriores, los grupos políticos del Congreso de los Diputados y de las Cortes regionales y la embajada de Armenia en España.
El pleno del Ayuntamiento de Soria ha aprobado esta declaración institucional cuando se cumple este año el 101 aniversario del genocidio armenio, considerado el primer genocidio del siglo XX.
“Entre los años 1915 y 1921 tuvieron lugar un conjunto de masacres y deportaciones de la población armenia del actual territorio de Turquía, especialmente durante el régimen de los jóvenes turcos, en que murieron 1.500.000 armenios y otros 2.000.000 tuvieron que abandonar sus lugares y expandirse por todo el mundo, formando la gran diáspora armenia”, señala la declaración.
Las masacres se caracterizaron por su brutalidad y la utilización de marchas forzadas con deportaciones en condiciones extremas, que generalmente llevaban a la muerte a muchos de los deportados.
El genocidio armenio ha sido reconocido por países como Argentina, Bélgica, Canadá y Francia, cuarenta y cuatro estados de los Estados Unidos y tres comunidades autónomas españolas (País Vasco, Cataluña y Canarias).EFE
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https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20190509/462135207946/el-ayuntamiento-de-soria-reconoce-y-condena-el-genocidio-armenio.html
MORELIA, Mich., 7 de mayo de 2019.- Con un minuto de silencio el Congreso del Estado reconoció el genocidio armenio que México no ha aceptado aún de manera oficial, a propuesta de la diputada de Morena Cristina Portillo.
La legisladora invitó al cónsul de Armenia, Jack Sahakian, a la sesión pública de este martes, para que fuera testigo del posicionamiento que hizo, a propósito de ese crimen de lesa humanidad, el cual se recuerda el 24 de abril. Dijo que se abre una posibilidad legal y diplomática para que el Estado mexicano reconsidere y haga un posicionamiento oficial al respecto.
Desde la tribuna, reconoció que en un contexto en el que nuestra propia circunstancia local nos obliga a estar atentos para evitar una escalada de violencia e inseguridad, no es fácil escarbar entre los huesos de la historia y del tiempo.
“Ese fue un penoso momento, perfectamente documentado, en el cual el pueblo armenio fue deportado masivamente, expropiados sus bienes, y secuestrados, torturados y masacrados sus cuerpos, para exterminarlos de un territorio que ocupaba ancestralmente. ¡Y, aun así, hay quienes pretenden hacer creer que no existió, como si la palabra y los decretos fueran suficientes para borrar los hechos, la violencia, la sangre, los muertos!”.
Portillo acusó que el genocidio armenio es un episodio que, a través de la política, se ha pretendido silenciar y ocultar, pero no es así. “No podemos permitir que sea así. ¡Por eso, aquí, recordamos el 24 de abril de 1915, y el de cada año, como el Día del Genocidio Armenio!”
Recordó que el exterminio fue planeado estratégicamente y operado por el Estado de Turquía contra toda la población armenia cristiana del Imperio Otomano. Los que no murieron en el acto, fallecieron en el proceso de expulsión de sus territorios. Los sobrevivientes expatriados, se desplazaron a prácticamente todo el mundo, donde ahora hay más de 8 millones de personas con nacionalidad armenia o descendientes de ellos. Muchos de ellos prósperos ciudadanos y ciudadanas de los países que les dieron asilo a sus ancestros sobrevivientes.
Pero en los antiguos asentamientos armenios del Imperio Otomano, la matanza continuó hasta más allá de 1923. Por eso, una vez concluida la Primera Guerra Mundial y al conocerse los lamentables hechos a través de los medios de comunicación de ese entonces, y los reportes diplomáticos, la comunidad internacional, impulsada por algunos intelectuales, condenó los acontecimientos y empezó a denominarlo Genocidio Armenio, por haber sido un crimen contra la humanidad.
Le génocide des Arméniens perpétré au début du XXe siècle et qui a fait plus de 1,5 million de morts a été officiellement reconnu en France par une loi de janvier 2001. Cette année, le Président de la République a décidé de faire du 24 avril une journée nationale de commémoration. À cette occasion, l’ARAM (association pour la recherche et l’archivage de la mémoire arménienne) et l’amicale des Arméniens de Toulouse et de Midi-Pyrénées proposent, dans le hall de l’Hôtel du département, une exposition qui relate, au travers de plusieurs panneaux, l’histoire et les circonstances du génocide des Arméniens. Cette exposition est installée depuis le 24 avril et sera visible jusqu’au 15 mai, aux heures d’ouverture du conseil départemental. Le vernissage de l’exposition a eu lieu mardi soir le hall d’honneur de l’Hôtel du département.
Annual tribute to Maria Jacobsen
SOLVANG, Calif.,—By the initiative of the Friends of Maria Jacobsen Committee, the annual tribute to Maria Jacobsen was held at Bethania Lutheran Church in Solvang. The event, which took place on Sunday, May 5, was in honor of Maria Jacobson, the founder of the Bird’s Nest Orphanage in Jbeil, Lebanon.
On behalf of Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Rev. Movses Shannakian participated in the commemoration.
Rev. Movses Shannakian
The program began with prayer in front of the Maria Jacobsen bust in the church courtyard. Committee Chair Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiayan welcomed and thanked the guests for their participation.
Rev. Movses conveyed the Prelate’s message, conveying gratitude to Maria Jacobsen and all humanitarians who saved and cared for orphans of the Armenian Genocide. Pastor Christ Brown expressed his appreciation for the tribute and affirmed that his church is always open to this and similar events. The program also included cultural performances.
The tribute concluded with the singing of “Cilicia” after which attended were hosted to lunch by the organizing committee.
Participants of the Armenia-Artsakh Strategic Treaty Forum in Stepanakert on May 7
Dozens of political, military and civil society experts gathered in Stepanakert Tuesday to address the Armenia-Artsakh Strategic Treaty, an issue that has been discussed for several years, without fruition, and to emphasize the importance of drafting and signing such a document as a lever to advance the security of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as to further efforts to garner international recognition for the Artsakh Republic.
The forum, organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, took place in the chambers of the Artsakh National Assembly, whose speaker Ashot Ghulyan welcomed the participants to Stepanakert and emphasized the importance of the forum as a means to further strengthen Armenia and Artsakh.
Ghulyan pointed that it is impossible to envision Armenia without Artsakh and Artsakh without Armenia, saying this cohesion strengthens Armenian capabilities and inspires confidence in the future, while at the same time buttressing the security of both republics.
Armenia-Artsakh Strategic Treaty is envisioned to be a document that will legally cement Armenia’s continued support for Artsakh and clearly delineate the parameters of cooperation in economic, social, political and military realms.
The participants of the forum were members of political parties represented within and outside of both the Armenian and Artsakh parliaments, as well as political and military experts who currently or in the past have had a direct role from the onset of the Artsakh Liberation Movement.
The forum provided an opportunity to exchange views on the matter and to assess the scope of issues that would be included in an eventual Armenia-Artsakh Strategic Treaty.
ARF Bureau President Armen Rustamyan told the forum that at the current stage of the Karabakh conflict resolution process, the adoption of such a document would not only advance the agenda of peace, but would also become a tool to guarantee the security of both Armenia and Artsakh, given that since the signing of the Karabakh cease fire agreement in May 1994, Armenia has assumed the role of not just caretaker, but also the sole entity that has maintained the security and stability of the region.
He emphasized that the treaty must be viewed from the perspective of guaranteeing Armenia’s and Artsakh collective security, safety and defense in various spheres by delineating the relations between the two republics based on critical national interests and ideals.
The imperative for drafting and implementing a collective treaty was also emphasized by the ARF Bureau’s political affairs director Giro Manoyan, who pointed out that while such a document might not be welcomed by the Karabakh conflict resolution mediators—the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs—past events, such as the 2016 April War, have shown that postponing this effort would not be beneficial to the advancement of a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
“We have no right to blame others, if we do not show determination,” said Manoyan. “Such a step will defend the rights of Artsakh’s population and will substantiate legal concerns such as the deployment of soldiers from Armenia on the frontlines.”
During his presentation, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan said that the issues must be viewed from the perspective that the ultimate goal is the reunification of Artsakh and Armenia.
“The treaty is not a goal, but a means to achieve the goals. There is consensus on the goal—the final goal of reunification with Armenia. There is no consensus on the method of achieving it. Is it through independence or direct reunification?” said Beglaryan.
The human rights defender, who is also known as the ombudsman said that Armenia and Artsakh do not have sufficient external clout to counter what he called “sharp turns,” saying that preparations for a final treaty document could signal the expectations to the international community.
He emphasized that Azerbaijan is advancing through its own strategy, in which relations between Armenia and Artsakh are irrelevant.
Also among the speakers at the forum was former ARF Bureau chairman Hrant Markarian who warned of a danger looming around Artsakh and the Karabakh conflict resolution process.
“The danger is that some Armenians believe Artsakh is a burden and that it is necessary to lift that burden as soon as possible,” said Markarian, adding that there are also people who believe Artsakh is an opportunity for Armenians to become strong.
“Artsakh will help us develop the Armenian economy and liberate Gandzak and Nakhichevan. Artsakh is vital for Armenia’s existence. We can enhance the country, but we can’t do it by making concessions. Even the smallest concession will lead us to doom. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t negotiate. Even if Azerbaijan makes a concession, we must realize that this conflict is eternal,” added Markarian, saying that all Armenians need to unite as one, become organized and win this battle for our nation’s existence, even if it takes centuries.
At the conclusion of the forum, a 15-member organizing committee was chosen to review the presentations and prepare a declaration based on them.
The body is comprised of the following individuals: Vartkes Baghryan (Armenia), Gagik Petrosyan (Artsakh), Davit Ishkhanyan (Artsakh), Armen Rustamyan (Armenia), Giro Manoyan (Armenia), Ishkhan Saghatelyan (Armenia), Gegham Manukyan (Armenia), Davit Shahnazaryan (Armenia), Sergey Bagratyan (Armenia), Gegham Nazaryan (Armenia), Ruben Melikyan (Armenia), Masis Abrahamian (Netherlands), Seyran Baghdasaryan (Russia), Melik Karakavorian (Lebanon) and Vache Thomassian (United States).
Armenian soldiers on break (Photo by Armenpress)
Raises of soldiers’ compensation, better and more nutritious rations, as well as upgraded weapons and arms have enhanced the Armenia’s military capabilities and improved living conditions for the armed forces. This is how Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described the reforms his government has undertaken since taking office a year ago, during a press conference on Wednesday.
Pashinyan explained that military personnel wages are scheduled to increase beginning in July, saying that soldiers will compensation will be raised by 20 percent, while personnel in special operations will get a bump of 30 percent to their wages.
The press conference, which was convened to mark the first anniversary of Pashinyan’s election as prime minister, following a popular movement that toppled the Serzh Sarkisian regime last year, lasted a whopping five-plus hours. During this marathon session, Pashinyan touted his government’s work and provided a list of 100 accomplishments that happened under his watch.
Among those accomplishments Pashinyan announced that the government has allocated 5.7 billion drams (around $3.5 million) from the reserve fund for solving the housing issue of military pensioners. At the same time he said, 107 servicemen have received free housing, and an additional 410 apartments have been donated to families of killed servicemen and other beneficiaries.
He also reported that the military insurance fund has expanded coverage to cover personnel affected from 2008 to 2016.
“As a result, an additional 339 beneficiaries will receive monthly 100,000 to 400,000 drams (around $206 to $830) in compensation.” Prior to this change, the military insurance fund only covered those servicemen impacted since the 2016 April War.
“The number of conscripted soldiers serving combat shifts has been reduced by nearly 700. They have been substituted by contract servicemen. Police troops are participating in the patrol of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border and have their designated bases,” explained Pashinyan.
According to the prime minister, efforts to enhance conditions have included equipping 47 combat positions with industrial electricity, and 73 positions with fresh water supply. Hundreds of combat positions of the military have received appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators, while 136 new modern video surveillance devices have been installed along the border.
Pashinyan also said that Armenia has begun the process of acquiring SU-30 SM Russian multi-role fighter jets.
“I am saying this publicly because it is already a known fact. I can’t say anything else about the acquisition of other armaments and equipment,” explained Pashinyan.
Other reforms touted by Pashinyan included the changes made to military food rations by adding more nutritional food and surveying soldiers about their preferences. He also said military uniforms, which will be made in Armenia, will also be upgraded. It was also reported that soldiers were allowed to use their mobile devices to contact their families.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addresses members of parliament on May 8
The previous government has destroyed classified national security documents on the eve of the Velvet Revolution, said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a press conference on Wednesday, convened to mark the one-year anniversary of his election to prime minister following a popular movement that toppled the Serzh Sarkisian regime.
Pashinyan was asked to elaborate on this statement during a meeting in parliament, where Arman Babajanyan, a member of the opposition Bright Armenia party pressed the leader for further explanations on the explosive revelation.
Pashinyan, who also announced that a special investigation into the alleged incident was already underway, saying that his government discovered the misappropriation of documents sometime last summer, months after assuming power.
Pashinyan said the destroyed documents concerned a wide circle of persons and events.
“We thought we shouldn’t publicly address this delicate issue, but since questions are addressed to the government that indirectly concern this subject, for example whether or not the National Security Service knows what happened in March 1 [2008] and how, we understand that we should somehow respond to this. And we decided to voice this issue in order for the public to be informed about what is happening,” Pashinyan said, adding that it would even be wrong to say that the materials have been destroyed, they are simply “missing.”
Pashinyan said that the internal investigation will assess the situation and did not rule out criminal charges.
Babajanyan pressed Pashinyan about whether the said documents were related to the March 1, 2008 incidents, during which eight civilians and two police officers were killed in a standoff between protesters and security officials.
“The fact that the documents concern a large-scale matter is obvious encompassing both indivuals and events. In certain cases there are pieces of the documents left behind, and by following them we understand that the material itself is missing,” Pashinyan said, adding that similar cases have been discovered during the investigation.
Wednesday,
Pashinian Defends One-Year Track Record
• Karlen Aslanian
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian gives a press conference in Yerevan,
May 8, 2019.
Nikol Pashinian strongly defended his and his government’s track record on
Wednesday as he marked the first anniversary of his election as Armenia’s prime
minister with another marathon news conference.
Pashinian presented a list of what he called 100 concrete achievements of his
rule, which began after mass protests that brought down the former Armenian
government. In particular, he claimed to have eliminated electoral fraud and
“systemic” government corruption and established broader rule of rule in the
country.
“As a result of my government’s activities, nobody is privileged before the law
in Armenia and citizens’ political and civil rights are protected and fully
exercised,” Pashinian told the news conference that lasted for more than five
hours. “We have consistently carried out a separation of the judicial and
executive branches and ensured judicial independence.”
Pashinian also insisted that his administration is already delivering on his
repeated pledges to carry out an “economic revolution” that will significantly
boost living standards in Armenia. He cited its efforts to improve the business
environment and combat widespread tax evasion.
The government has collected 62 billion drams ($129 million) in additional
revenues as a result of its yearlong crackdown on tax fraud, Pashinian said,
adding that most of that money will be spent this year on road construction and
other capital projects.
ARMENIA - Newly elected Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinian (L) greets
supporters during a meeting in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia May 8, 2018
In Pashinian’s words, the new authorities in Yerevan have also recovered 32
billion drams ($66 million) worth of cash and other assets that had been
“plundered” from the state by former officials and their relatives. He implied
that this figure includes $30 million effectively confiscated from former
President Serzh Sarkisian’s indicted brother Aleksandr.
Pashinian’s political opponents, notably Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK),
and other critics take a dim view of his tenure. They say that he has failed to
improve the socioeconomic situation in the country.
“In my view, this past year has been a year of losses for Armenia, in terms of
security, the economy and the public’s expectations,” the HHK spokesman, Eduard
Sharmazanov, claimed on Wednesday.
Sharmazanov argued that the Armenian economy grew faster in 2017 than in 2018.
“[Pashinian] was talking about an investment boom, we don’t have an investment
boom,” he. “He was talking about an economic miracle, a ‘magic wand’ and,
later, an economic revolution and exponential growth, which we don’t have
either.”
Commenting on such criticism, Pashinian again hit out at Sarkisian and other
members of the former ruling regime. He said they stand no chance of ever
returning to power because Armenians are well aware that they had enriched
themselves and their families while in power.
The 43-year-old premier, who led last spring’s “velvet revolution,” also
dismissed claims about his declining popularity. He said if general elections
were held now his My Step bloc would fare even better than it did in the last
polls held in December. My Step won 70 percent of the vote at the time.
Kocharian Sees ‘Powerful’ Opposition Emerging In Armenia
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian gives an interview to the Russian
NTV channel, Yerevan, 28Aug2018.
Armenia’s imprisoned former President Robert Kocharian has predicted the
emergence of a new and “powerful” opposition force in the country and said he
will be involved in it.
In written comments to the Reuters news agency published on Wednesday,
Kocharian also reiterated that grave criminal charges leveled against him are
politically motivated.
“This process will certainly lead to the creation of a powerful political force
capable of challenging the authorities very soon,” he said, writing from a
detention center in Yerevan where he is being held.
Asked if he will be personally involved in the emerging opposition, he replied:
“Yes, of course.” But he did not give details about what form that involvement
could take.
Kocharian, who served as president from 1998-2008, announced his return to
active politics shortly after spending about a month in jail last summer. He
was again arrested in December.
Kocharian and two retired army generals will go on trial soon on charges of
overthrowing the constitutional order in the wake of a disputed presidential
election held in February 2008. They are specifically accused of using the
armed forces against opposition supporters that protested against alleged vote
rigging.
Eight protesters and two police servicemen were killed in street clashes that
broke out in Yerevan late on March 1, 2008. Kocharian declared a state of
emergency in the Armenian capital on that night. He completed his second
presidential term and handed over power to Serzh Sarkisian, the official
election winner and his preferred successor, in April 2008.
Armenia - A man walks past burned cars on a street in Yerevan where security
forces clashed with opposition protesters, 2 March 2008.
Kocharian again defended the decisions he took during the 2008 protests. “Order
was restored only after the introduction of the state of emergency and thanks
to it,” he said. “Not doing that would have meant official inaction on the part
of the president.”
Sarkisian resigned in April 2018 amid mass protests against his attempt to
extend his decade-long rule. The protest leader, Nikol Pashinian, was elected
prime minister in May.
Looking back at the peaceful protests, Kocharian said they were caused by
“accumulated discontent in the society and desire for change”, but were not a
revolution.
“I would not call it a revolution as fundamentally nothing has changed in the
country, except for the appearance of a big share of aggression in the society,
and populism and dilettantism in the leadership,” he said in written answers to
questions Reuters had sent to him.
Critics have accused the 64-year-old ex-president and his former allies of
cracking down on democracy, corruption and mismanagement during their time in
power. They have denied those allegations.
Pay Rise For Yerevan Mayor, Aides Shelved
• Narine Ghalechian
Armenia - Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutian arrives for a session of the city
council, May 8, 2019.
Yerevan’s Mayor Hayk Marutian shelved on Wednesday his controversial plans to
sharply raise his and his top subordinates’ salaries.
Under a bill drafted by his office, Marutian’s monthly salary would rise from
575,000 drams to 1.2 million drams ($2,500). It calls for similarly drastic pay
rises for his deputies and other high-ranking members of the mayor’s staff. A
much larger number of other, lower and mid-ranking municipal workers would have
their salaries raised by only around 30 percent.
Citing this disparity, the two opposition groups represented in the city
council were quick to reject the bill after it was made public last week. Some
of the council members representing the ruling My Step alliance also strongly
objected to it at a meeting with Marutian held on Monday.
Marutian defended his plans, saying that they are primarily aimed at benefiting
1,700 or so people working for the municipal administration. He said that he
would have liked to keep his own salary unchanged but is legally not allowed to
do that. He insisted that the uneven wage increases are also mandated by
Armenian law.
Nevertheless, the well-to-do former TV comedian decided to remove the
controversial bill from the agenda of a council session which was due to debate
and vote on it.
“I want everyone to be convinced that this is the kind of document which we
want to have … We will widely discuss it, inform our population and then come
back to this auditorium,” he told the council controlled by My Step.
Davit Khazhakian, a leader of the opposition Luys bloc, again accused Marutian
of mismanagement and said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is also responsible
for it. Khazhakian singled out a worsening situation with garbage collection in
Yerevan.
The 42-year-old mayor rejected the “populist” claims, saying that he needs more
time to address “a problem that hadn’t been solved for 20 years.”
Marutian further claimed that the Yerevan municipality was “Armenia’s most
corrupt agency” when he took over it in October as a result of My Step’s
victory in snap municipal elections. “I can tell you for sure that systemic
corruption in the mayor’s office does not exist anymore,” he declared.
Judges Censured For Not Dealing With Kocharian Case
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- A sign at the entrance to the Supreme Judicial Council.
A state body overseeing the Armenian judiciary on Wednesday took disciplinary
action against two judges who recently refused to deal with the high-profile
criminal case against former President Robert Kocharian.
The judges of a district court in Yerevan, Nelly Baghdasarian and Harutiun
Manukian, were assigned to rule on petitions regarding Kocharian pre-trial
arrest which had been filed by his lawyers and prosecutors. They both decided
to recuse themselves from the case. Baghdasarian attributed her decision to
questions about her impartiality raised by the prosecution, while Manukian
cited health reasons.
The Supreme Judicial Council sanctioned them at the request of Armenia’s
General Assembly of Judges. It accused Baghdasarian of serious misconduct and
formally reprimanded her. For his part, Manukian received a more lenient
“warning.”
Gevorg Danielian, a member of the council, said neither judge had “sufficient
grounds” to avoid taking up the case.
Kocharian stands accused of “overthrowing the constitutional order” in the wake
of a disputed 2008 presidential election. He and two retired Armenian army
generals are due to go on trial soon. They deny the charges as politically
motivated.
Another Yerevan judge, Vartan Grigorian, refused to preside over the trial last
week, citing a conflict of interest. He argued that he used to work for one of
Kocharian’s lawyers, Ruben Sahakian.
Danielian dismissed suggestions that Armenian judges are reluctant to deal with
the politically sensitive case. “The behavior of two or three judges is not
enough to express an opinion about the entire judicial system,” he told
reporters.
Press Review
“Zhamanak” says that Nikol Pashinian has had achievements and made mistakes
since becoming Armenia’s prime minister one year ago. The paper says those
mistakes were not intentional. “The main achievement is that after a nearly
20-year hiatus we again have a totally legitimate government in Armenia as a
result of the velvet revolution,” it says. “A government which was elected by
the will of the people, in free and fair elections, and is now accountable to
the people.” The lack of such legitimacy was the root cause of the country’s
problems, according to the paper.
“Aravot” says that quite a few Armenians believe that “little has changed in
the past year.” “But I am convinced that several important things have changed
in the positive sense,” writes the newspaper editor, Aram Abrahamian. In
particular, he says, unlike his predecessors, Pashinian is backed and trusted
by the majority of people, and the current Armenian parliament was formed in
free and fair elections. “As a consequences of these two changes, the public’s
and media’s ability to hold the authorities in check have increased,” continues
Abrahamian. “This represents a huge potential … for change. But for various
reasons this potential is being used insufficiently.”
“Zhamanak” reports that a new judge has been assigned to preside over the trial
of former President Robert Kocharian after one of his colleagues decided to
recuse himself from the high-profile case. The paper highly critical of
Kocharian wonders if the judge, Davit Grigorian, will “dare” to take up the
case. It says that many judges appointed during Kocharian’s and Serzh
Sarkisian’s rule are suffering from a “psychological complex” and hopes that
the upcoming trial will contribute to judicial independence in the country.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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