Category: 2020

Armenia President: There is no need to be afraid of a referendum

Garik Boshkezenian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

23:08, 07.02.2020
                  

Touching upon the situation in regard to the Constitutional Court of Armenia and answering the question whether he is going to sign the decision of the National Assembly on holding a pan-national referendum, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian particularly said the following in an interview with Shant TV, Aravot Daily and Mediamax news agency:

“The President of Armenia shouldn’t get entangled in the affairs of neither the government nor parliament. The President can collaborate and give advice, but not get entangled, especially express opinions on this or that issue. The Constitution doesn’t imply the President’s interpretation either.

The President doesn’t interpret the Constitution and laws.

This is a rather important issue. Let’s assume the President is given a law that, according to specialists, doesn’t contradict the Constitution. At the given moment, the President can either sign or not sign the law, and after a while, the National Assembly can enforce it. The law isn’t forwarded to the Constitutional Court since it doesn’t contradict the Constitution. However, the President himself is well aware that even though the given law might not contradict the Constitution, it may play a harmful role in the solution to a particular issue. The President has to make a decision. In some countries, a solution may be the right to veto, but this has to be reasoned. In other countries, the President is entitled to return the law to the National Assembly and say that even though it doesn’t contradict the Constitution, there are formulations that will cause harm.

Life is more complicated than laws. The most important law is the Constitution. I have been closely following the recent events. The Staff of the President hasn’t received the relevant documents yet. When it does, I will express my attitude, but the issue won’t concern my signature.”

Stating the fact that he has been following the processes unfolding in the National Assembly, President Sarkissian said the following: “I’m in favor of reinforcement of the process of addressing the people in our culture. There are a couple of ways of addressing the people. One of them is a referendum, and the other — plebiscite, or _expression_ of will. I believe this is highly valuable in the 21st century. We all live virtual and real lives. I believe that, for any government, especially now when people are living two lives, it is very important for the government to talk to the people and express opinions. The _expression_ of will of the people isn’t linked to a particular law, but the attitude of the people. There are countries where this is applied successfully. In a country like Switzerland, the government addresses the people with even simple issues.

There is no need to be afraid of a referendum. In the conditions of “two lives” in the 21st century, it even becomes necessary to step down and ask for the people’s opinions from time to time.”

Make Armenia a country of modern technologies: President meets representatives of IT companies

Elizabeth Jabejian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 7 2020

Today, President Armen Sarkissian met with representatives of information technology companies.

President Sarkissian attached importance to the development of modern technologies, noting that it is necessary to combine all efforts to make Armenia a country of modern technologies.

Presenting the ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow) Presidential Initiative on Technology and Science Development in Armenia, President Sarkissian noted that this three-part program aims to bring leading IT companies to Armenia to practice artificial intelligence, mathematical modeling, machine learning by developing fields and implementing educational programs.

The President informed that preliminary agreements have already been reached with about two dozen organizations.

The President also referred to the Armenian Summit of Minds to be held in Armenia this year, which will be devoted to artificial intelligence and geopolitics, as well as to the Horasis-China International Conference, which will bring dozens of Chinese companies to Armenia.

Representatives of the IT sector highlighted the importance of the meeting with the President, his support in the development of new technologies in Armenia, and noted that they are ready to cooperate and come up with proposals.

The Chamber of Advocates of Armenia made a statement regarding the draft amendments to the Constitution.

Nyrie Kalashian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

ArmInfo. The Chamber of Advocates of Armenia made a statement regarding the decision of the Parliament on submitting draft amendments to the Constitution of the  Republic of Armenia for referendum.

The Council of the Chamber of Lawyers of the Republic of Armenia  notes that the rule of law and the separation and balance of powers,  which have been enshrined in Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of  the Republic, are of key importance in the establishment of the rule  of law. <The initiation of a number of NA deputies of amendments to  the Constitution, providing for the termination of powers of  representatives of the judiciary (exercising constitutional justice)  by the legislative branch, is nothing more than an attempt to violate  Article 4 of the Constitution. The termination of the powers of  judges of the Constitutional Court by the National Assembly directly  contradicts parts 8 and 9 of Article 164 of the Constitution, which  exhaustively list the grounds for the termination of powers of  judges>, the statement emphasizes.  According to the Chamber, the  adoption of the package of amendments may cast doubt on the  independence of the judiciary in Armenia. It is also noted that the  draft constitutional amendments bypassing the Constitutional Court  contradicts paragraph 2 of article 168 and part 2 of article 169 of  the Constitution.

The Council of the Chamber of Advocates calls on the deputies of the  National Assembly, the Government and political forces to concentrate  on ensuring the further progress of judicial and legal reforms,  including, in particular, removing obstacles to the professional  activities of lawyers, ensuring the right to a trial within a  reasonable time, increasing confidence in the courts, introducing an  effective system for monitoring the implementation decisions of the  Constitutional Court, the European Court of Human Rights, the Court  of Cassation, and so on. The Chamber of Lawyers expresses its  readiness to closely cooperate with state bodies in various formats  regarding the implementation of these real reforms.

The day before, the Armenian parliament decided to submit draft  amendments to the Constitution to the referendum. Thus, this question  is referred actually to the will of the citizens of the country.  During the meeting, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan spoke.  In particular, he stated that at one time the Republican Party of  Armenia usurped power belonging to the people. Pashinyan emphasized  that the issue of the Constitutional Court should be decided by the  people of Armenia. The prime minister also called on judges of the  Constitutional Court to resign before the president signs the  referendum law.

In turn, PACE has already spoken on this topic. PACE co-rapporteurs  for monitoring in Armenia called on Yerevan to send a bill to the  Venice Commission on amendments to the republic's constitution in  order to remove the head of the Constitutional Court and a number of  judges and wait for her answer. They noted that this opinion, in the  case of a referendum, would be valuable to all parties. 


Turkologist: It is possible that in the near future the Armenian issue may again be on the agenda

Lara Chatinian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

ArmInfo. Of course, the adoption by the House of Representatives and the US Congress of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide played a significant role in this  process. Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the  National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, turkologist  Ruben Safrastyan stated this at a press conference on February 7.

He emphasized that close to April 24 we will finally see the work of  the Armenian lobby on the issue of recognition of the Armenian  Genocide. "Our specialists should prepare, as the events taking place  in the Middle East are similar to the events that took place at the  beginning of the 20th century, when the Treaty of Sevres was signed,  aimed at creating a Christian state in northern Turkey," the expert  emphasized.

Safrastyan noted that it is possible that we are on the verge of big  changes. In his opinion, the Armenian issue may again be on the  agenda, but it will have a slightly different nature, since today  there is already an Armenian state in the world. "I think that  Armenia, using "soft power", can push its agenda in public and  political circles of many countries of the world," the expert said.   He also noted that the United States began to reckon with Russia's  position on strategic issues. "The developments in the Middle East  are clearly signaling that we should prepare for any, even very  unexpected scenarios," Safrastyan emphasized.

It should be noted that according to the Treaty of Sevres, Turkey was  supposed to transfer to Armenia a territory of 103. 599 sq. M. km:  two-thirds of the Van and Bitlis vilayets, almost the entire Erzurum  vilayet, most of the Trebizond vilayet, including the port. Having  united with the Republic of Armenia existing in the Transcaucasus, an  independent united Armenian state would have a territory with an area  of more than 150 thousand sq. M. km, with access to the Black Sea.  However, Turkey has not complied with the terms of this agreement.

  

Turkish historian Taner Akçam to present new research on Armenian Genocide

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will present a lecture by Prof. Taner Akçam entitled “When Was the Decision to Annihilate the Armenians Taken?” on Thursday, February 20, 2020, at 7:30 p.m., in Batmasian Hall on the third floor of the new NAASR Vartan Gregorian Building, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA. A reception will follow in the Shahinian Solarium, The Armenian Weekly reports.

In this presentation of recent research, Dr. Akçam argues that documents from the Ottoman archives in Istanbul indicate that the first decision to exterminate Armenians was made on December 1, 1914, well before most scholars have thought. Another document, a letter by Bahaettin Şakir, one of the main architects of the Armenian Genocide, written on March 3, 1915, says that the Central Committee of Union and Progress had decided to exterminate the Armenians, giving the government wide authority to implement this plan. Doubt has been the case on the authenticity of this letter, and most researchers have ignored it.

Drawing on these newly available Ottoman documents, Akçam presents the case that we must reconsider the question of the decision(s) for the extermination of Armenians and will attempt to shed new light on the decision-making process, its chronology and the role of governors in its implementation.

Taner Akçam is the Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chairholder in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University. His book publications include A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility, The Young Turks’ Crime Against Humanity: The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire, and Killing Orders: Talat Pasha’s Telegrams and the Armenian Genocide.

Encroachment on the right and law in Armenia – Vanetsyan

Lena Karagyozian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

Former Director of Armenia’s National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan commented on parliament’s decision of holding nationwide referendum on constitutional changes.

“Encroachment on right and law took place in Armenia yesterday. The consequences will be severe and will disrupt the judicial security of the country as well as damage its international reputation,” Vanetsyan tweeted.
To remind, the proposed referendum on constitutional and related changes relate among other at dismissing seven of the nine members of the Constitutional Court. It will also remove the requirement for the Constitutional Court to check the compliance of draft legislation with the Constitution of Armenia, and subsequently change the procedure of revision of the Constitution itself.

According to the substantiation of the draft law, the Constitutional Court has a problem of being perceived as a credible and unbiased court in the society.


  

PACE rapporteurs deeply regret signing into law of controversial amendments to Common Courts and Supreme Court laws

Aram Torosian
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

                                                       
February 07,2020 15:27 15

The co-rapporteurs for a report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the functioning of democratic institutions in Poland, Azadeh Rojhan Gustafsson (Sweden, SOC) and Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD), have expressed their deep regret at the signing into law by President Duda of the controversial amendments to the Law on the Common Courts and the Law on the Supreme Court, as well as several other laws, despite repeated calls from the international community, including the Assembly, not to do so.

These amendments, among other things, introduce a whole series of new disciplinary offences for judges and prohibit, under threat of severe disciplinary punishment, the questioning by another court or judge of the legitimacy of any judge appointed by the President of Poland, contravening recent rulings of the Polish Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

“In Resolution 2316 (2020) adopted on 28 January 2020 on the basis of our report, the Assembly expressed its deep concern about these amendments, which further undermine the independence of the judiciary and respect for the rule of law in Poland. We deeply deplore the signing into law by President Duda of these amendments, which are often referred to as a “muzzle law”. This underscores the need for the opening of a full monitoring procedure with regard to Poland, as decided by the Assembly last week,” said the rapporteurs.

On 28 January 2020, concerned about Poland’s backsliding with regard to the independence of the judiciary and respect for the rule of law, PACE decided to open a monitoring procedure in respect of Poland until its concerns are addressed in a satisfactory manner.

PACE


Security Council Secretary on suicides and deaths in the army under new authorities

Anna Tamamian
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

                                                       
February 07,2020 19:26 15

There are also many deaths and suicides in the army under the new authorities. You promised that there would be changes, but we have seen that the sons of high-ranking officials have all mysteriously begun their service at a military base near Stepanakert. Isn’t this suspicious? The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, answered these questions asked by journalists. He said, “The issue is, of course, deep and multi-layered. The Defense Army issued a statement saying that it is seeking solutions. I am convinced that these solutions will be more visible in the near future. Taking into consideration the fact that the army is characterized as being a closed institution in many cases, it is difficult to speak as openly and publicly as possible. But I can say for sure that these issues are on our agenda and on the Prime Minister’s agenda. I am convinced that these steps will ease the situation a bit and will create the opportunity to make changes in the future.”

Lusine Budaghyan




Armenian designer creates new brand, Yerishi, in Milan

Vardan Badalian
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 7 2020

                                                       
February 07,2020 21:27 55

Armenians across the world have always been able to capture attention in many different fields. Fashion is no exception. Ethnic Armenian designer and stylist Irina Yeritsyan created a new brand, Yerishi, in Milan, which is known for its luxury and limited edition purses. The brand has already become well-known and a favorite of many due to the quality and uniqueness of these purses.

Irina Yeritsyan was born in Yerevan, but spent her childhood in the USA. She loved to travel and get the most out of life. Since she intended to be closer to international culture, she decided to continue her education abroad and moved to Budapest in 2010. She graduated from the IBS International Business School with a degree in MSS Marketing and Management. Then, since she loved to study and she wished to be closer to the world of fashion, Yeritsyan moved to Milan, where she graduated from the Instituto Marangoni with degrees in Fashion and Luxury Brand Management and Fashion Design. The designer is also a stylist and she works with women in many different fields to help them dress more attractively and appropriately for their field.

“As I was studying, I did a lot of research on the details of fashion and business. I learned more about fashion and the rules for creating luxury products. I began to work for different companies to gain experience and to become a professional in my work. I held many different positions when I worked for different brands in Milan. I had a long and difficult journey before I created my brand, Yerishi, which helped me to create high-quality and original products,” the designer said.

Yerishi is an abbreviation Yeritsyan came up with. It also has an interesting and somewhat mystical story, which the designer agreed to share in the future. Or, perhaps she will present this story in one of her future collections.

The designer took her first steps and created her brand in 2015. The purses are produced in Milan using high-quality products. Yeritsyan spent two years planning the purses in great detail, putting a lot of love into her work. Every collection has its own unique meaning and purpose. The first collection is called Eostre, which means ‘new beginning.’ These purses were made from high-quality leather, and the inside is made of high-quality and colorful velvet. Even the metallic details on the purses were produced specifically for the Yerishi brand, which emphasizes the uniqueness of the brand even further. Eostre is an elegant collection and a combination of unusual and interesting. It contains energy that signifies the personality of the woman. The designer wishes for women to come out of their comfort zones and wear unusual colors, which will further emphasize the fact that women are original and unrepeatable.

“Since purses are an indivisible part of a woman’s day, I created purses that will be in sync with the inner worlds of women. I created these purses with great respect for the image of the woman since I placed a lot of love and positive emotions into their creation, as well as placing a lot of importance on quality. By the way, I must mention that it is not easy to make purses that will satisfy the demands of all women while at the same time remaining in style, classic, comfortable, and unique. Creating purses for women is an art that demands attention since women are unique. We need to be able to understand them correctly,” the designer said. She intends to expand the Yerishi brand by creating a new collection of purses that will also include shoes and a men’s collection.

Exhibitions are expected to take place in Milan and in other European countries that Yerishi will take part in and present its purses to multi-brand stores.

Hasmik Sedrakyan