Category: 2019

                                        Thursday, 
Ter-Petrosian Party Warns Government Over Economic Policies
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian (L) and Nikol Pashinian greet supporters 
in Yerevan's Liberty Square, 31 May 2011.
The extra-parliamentary Armenian National Congress (HAK) party led by 
ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian has called on the government to abandon 
changes that it claims contradict the principles of the declared economic 
policy.
In a statement disseminated on Wednesday the HAK, which had earlier voiced 
political support for the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, 
referred to a number of protests by representatives of small and medium-sized 
businesses, who it said raise legitimate demands to the authorities.
The HAK also cited the package of amendments to the tax legislation that was 
approved by the government on March 7 in which “separate bills hit the 
activities of small and medium-sized enterprises and affect the policy of 
promoting free enterprise.”
The party also addressed controversial amendments planned in the law on state 
duty, which envisage a significant increase in the rates of payments for 
licenses in the financial and credit sphere and which has caused discontent and 
protests among representatives of the sector.
In this connection, the HAK expressed concerns over risks to market 
liberalization, promotion of free economic competition and improvement of the 
business environment.
It said that the implementation of changes in the amount of annual payments for 
the organization of foreign currency trading and pawnshops by 60 times and the 
increase of 6 times for lending organizations will inevitably result in 
closures of most of over 220 individual foreign exchange buying and selling 
companies and reduction of jobs, as well as the elimination of the already 
weakened competition in the currency market. On the other hand, the party said, 
it will result in the closures of most pawnshops and serious obstacles to the 
activities of lending organizations that will eventually lead to more costly 
services and concentration of the lending market.
Dozens of workers of exchange offices and pawnshops have held protests in front 
of the government offices in recent weeks demanding revision of the policies.
In its statement the HAK also raised concerns over policies in relation to 
small and medium-sized enterprises, saying that “it is perplexing that 
principles of economic policies are subordinated to fiscal goals.”
The HAK suggests that before carrying out amendments in relevant laws the 
government should start discussions with all associations representing the 
financial and credit sector and other stakeholders.
Oversight Body Chief Found In Breach Of Ethics Rules
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
Davit Sanasarian, head of the State Oversight Service, Yerevan, Armenia, 21 
March, 2019
The Ethics Committee for High-Ranking Officials has found that the head of a 
supervisory body subordinate to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has violated 
rules of ethics set out in Armenia’s law on public service.
In a statement this week the Committee said that by his activities Davit 
Sanasarian, the head of the State Oversight Service, “did not contribute to the 
credibility of and respect towards his office and the body he represents.”
The Committee conducted a probe based on the application submitted by Yerevan 
State University Rector Aram Simonian, who insisted that Sanasarian made public 
statements that resulted in grave breaches of ethics rules.
Sanasarian earlier stated that misappropriations worth over 800 million drams 
(about $1.6 million) had been found at the university headed by Simonian.
A criminal case was launched last year in connection with alleged 
misappropriations.
Simonian has been under pressure to resign since the change of government last 
year. He claims he is targeted because of his political affiliation as a member 
of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia.
The Ethics Committee for High-Ranking Officials found that Sanasarian’s public 
statement and social media post “can be reasonably perceived and interpreted as 
a display of biased attitude and demonstration of force.”
State Oversight Service head Sanasarian told reporters after a government 
session on Thursday that he does not accept the Ethics Committee’s ruling and 
will appeal it in court.
“This probe should not have been launched in the first place, and secondly, 
there are no grounds for such a ruling,” he said.
Tsarukian’s Bodyguard Goes On Trial For Assault
        • Narine Ghalechian
At the trial of Prosperous Armenia Party lawmaker Eduard Babayan, 
A parliament deputy who was until recently Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) 
leader Gagik Tsarukian’s chief bodyguard went on trial on Thursday on charges 
of violent assault.
Eduard Babayan was arrested in July last year hours after a 50-year-old man in 
Yerevan was hospitalized with serious injuries. The latter claimed to have been 
beaten up at a compound of Armenia’s National Olympic Committee headed by 
Tsarukian. He said he was hit by Tsarukian before being repeatedly kicked and 
punched by Babayan and another person.
Both Tsarukian and Babayan strongly denied the allegation. The burly bodyguard 
was charged even though his alleged victim, Vyacheslav Harutiunian, later 
retracted his incriminating testimony.
Babayan was freed on bail in August. He was elected to the Armenian parliament 
on the BHK ticket in December.
At the beginning of the trial Harutiunian again said that he did not consider 
himself to be a victim in the case.
And Babayan again pleaded not guilty. “I wasn’t involved in any beating. I was 
not in that room. I was upstairs together with Tsarukian,” he said.
During the break in the court hearing Harutiunian told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
Service that Babayan did not beat him. “I am on very good terms with him… Mr. 
Tsarukian and Eduard Babayan were not physically present [during the incident]. 
We had no argument, we are good friends,” said Harutiunian, adding that he 
received his injuries after slipping and falling down.
One of the witnesses in the case, a police officer who served at the National 
Olympic Committee compound, said that he did not see Babayan at that day 
despite his preliminary testimony read out by the prosecuting attorney in which 
he said that he saw Tsarukian enter the building together with his bodyguard.
Armenian media have repeatedly implicated Tsarukian’s bodyguards -- and Babayan 
in particular -- in violence, including against opponents of former 
governments, in the past. The BHK leader, who is also one of the country’s 
richest men, always denied those claims.
In a police video released in July, Babayan’s alleged victim said that he was 
attacked after imploring Tsarukian to help ensure that Armenian law-enforcement 
authorities withdraw an international arrest warrant issued for his son accused 
of draft evasion.
The young man is a boxer and Russian national who was told to serve in 
Armenia’s armed forces after receiving Armenian citizenship in order to compete 
for the South Caucasus country in international tournaments.
Armenian Female Chess Player Alleges Pregnancy Discrimination, Sues Federation
        • Naira Nalbandian
Armenian woman grandmaster Lilit Galojan
International woman grandmaster Lilit Galojan has filed a lawsuit against the 
Armenian Chess Federation, claiming that she was illegally left out of the 
national team because of her recent pregnancy.
The 35-year-old player, who has won several national titles and medals in 
international competitions during her chess career, also believes her political 
views during last year’s revolution may also have influenced the decision of 
the Federation that is headed by former President Serzh Sarkisian.
Galojan, who for years was a member of Armenia’s national team and participated 
in world and European championships and chess Olympiads, claims that the order 
of the composition of the squad was changed in violation of the Federation’s 
regulations. In particular, according to her, the meeting of the Federation’s 
Board on December 17, 2017 could not be considered legitimate as the presence 
of two thirds of the staff was not ensured and the protocol of the meeting 
signed by Sarkisian was forged.
“That could not be called a board meeting. It was just some meeting at which 
the head of the Federation was present. Even if he was the president of 
Armenia, it does not allow the Federation to break its own regulations just 
because a high-ranking official was present there,” the grandmaster said.
Galojan further insisted that the protocol falsely presented her as a 
participant of the meeting while she did not attend it. “It does not have a 
word about any change in the regulations,” she said, referring to provisions 
that led to her exclusion from the team.
The final composition of the squad was formed on May 2, 2018, when stormy 
political developments were taking place in Armenia. Galojan said she did not 
exclude that one of the reasons for the decision not to include her in the team 
was her and her family’s political views as during the days of anti-government 
protests Galojan did not join the members of the Armenian chess team who voiced 
their support for Sarkisian, congratulated him on his election as prime 
minister and described the movement led by then opposition leader Nikol 
Pashinian as unacceptable.
“I made some posts on Facebook after being inspired by the revolution,” Galojan 
said.
Secretary-general of the Armenian Chess Federation Mikayel Andreasian described 
Galojan’s accusations as slander. He told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the 
grandmaster had been offered to take part in an international tournament, for 
which the Federation would cover all expenses, even though it wasn’t its 
obligation. However, he said, because Galojan was pregnant at that time, she 
refused to participate in the tournament and there was no way to determine 
whether by the level of her preparedness she was qualified to be included in 
the national team or not. And the order of forming the team was changed so as 
to make it more competitive, said the Federation official, ruling out any 
illegality in the process.
“We had kept all members of the board informed of the decisions and they agreed 
to vote for them in absentia,” Andreasian explained.
Galojan has also presented financial claims to the Federation and wants to be 
paid for the time she was not on the team as well as receive financial 
compensation for missing an international tournament. The Federation official, 
however, explained that they did not pay salaries to national team players and 
that the payments they receive constitute “social assistance” given at the 
Federation’s discretion.
“For 15 years Galojan was on the team. The Federation met every need that she 
had during that time,” Andreasian said.
Despite stepping down as prime minister in April 2018, Sarkisian remains head 
of the Chess Federation and according to the regulations can lead this body 
until 2022.
Press Review
“Zhamanak” suggests that the former ruling system cannot be associated even 
with the concept of being opposition as “it affects the prospect of the 
formation of a new opposition in Armenia.” “The former ruling system cannot be 
considered opposition and the reason is not even that a considerable part of 
that system, including the one possessing media resources, declared itself 
outside the political status, the underlying reason is that the former ruling 
system has put the public outside the political status, and even the public 
groups dissatisfied with the new government in this sense differentiate their 
attitude towards their issues and the former ruling system,” the paper says.
“Zhoghovurd” writes: “Head of the State Oversight Service Davit Sanasarian has 
violated rules of ethics set out under article 28 of the Law on Public Service 
by not contributing to “the credibility of and respect towards his office and 
the body he represents.” This conclusion has been made by the Ethics Committee 
for High-Ranking Officials within the framework of a probe initiated on the 
basis of an application of Yerevan State University Rector Aram Simonian. 
What’s interesting is that still on February 19 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian made a remarkable statement in the National Assembly about former 
activists who occupy state posts today. He said that “many think that if in the 
past the platforms of their activities were Facebook accounts it is also so now 
and by posting harsh statements they can go and check some organizations 
without thinking that this posted statement can be a basis for litigation.”… 
Many think that Sanasarian was one of the addressees of these remarks.”
Lragir.am queries whether it is realistic that Nagorno-Karabakh can return to 
the table of negotiations with Azerbaijan. “Different people say that there is 
no possibility for that and that in the foreseeable future Nagorno-Karabakh 
cannot be a negotiating party. Azerbaijan and the mediators, they say, will not 
accept that. And this circumstance brings about another question – in forming 
its agenda does the State have to be guided by goals that have guaranteed ways 
of achievement? Or should they be formed not based on the guaranteed result but 
rather on necessity, state interest, security and strategic prospect? After 
all, if it is necessary to formulate only objectives with guaranteed results, 
it diminishes the significance and function of the State altogether,” the 
online publication writes.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
 
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

                                        Wednesday, 
Aliyev Again Rejects Armenian Proposal To Include Karabakh In Peace Talks
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (file photo)
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has again rejected an Armenian proposal on 
the inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh as a full party to internationally mediated 
negotiations for the settlement of the protracted conflict.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian reiterated the proposal at a press 
conference in Yerevan on March 19, insisting that it will not constitute a 
change of the current format of talks mediated by the Organization for Security 
and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group, but rather will be the restoration of 
the format that existed for several years after 1994 when Nagorno-Karabakh was 
a separate party to the ceasefire agreement that put a halt to active military 
operations in the region.
Aliyev, meanwhile, again referred to Armenia’s proposal as “a change in the 
negotiations format,” which he said is unacceptable.
“Azerbaijan cannot agree to that. And envoys of the Minsk Group co-chair 
countries made a serious statement, saying that the format of the negotiations 
should remain unchanged. Similar statements were also made by high-ranking EU 
officials. It is definitely a serious message to Armenia, and it also proves 
that Azerbaijan’s position is getting more and more support,” Aliyev said on 
Wednesday.
Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinian 
emphasized that his statements on the need for Nagorno-Karabakh’s engagement in 
the talks was not a “challenge”, but rather “an invitation to dialogue” in 
which Armenia was ready to listen to Azerbaijan’s counterarguments.
“We will continue discussions on this subject with our partners and will try to 
continue this discussion in the field of arguments, because negotiations are 
negotiations only when we listen to each other. At least Armenia has shown its 
ability to listen to its opponent, try to understand the other side, and we 
expect the same from them. Where our partners consider that our position can be 
viewed as excessively tough, we can soften this position, but we would expect 
the same from our partners, because otherwise no conversation will take place,” 
the Armenian leader said, in particular.
Meanwhile, at a press briefing in Yerevan today Armenian Foreign Ministry 
spokesperson Anna Naghdalian said that the expected meeting between the 
Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders will not be “negotiations around the 
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement issue proper, but an endeavor to elaborate 
appropriate interpretations regarding the principles and elements of the 
settlement process.”
“There are different interpretations of the three principles and six elements 
included in the document. Azerbaijan interprets them its own way, the Armenian 
side also makes its own interpretation… Therefore, there is a need for a 
meeting just to work out an appropriate interpretation for all three principles 
and six elements, and only then understand how to move forward,” said 
Naghdalian.
Opposition Lawmaker Sees ‘Growing Discontent’ In Armenia
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Gevork Gorgisian, secretary of the Bright Armenia parliamentary faction
There is a growing wave of social discontent in Armenia and it is dangerous if 
the prime minister is not aware of it, an opposition lawmaker said on 
Wednesday, commenting on the statement that Nikol Pashinian amde at a press 
conference yesterday.
Pashinian, in particular, said: “There is no growing wave of discontent in 
Armenia and I am saying this for the record. In the next five years we will see 
if there is a growing wave of discontent in Armenia.”
Countering this statement, Gevork Gorgisian, secretary of the opposition Bright 
Armenia faction in parliament, referred to a number of recent protests staged 
by workers in different sectors of the economy.
“Now we are discussing the new tax legislation and there are lots of complaints 
about it. Right now the National Assembly is discussing amendments to the law 
on pawnshops, in which connection there are also different complaints in 
society. We get complaints every day, we meet with citizens who represent 
different sectors and have different issues while dealing mostly with 
government institutions. And all this must be handled and something must be 
done about it,” Gorgisian said.
The oppositionist claimed that daily contacts that he and his colleagues have 
with citizens show that “people yet do not feel the real changes after the 
revolution.”
“Very high expectations have been formed and now it is very dangerous that if 
the society does not see at least some of the expectations being met, we will 
face the risk of a very serious depression,” Gorgisian said.
According to the opposition lawmaker, the Pashinian government has also failed 
to fight against systemic corruption.
On the contrary, Pashinian and other members of his government have repeatedly 
stated that government corruption has been uprooted in Armenia.
Pashinian Congratulates Tokayev on Becoming Kazakhstan’s Interim President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev being sworn in as Kazakhstan’s interim president
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Wednesday congratulated 
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on his assuming the office of Kazakhstan’s interim 
president following yesterday’s resignation of the Central Asian nation’s 
longtime leader Nursultan Nazarbayev.
In his message published on the prime minister’s official website Pashinian, in 
particular, said: “I cordially congratulate you on assuming the office of 
[interim] president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. I am convinced that your 
rich experience and knowledge will serve the best Kazakhstan’s further 
development and progress.
“The warm friendship and mutual respect between our peoples are a solid basis 
for the continuous strengthening of our inter-state relations. I express my 
readiness to cooperate closely with you in bilateral and multilateral formats 
for the further expansion and deepening of the Armenian-Kazakhstani relations.”
After announcing his resignation on March 19, Kazakhstan’s longtime ruler 
Nazarbayev, among other foreign leaders, also had a telephone conversation with 
Pashinian.
Armenia and Kazakhstan are both members of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic 
Union and Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Alabama Recognizes Armenian Genocide
People lay flowers to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of mass killings of 
Armenians by Ottoman Turks, at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan, 
Armenia, April 24, 2018
Alabama has become the 49th U.S. state to officially recognize Ottoman-era 
killings and deportations of Armenians as genocide.
Kay Ivey, Governor of the State of Alabama, proclaimed April 2019 as Genocide 
Awareness Month.
“We welcome this proclamation by Governor Ivey, making Alabama the 49th state 
in the union to officially re-affirm this international crime against 
humanity,” said Armenian National Committee of America-Eastern Region Board 
Chairman Steve Mesrobian.
“This proclamation serves as a powerful reminder that truth about genocides 
should never be held hostage to the denial of its perpetrators and those who 
continue to profit from that crime.”
Thus, all U.S. states except Mississippi have recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Since the 1960s, the Armenian community of the United States has sought 
Washington’s reaffirmation that the massacres of 1.5 million Armenians in 
Ottoman Turkey in 1915 constituted genocide and its condemnation of the crime. 
However, the White House leaders have generally avoided the use of the term 
genocide in their annual addresses and offered their support in the 
reconciliation of Armenians and Turks.
The 44th and 45th U.S. Presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, used the 
Armenian expression “Meds Yeghern” in their April 24 messages.
Press Review
“Zhoghovurd” comments on the statement made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian during yesterday’s press conference that despite the smear campaigns 
on which “former government representatives every day spend millions of 
dollars, they still cannot get the support of the people.” “Indeed, the 
division between the former governing force and the people only grew wider over 
the past two decades and the society for years rejected that government and 
last year it finally succeeded in ousting it… But still one should not 
underestimate the opponent no matter how unenviable its situation is, 
especially that this opponent is spending huge sums of money for 
counterpropaganda against the Pashinian government,” the paper says.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” writes: “The Armenian media field is full of reports about 
planned protests and expected larger-scale demonstrations. An ordinary citizen 
does not understand well what is taking place in the country. What is taking 
place is that on the one hand there is quite a large segment in Armenia – the 
former authorities and circles linked to them – those who got richer under the 
previous government and who not only lost power and their comfort in the 
passing months, but also at every moment face the prospect of appearing behind 
bars. On the other hand, Armenia indeed has serious socio-economic, security, 
demographic and other problems to solve which serious financial means are 
required. The former authorities skillfully turn into occasions for propaganda 
any attempt to change something, optimize or restore justice in the tax field, 
awakening anti-government sentiments in society. In other words, they from the 
beginning torpedo any attempt to increase the budget.”
“Zhamanak” comments on Pashinian’s statement that Armenia is discussing with 
the European Union not the issue of shutting down the nuclear power plant, but 
the issue of creating equivalent capacities: “At first glance, it seems that 
equivalent capacities means the same amount of energy production that would 
allow closing one energy producer, having a new one, and thus not having a 
shortage of production. But the issue is more than that. For example, is a 
thermal power plant equivalent to a nuclear power plant? It is clear that only 
production capacity and cost of production cannot be considered equivalent in 
the deep sense of this word, because Armenia receives gas from abroad and in 
the case with the nuclear power plant it gets the nuclear fuel once and for 
quite a long period of time…There is also perhaps the most important political, 
geopolitical and even military-political component that a nuclear power plant 
has and no other energy producing facility has. A nuclear power plant is more 
than politics as nuclear technology at present is a desirable resource even for 
very developed, strong states.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

                        Armenian News's Calendar of events
                        (All times local to events)
                =========================================
What:           Event dedicated to "Iraqi Armenian Educational Institutions"
When:           Mar 24 2019 4:30pm
Where:          St. Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral's Hall
                1510 E. Mountain St. Glendale, CA 91207
Misc:           With a high sense of gratitude to our Iraqi national Schools
                and educators, we have organized an event dedicated to "Iraqi
                Armenian Educational Institutions" under sponsorship of the
                Hamazkayin USA Western Region.
                Participating in the event are our youth with recited poem, who
                had received their Armenian education in Iraq, Singers, the
                screening of Iraqi Armenian Schools history video, former
                principals and teachers eyewitness testimony video, and remark
                of the Hamazkayin Board member.
                The event is free of charge to the public. There will be a
                reception at the end of the program.
Tel:            818-244-9639
                =========================================
What:           Armenian Economic Association 2019 Annual Meetings
When:           Jun 27 2019 10am
                to Jun 29 2019 7pm
Where:          Armenian State University of Economics, 
                the Armenian National Agrarian University, and the American
                University of Armenia
Misc:           Scholars, researchers, and graduate students are invited to
                present their research in all areas of economics and finance. 
                No cost to present or attend.
Online Contact: [email protected]
Web:            
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