Category: 2019

                                        Monday, 
Government Voices Support For Cafe Dismantling Process
Armenia -- Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian speaks to journalists, Yerevan, 
The political team running the current Armenian government has voiced its 
‘unequivocal’ support for the process of dismantling illegally constructed 
cafes around the Opera House in Yerevan that was designed to remain as a green 
area, according to Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian.
The dismantling of first two cafes in the area began last week amid protests 
from dozens of owners and employees of the commercial facilities.
A number of activists also came to nearby Liberty Square to show their support 
for the decision of the Yerevan authorities and Mayor Hayk Marutian.
Marutian, who represents the ruling Civil Contract party of Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian and whose team polled more than 80 percent of the vote in last 
year’s municipal elections, stated last week that the green zone around the 
Opera House, one of the landmark buildings in central Yerevan, should not be 
overburdened with commercial property. He insisted that a vast majority of 
Yerevan residents support the decision that was part of his team’s election 
platform.
Avinian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Monday that the Yerevan authorities 
enjoy the backing of the central government in this matter. “This is a common 
decision of our political team. And I think that the public response is also 
very adequate and I’m sure that such a policy should be continued by the 
municipality because it concerns the very center of Yerevan, the capital of the 
Republic of Armenia,” the vice-premier said.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service late last week Pashinian’s spokesperson 
Vladimir Karapetian also said that the prime minister had voiced his “support 
and solidarity” to Mayor Marutian in this matter.
Armenian Radical Party Seeks Karabakh’s ‘Incorporation’ Into Armenia
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - A press conference of 'Sasna Tsrer' party members, 
An extra-parliamentary party espousing radical views has announced the start of 
a process “to incorporate Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia as a province,” one of 
its leader said on Monday.
Varuzhan Avetisian, a founding member of Sasna Tsrer, a party formed on the 
basis of an armed group that carried out an attack on a police compound in 
Yerevan in 2016, said at a press conference that this process starts now 
“because there was a need to have a political and organizational unit in 
Artsakh [ed: Nagorno-Karabakh] first.”
“Now there is such a unit in the form of the Sasna Tsrer of Artsakh party that 
was recently registered in Artsakh and its main task is to ensure this 
process,” said Avetisian.
To the question of RFE/RL’s Armenian Service as to whether people in 
Nagorno-Karabakh that once voted for an independent status would want their 
incorporation into Armenia as a province, Zhirayr Sefilian, a leading member of 
the party, said: “We are convinced that an absolute majority shares this idea, 
and I am convinced that this process that we start is to everyone’s liking. 
There are numerous legal ways in the process. It can be through referendums, it 
can also be done through the National Assembly’s ratification or through 
national elections,” said Sefilian, citing ‘dangers of geopolitical 
developments’ and possible Russian influence over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Avetisian was one of 31 members of an armed group that stormed a police 
compound in Yerevan in July 2016, demanding that then President Serzh Sarkisian 
free Sefilian, who was arrested a month before the deadly attack. The Sasna 
Tsrer group also demanded Sarkisian’s resignation and a tougher stance in 
negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
Together with other members of the group Avetisian surrendered after a 15-day 
standoff with security forces and spent over two years in prison.
Most of the Sasna Tsrer members, including Avetisian, were released from prison 
pending investigation after last year’s change of government.
Sasna Tsrer’s latest initiative comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity 
around the Nagorno-Karabakh issue ahead of a possible first-ever formal meeting 
between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham 
Aliyev mediated through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe’s Minsk Group.
Since a 1994 ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh that put an end to large-scale 
Armenian-Azerbaijani hostilities official Yerevan has publicly opposed the idea 
of formal recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh or its incorporation into Armenia and 
the status of the disputed territory has been a matter of internationally 
mediated negotiations.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the talks if Armenia 
either recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence or recognizes it as its part.
Last week, Pashinian co-chaired a joint session of the Security Councils of 
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in Stepanakert during which he reiterated that 
Armenia will seek Nagorno-Karabakh’s becoming a full party to the talks 
currently conducted between Yerevan and Baku. Leaders in Azerbaijan have 
rejected the idea of changing the format of negotiations.
Lawmaker: Government Awaits Audit Results For Decision On Mining Project
        • Nane Sahakian
Armenia - Gold mining facilities constructed by Lydian International company at 
Amulsar deposit, 18 May 2018
The Armenian government is awaiting the results of an independent international 
environmental audit for its decision on the future of an effectively halted 
mining project amid a warning from the United States-based company about a 
possible litigation, a lawmaker representing the ruling alliance said on Monday.
Subsidiaries of the Lydian International company, which has exclusive rights to 
develop the Amulsar gold deposit in southeastern Armenia, last week threatened 
to sue the Armenian government over ongoing blockades of road access to the 
mining site, while still hoping for an out-of-court settlement of the dispute.
The company has been unable to proceed with its work since June 23 as a group 
of residents of nearby communities protesting against gold mining operations 
blocked all roads leading to the site.
More than 1,400 people working for the project, many of them also local 
residents, have therefore been unable to go to work, while the company has said 
it has suffered millions of dollars in losses.
Lydian announced on its official website on March 11 that its subsidiaries – 
Lydian U.K. Corporation Limited and Lydian Canada Ventures Corporation – have 
formally notified the Armenian government of “the existence of disputes” with 
it under relevant agreements on the promotion and protection of investments 
that Armenian authorities signed with the governments of the UK and Canada back 
in the 1990s.
According to the announcement, in accordance with the agreements Lydian UK may 
submit the dispute to international arbitration three months after such formal 
notification and Lydian Canada can do so after six months.
“In the meantime, the Government of Armenia has an opportunity to continue 
amicable discussions with Lydian with a view to the prompt settlement of the 
disputes,” the company said.
“Whether or not Lydian UK or Lydian Canada will initiate arbitration 
proceedings will depend on the conduct of the Government of Armenia, and there 
can be no assurance that Lydian UK or Lydian Canada will initiate any 
arbitration claim or application to any international arbitration court or of 
the outcome of any such claim or application. The Company does not intend to 
make any further public comments relating to these matters unless required by 
law.”
Still last summer the Armenian government revealed plans for an international 
audit of Lydian’s Amulsar project to assess its environmental impact and 
determine whether it poses any risks to the nearby resort town of Jermuk and 
Armenia’s water resources in general.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stressed then that the government’s decisions on 
Amulsar must be based on “facts rather than emotions.” At the same time, he 
unsuccessfully tried to persuade local residents and environmental activists to 
stop blockading the mining site.
Hayk Gevorkian, a member of the pro-Pashinian My Step faction in parliament and 
member of the parliamentary committee on economic affairs, said that work 
related to an independent audit began recently. He repeated that the 
government’s further steps will depend on the outcome of this environmental 
examination.
According to the lawmaker, the audit that costs Armenia more than $390,000 is 
being conducted by an “internationally certified, reliable company” and the 
government will not do anything until it gets the results of the audit.
“Before this audit there were two diametrically different examinations. 
According to one of them, the operation of Amulsar is absolutely safe, and 
according to the other, it poses danger. That’s why in order to get the final 
answer to that question the government has agreed to take a rather costly step 
to have a totally independent examination,” Gevorkian said, adding that the 
first results of the hydrological examination will become available as early as 
the beginning of June.
The lawmaker said that if the examination establishes that the operation of the 
mine damages the environment, the government will ensure conditions for the 
construction to be resumed. “If the litigation goes the way that Armenia will 
have to pay to the investor, it will be several hundred million dollars, which 
will prove quite a heavy burden for Armenia. But if the audit concludes that it 
is dangerous, then the matter will concern public health, which is more 
important, so everything will depend on the results of the audit,” Gevorkian 
said.
Still in July, the United States government expressed hope that the Amulsar 
deposit’s environmental audit will be conducted objectively and “in strict 
accordance with the law.”
Richard Mills, the then U.S. ambassador to Armenia, said that potential 
American investors have been closely monitoring, among other things, the 
Armenian government’s treatment of the U.S.-based mining company.
Lydian, which claims to have already invested more than $300 million in 
Amulsar, has not ruled out the possibility of international legal action 
against the Armenian state that had granted it exclusive rights to the gold 
deposit.
Environment protection groups in Armenia have insisted that, if implemented, 
the Amulsar project will contaminate air, water and soil in the area where the 
country’s most popular spa resort is located.
Lydian has maintained that it is using advanced technology to prevent any 
damage to the local ecosystem.
The company is registered in a British tax haven but headquartered in the U.S. 
state of Colorado. Its shareholders include U.S., Canadian and European 
investment funds as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development.
Armenian Newspaper Claims Pressure From Investigators
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Knar Manukian, editor-in-chief of the Zhoghovurd daily.
The chief editor of an Armenian daily newspaper claims the Special 
Investigation Service (SIS) is putting pressure on the media outlet after 
criminal proceedings have been launched over its publication of some data that 
the law-enforcement body says is confidential.
The newspaper, Zhoghovurd, on March 16 published on its front page excerpts 
from the testimony of former president Serzh Sarkisian regarding the 2008 
deadly post-election crackdown.Earlier, the newspaper published excerpts from 
interrogations of Constitutional Court member Felix Tokhian and former deputy 
defense minister Gagik Melkonian on the same case.
After that, the SIS warned the newspaper that disclosure of data containing 
secrets of the preliminary investigation could lead to criminal liability.
“This is obvious pressure on media. This warning is a threat aimed at forcing 
you to refrain from further activities,” said Zhoghovurd’s chief editor Knar 
Manukian.
She insisted that the newspaper got hold of the materials still before the end 
of the preliminary investigations in regards to the cases against ex-president 
Robert Kocharian, ex-defense minister Seyran Ohanian, ex-deputy defense 
minister Yuri Khachaturov and ex-deputy prime minister and secretary of the 
Security Council Armen Gevorkian, but withheld their publication until the 
completion of the probe.
Manukian said that Zhoghovurd will continue to publish pieces of testimony in 
connection with the “March 1, 2008” case, and even a court’s decision to 
disclose the source will not deter them. “They will not achieve any result. I 
assure you that no matter what the court’s decision is, I will go till the end. 
The SIS today seeks to identify the source by putting pressure on the media, 
but they will not achieve the result,” said Manukian, adding that, if 
necessary, her paper will publish also other pieces of testimony that it 
currently has.
The SIS, meanwhile, says that the stage of preliminary investigation is not 
over yet as it ends with the indictment and until that the parties to the 
investigation are not allowed to publish confidential information related to 
the case, including by passing it to the media, which entails criminal 
liability.
Press Review
“Zhoghovurd” suggests that while the decision on dismantling cafes in the area 
around the Opera House in Yerevan was taken by the city’s authorities, “the 
entire government is responsible for it, since such steps are made based on 
political decisions.” “It is not a coincidence that protests against the 
dismantling of cafes resulted in some clashes and offensive language was used 
against the government,” the paper writes, acknowledging that the current 
government and mayor Hayk Marutian today enjoy “absolute legitimacy” as “all 
parties, even the ones that lost, recognized the results of the elections.” 
“Therefore, the government has a corresponding mandate to carry out reforms in 
a bold manner and even must do so with such a great vote of confidence.”
“Hraparak” argues that while some poor people may welcome the dismantling of 
cafes owned by wealthy businessman or others may consider it right just to 
please the new government, it is yet insufficient to speak about justice: “One 
can speak about freeing the city [green areas from commercial property] when 
the hotel and mansions in the park at Monument, all structures built in 
Circular Park, ugly extensions of buildings in the city center, the cafes of 
[businessman] Samvel Aleksanian and other structures are dismantled.”
On the same subject “Haykakan Zhamanak” writes: “Nevertheless, it is important 
to understand what positive and negative consequences these actions may have 
and why the authorities decided to take that step despite realizing what 
emotions and speculations it will cause. First, the negative is that like in 
the case with other protests there will always be some groups guided by the 
former government that will try to provoke clashes with police, chant “Nikol 
[Pashinian] go away” or “Robert [Kocharian] is president”, thus giving a 
political coloring to a purely legal process. Secondly, this process may have a 
negative effect in the short term in terms of falling tax revenues, etc. But 
still there will clearly be many more positive effects and the increase in the 
green area is not the most important of them. The most important positive 
effect will be that it will no longer occur to anyone that they can do business 
in Armenia in an illegal manner by using their links with the powers that be.”
“168 Zham” criticizes the government for its economic policies. “The impression 
is that [Prime Minister] Nikol Pashinian’s government has no one who would 
think about the economy and everyone is busy trying to bring money to the 
budget, increasing the tax burden for that without thinking about possible 
consequences. And there is no doubt that these consequences will be painful. 
The changes in the tax code proposed by the government do not meet the 
interests of many economic agents. Consumers will also suffer the consequences 
as the tax burden will increase for them. And it is still a question what the 
government will get from all this,” the paper writes.
(Artur Papian)
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

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Dear colleagues, Let me inform you that on Wednesday, March 20, at 01:05 at night, the 27th group of US Peace Corps volunteers will arrive in Armenia. The group consists of 37 volunteers, all of whom are citizens of the United States of America. Volunteers come to Armenia for a period of two years, will live in different regions of Armenia, in villages and cities, and will work in schools and non-governmental organizations. Before arriving in Armenia, the volunteers managed to learn the Armenian alphabet and some basic words and phrases necessary for communication. We kindly invite volunteers to cover Zvartnots Airport the arrival of a new group in Armenia. Thank you for your cooperation. Hermine Ghazaryan 077-689-589 HERMINE GHAZARYAN Resource and Communications Coordinator/Executive Assistant Peace Corps Armenia 33 Charents Street, Yerevan 0025 Mobile: (374) 077-689-589 Phone: ( 374) 010-513511 VoIP. 7-3511 [16-ARMENIA-headers]<
[cid:[email protected]]<

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