Category: 2020

CIVILNET.Parts of a Circle: History of the Karabakh Conflict: A Film Review

Frangulian Shushan
CIVILNET.AM

12:43

On May 12, British peacebuilding organization Conciliation Resources published its ”Parts of a Circle: History of the Karabakh Conflict” documentary which was made in collaboration with Yerevan-based Media Initiatives Centre NGO and Baku-based Internews NGO. Production of the film started in 2011. It consists of three parts which tell the story of the conflict outbreak in the late 1980s, the war, and the negotiation process. The published film is a shorter, summarized version of the three parts and lasts a little over an hour.

The trilogy was finalized in early 2016. However, according to the Caucasus Program Director of Conciliation Resources Laurence Broers, even before the April escalation there were serious concerns about the fate of some of their partners and interviewees who had been criminally prosecuted in Azerbaijan for peacebuilding activity in the past. After the April War, a final decision was made to disseminate the documentary carefully and gradually. In recent years a number of screenings of the documentary for invited audiences were held in Stepanakert, Yerevan and Baku.

Now that the film’s shorter version is finally available for the general public, we have an opportunity to analyze it in more detail. It is already obvious that this is a fundamental work that will be used for the study of the Karabakh conflict in the coming decades. Over time the documentary will become as influential as Thomas de Waal’s “Black garden.”

The film has quite a good format. It gives an opportunity to get familiar with the perceptions of different important episodes of the conflict in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Artsakh. The fact of the equal presence of Karabakhi actors and views in the documentary deserves special praise. Opinions about various events are expressed by ex-President of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov, ex-President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and ex-President of the NKR Arkadi Ghukasyan. The principle of inclusiveness was respected in the process of film-making as well. Media teams from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Artsakh participated in the production of the documentary. This format of joint work, however, also has its flaws. Some attempts of subtle propaganda are, nevertheless, noticeable. For instance, in the section about the Sumgait pogrom, there is an attempt to put a part of the responsibility on the Armenian side, noting that numerous Azerbaijani refugees from Soviet Armenia had moved to Sumgait before the pogrom. The name of the only ethnic Armenian who participated in the pogrom is also mentioned, which is an important episode of Azerbaijani propaganda narratives about Sumgait. But overall such small shortcomings do not hinder our ability to receive quite balanced information about different phases of the conflict.

Another strength of the film is its realism and sobriety. There are no patronizing tenets in this documentary, widely used by the proponents of the liberal peace theory, there are no idealistic and romantic reflections about a bright future. The grim reality of the conflict is presented. Moreover, neutral audiences are mainly given an opportunity to understand rational incentives behind the actions of the sides in different episodes of the conflict. For instance, the first commander of the NKR’s self-defense forces Arkady Karapetyan explains in simple and straightforward language that the liberation of Shushi was a matter of life and death for the Karabakhi side. In the section where the Kelbajar operation is discussed the strategic importance of that region for the Armenian sides is emphasized, etc. Rational factors are not irrationalized in the film. That is surely laudable.

This documentary is also extremely valuable because of the variety of exclusive footage and interviews it contains. It gives us a chance to receive information about the crucial events in the history of the conflict and the negotiation process from the main actors. Azerbaijani and Armenian former officials frankly express their views about different peace proposals, Vafa Guluzade and Gerard Libaridian talk about the essence of their informal negotiations, the former US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Carey Cavanaugh makes interesting comments on the Key West talks and the preceding process.

Perhaps the most interesting and exclusive episode of the documentary is the confession of Azerbaijan’s ex-President Ayaz Mutalibov that he was given the go-ahead to launch “Operation Ring” in exchange for Azerbaijan’s “yes” stance during the USSR referendum of 1991, which was boycotted by Armenia.

”Parts of a circle” can truly be considered as one of the few internationally supported successful projects in the Karabakh context, which has a very concrete and useful result. I believe it’s obvious that one shouldn’t expect an end product from such projects which will fully satisfy any of the parties to the conflict. However, the creation of such a documentary about our conflict was an objective necessity. 

Some marginal circles in Armenia have been recently targeting and labeling people, who partake in projects with foreign funding. That is why it needs to be said that all the Armenian journalists and activists who participated in the production of this documentary and properly presented Armenian views on the conflict, did a bigger job for the protection of our interests and rights than all the newly-emerged fake patriots combined.

Armenia confirms 180 more coronavirus cases

David Nargizian
MediaMax, Armenia
 
 
 
 
Photo: REUTERS/Stephen Yang
 
 
Tweet
 
Yerevan/Mediamax/. As of 11:00, May 13, Armenia has 3 718 confirmed coronavirus cases.
 
180 new cases were confirmed, 70 patients recovered and 1 death were registered on May 12.
  
As of 11:00, May 13, the coronavirus statistics in Armenia is as follows:
 
Confirmed cases: 3 718.
 
Patients receiving treatment: 2149.
 
Recoveries: 1500.
Deaths: 48. 
 

Sports: Discovering young talents: Armenian pupil of LA Galaxy

Kanayan Tamar
News.am, Armenia

By Samvel Sukiasyan

NEWS.am Sport continues presenting the young Armenian football players who play abroad, but dream of playing for the Armenian national team one day.

American-Armenian forward Daron Iskenderian, 18, is a pupil of the MLS club LA Galaxy.

“Our family moved to the United States during the 1977 civil war in Lebanon; Daron was born on March 19, 2002 in Los Angeles,” the footballer’s father, Johnny Iskenderian, told NEWS.am Sport. “My son started playing football at the age of six and plays as a forward and the ‘number 10’ position. At the age of 13, Daron was spotted by the LA Galaxy scouts and invited to the club’s academy, where he spent four years playing for the U14, U15, U16, and U17 teams.

Daron has twice been invited to the US U15 youth team.

Last year, the Catalan club CF Gava invited my son to a tryout. Although Daron was 17 years old, he spent a year in the U19 team.

After returning to the United States, Daron joined the LA Galaxy’s U19 team and then moved to Real So Cal. He now has offers from Spanish LaLiga clubs and American colleges, but my son’s goal is to pursue his career in Europe.

Daron’s idol is Mkhitaryan. Henrikh gave him some interesting and motivational books. Following in Mkhitaryan’s footsteps is the dream of every young Armenian football player.

Daron played for the U15, U16, and U17 teams of Armenia. Last year, he received an invitation from the U18 team of Armenia, but, unfortunately, could not join the team due to injury.

Daron has a great desire to represent Armenia in the international competition arena, to show who the Armenians and the Armenian football players are. He wears the jerseys of the national teams of our homeland with indescribable pride; it’s a great honor for our family.”  


Armenian PM calls to strongly abide by anti-epidemic rules, as Covid-19 cases grow

Hovik Karapetian
Public Radio of Armenia

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has strongly urged citizens to abide by anti-epidemic rules to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Speaking live through Facebook today, the Prime Minister said “any of should take up personal responsibility by strongly following the recommendations.”

“Unfortunately, I see people shaking hands and chatting to each other without keeping the social distance and wearing masks,” he said, adding that “this can lead us to a serious problem.”

The Prime Minister stressed that any of us has a chance not to get infected and not to infect other by following three main rules: keep social distancing, avoid touching the face without disinfecting the hands and use only disinfected and clean tableware.

The call comes in the wake of growth in the number of coronavirus cases in the past week.  

“Since coronavirus is going to be with us for at least a year, we have to learn to live side by side with the virus,” PM Pashinyan said. Therefore, he said the restrictions have been eased to allow the economy to recover, which will, in turn, leaded to improved social conditions.

He warned, however, that there could be a return to stricter measures should the growth rate be maintained.

The Prime Minister noted that a total of 73 billion AMD has been distributed as part of the government’s rescue package, benefiting  1.1 million people.

Armenia has so far confirmed 3,718 cases of Covid-19, 1,500 people have recovered, 48 deaths have been reported.

News website director on threats from brother of Armenia PM’s assistant

Baghdasarian Karlen
News.am, Armenia
News website director on threats from brother of Armenia PM’s assistant News website director on threats from brother of Armenia PM’s assistant

23:27, 13.05.2020
                  

Internet Use in Armenia: Toward a Greater Role for Digital Tools in Economic Development

Khoyetsian Rose
World Bank Group

  • Siddhartha Raja
  • Gohar Malumyan

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Although fully 96 percent of households and 83 percent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have internet connectivity in Armenia, some surprising gaps remain in how people use this access. Quite simply, there is still a huge untapped market for online services, as the data suggest that many people and businesses are leaving digital opportunities on the table. This final blog of the series discusses why individuals and businesses might still be offline and proposes public policies that can expand the use of these technologies, thereby enhancing economic growth and building resilience for the future.

Individuals, businesses, and governments across the globe have been going digital in order to continue to function during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the longer term, these digital tools and networks can unlock new opportunities. Businesses can become more productive, access new markets, and prepare for future growth. Individuals – as citizens, consumers of goods and services, and participants in the labor market – can connect to information, services, and markets and seek out new avenues for social and economic development.

There is plenty of scope for change. Anecdotal evidence suggests that in the wake of social distancing and other measures to cope with the ongoing crisis, many people and a good number of businesses have switched to online activities. Yet at the same time, a survey that we conducted in late 2019 found that roughly 58 percent of the small businesses that did not use digital technologies in their business operations claimed that IT was not relevant, and 50 percent of the unconnected households similarly claimed that they did not consider the internet to be necessary or useful.

Online but not fully digital

These unconnected households and businesses are representative of a larger group of people who still have not been using the full range of services available on the internet. For example, only 13 percent of internet users had engaged in online shopping in the preceding three months, only 5 percent had used internet banking, about a third had sought health-related information, and only a sixth had accessed e-government services. For some specific practices, such as seeking health information, utilizing internet banking, or finding a job, Armenia’s numbers are lower than in the European Union but also than in neighboring Georgia, which has a similarly high rural population.

 

Small businesses in Armenia also do not seem to be taking advantage of digital opportunities. Although 43 percent use IT in sales and a third in customer relations management, only a fifth make payments to suppliers digitally and just a third pay their taxes online. In addition, the awareness of advanced technologies is at a low level among companies. Less than one-third of SMEs have heard of such basic enterprise management solutions as ERP, CRM, or electronic invoicing systems. Awareness of even more advanced technologies, such as IOT, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, 3D printing, and others, is, unsurprisingly, even lower. This indicates that there is a substantial awareness gap with regard to the technological possibilities available.

The quality of connectivity matters as well. As we have discussed, even though most households are connected, there are gaps still to be addressed. The first is in the types of connections that people have: 60 percent of rural households and 75 percent of urban households have fixed broadband connections. The rest rely on mobile connectivity, which might limit their ability to participate in online learning, for example, or benefit from tele-medicine services. And only a small share of connected households had subscribed to connections of over 100 Mbps; the rest are likely to face difficulties in obtaining reliable internet access, especially if multiple household members go online at the same time.

Even among the businesses surveyed, almost half did not know what speeds they had subscribed to (which is interesting, since it represents a business expense), and only 7 percent were connected to speeds above 100 Mbps. A quarter of connected firms reported that they had had connectivity issues in the past year, the most frequently reported problem. Again, this suggests that there is significant scope to improve access to reliable and high-quality broadband connectivity and hence create the foundation for a more digital economy in Armenia.

Positioning for a digital future

We think that positioning people and businesses to be able to more successfully use digital technologies will help Armenia to build both economic growth and resilience in the future. This effort will help more people and businesses connect to markets, services, and each other – thereby boosting productivity and inclusion, ensuring the continuity of services and business even during a crisis, and opening new channels to learning and earning.

What, then, might be the necessary focus areas for public policies? The gaps in access to and the use of high-speed fixed broadband are clear. Access to these networks can be boosted by increasing competitive pressure in the market to extend the progress that has been made thus far – Armenia’s internet market has grown quickly as its telecommunications and internet service providers have competed and invested. Any currently remaining barriers to the expansion of high-speed networks will need to be identified and addressed.

Even so, there will be places and users who remain out of reach of the market, either because of high-cost locations or because of commercial unviability. In these cases, public policies can strategically attract investment through arrangements such as public-private partnerships. There are many examples of similar programs from around the world, from Asia (e.g., Republic of Korea) to Europe (e.g., Finland, Lithuania, Germany).

Efforts will need to go beyond connectivity infrastructures, however, to also creating incentives to encourage more businesses and households to come online and link with the full range of digital services. Here, programs will need to address the existing barriers to adoption, such as the lack of applications and skills, resource constraints, and weak incentives to change business models when returns are unclear. Supporting the digital transformation of small businesses might be difficult, but the results can unlock gains for a large part of the economy.

These efforts can be complemented by programs that address gaps in digital capabilities among individuals, build awareness about relevant use-cases, and accelerate and sustain the digital transition that begins as people and businesses go online. Such policies would ensure that everyone in Armenia -irrespective of location or income – can gain access to the economic opportunities and digital dividends that technology can offer.




EBRD predicts Armenian economy to shrink by 3.5 per cent in 2020 amid the pandemic

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia

The countries of the Eastern Europe and Caucasus are likely to be severely impacted by the coronavirus crisis, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said in its latest Regional Economic Prospects report. Most countries of the region will be affected by tightening global financial markets, strong pressure on domestic foreign exchange markets and reduced foreign demand for exports.

The report notes that domestic demand has been reduced due to public health measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus. Lower commodity prices are putting additional strain on the exporters of hydrocarbons and metals – Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Armenia – while an expected drop in remittances will likely further suppress household disposable income in most countries in this region, especially in Moldova, Armenia, Ukraine and Georgia. Loss of tourism receipts will be a significant blow to the Georgian economy.

According to the section devoted to Armenia, the global uncertainty and decreasing demand resulting from the coronavirus crisis, combined with volatility in commodity prices, will affect the economy directly via a decrease in exports, which are dominated by copper and other mining products, and indirectly through economic links with Russia, including a likely downturn in remittances. Prolonged measures of social containment and low mobility would hurt Armenia’s tourism sector, which is largely dependent on visits from Armenians abroad. We project the Armenian economy to shrink by 3.5 per cent in 2020, with a rebound of 5.5 per cent in 2021.

It reminds that economic growth in Armenia accelerated to 7.6 per cent in 2019, driven by the significant increase in the consumption of households and supported by stronger export growth. The increase in consumption was led by household credit, up by 30 per cent in 2019, and by a 10 per cent increase in money transfers from abroad.

Music: She won The Voice Armenia, can this singer win the local crown too?

Ani Basmajian
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
— 4.00pm

Are you excited about your Australia TV debut?

Yeah, I’m so excited.

What made you decide to relocate to Australia?

This is my fifth time that I’m in Australia, almost one and a half years this time, I’m studying here. But how it start, I’ve been here in 2014 with a concert with Armenian singers. From the very beginning I really loved the country, the cities, the people, my community, Australians – everything was amazing. I’ve been travelling for a long time, many different countries in Europe and America, but Australia was different from that. Second time I came again with the concert, third time the same. Fourth time I came with a very famous Armenian composer and musician, with the Armenian band and the symphony orchestra from here joined us. It was a very big concert dedicated to the Armenian genocide and I was part of it. After that, returning to Armenia, I decided a hundred per cent I’m coming back. I’ll do my best to study here, to continue here, because I saw potential to create a new career here. In Armenia I won The Voice in 2013, it was my biggest success in my country, but at some point I thought it was not enough, I needed more, I did all that was possible in this country – a small, beautiful country, but the market is not as big as Australia. So I decided that, I love this country, I love the people, I have family here too, and I need to try, otherwise I’ll regret it.

Masha Mnjoyan won The Voice Armenia and is now vying to win the local version of the hit singing competition.Credit:Nine Entertainment


That’s a pretty big compliment for Australia, that you chose us.

When people ask me, “What is Australia? Tell us?” I tell them it’s just a mixture of Europe and Armenia, all the good things mixed together. The architecture is sometimes similar to Europe, the mentality sometimes similar to America, just a mixture of all the cultures, so wonderful.

How old were you when you started singing?

I was four when I first went to the stage, in a junior music group. Ten years I continued to sing in that group, then after 10 years I moved to the capital. I went to the college and to the conservatorium, I completed a Bachelor and a Masters, I did everything that was possible. And while I was in the capital I went to lots of festivals and competitions, in German, in Cyprus, even Junior Eurovision and the normal Eurovision, even the New Wave in Riga, very famous competition.

What are your influences, the music that you love?

Basically everything, because I was listening to every kind of music, starting from my Armenian folk music, because this is my nature, this is what I am, and I love American music. My favourites are Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, that kind of music. I love jazz: I was singing two years in a jazz club with the best jazz musicians, famous around the world. I love soul: Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Ray Charles, that kind of music.

You won The Voice Armenia and now you’re on The Voice Australia: is there a big difference between the two shows?

I was too young when I went to The Voice in Armenia, I was seventeen. I could only think that I was worried to perform my song very good. I ignored every other emotion. Singing in a concert is something different: the audience is yours, they know you, they came especially for you. Standing on the stage on The Voice is different: you have to impress them because you are very new, especially in Australia. I was worried if I don’t look like they want me to, if my English is not good enough, I was worried about everything. But then I decided to just go to the stage and enjoy every moment, because this is the great show that I want to enjoy and remember all my life. In Armenia it was the first time we did The Voice, we were just starting to learn how to create good shows. But here it’s the ninth time and every person in the studio knows what they’re doing.

Do you still get nervous before singing?

A lot. The first time I was representing only me, no one knows who’s Masha. But now, Armenia knows who I am, and I need to represent myself and them, in a good way. It is much harder. And I’m all the time nervous.

Do you feel like you’re teaching Australians about Armenia?

I would like to, to tell something about my wonderful country. Because my country is one of the oldest ones, with thousands of years of history behind it. I would love to. But you know what is interesting: everyone knows at least one Armenian, Kim Kardashian. And now my job is easier, because people already know what is Armenia, it’s easier to tell them, to sing Armenian songs, to tell Armenian history. Because in our songs we are hiding all our story: sadness and tragedy and everything.

The Voice Australia (series return) is on Nine, Sunday, May 24, at 7pm.







Paruyr Hayrikyan on trial over case of Armenia 2nd President

Karakhanian Suren
News.am, Armenia

20:22, 12.05.2020

What I don’t understand is the obsession to oppose the motions of the Catholicos, the former Prime Ministers of Armenia and all other people’s motions to release second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan. These people are stating that the trial over the case of the ex-president needs to be held in observance of presumption of innocence. This is what leader of the Union for National Self-Determination political party Paruyr Hayrikyan told reporters today.

“Even if you are 100% certain that a particular person is a serious criminal, the court is the one that makes the final decision. Each person needs to be viewed as innocent as long as there is no court decision. Even a convicted person can be innocent, especially a person who isn’t convicted,” Hayrikyan said.

According to him, the ex-Prime Ministers have filed a motion to change the pre-trial measure by maintaining the presumption of innocence, not to suspend the trial. “Since Robert Kocharyan hasn’t escaped and there is no proof that he has had an impact on the preliminary investigation, the trial can continue while he is in liberty,” he said, adding that courts are under pressure.

On May 8, ex-Prime Ministers of Armenia Vazgen Manukyan, Khosrov Harutyunyan and Karen Karapetyan and ex-Prime Minister of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Anushavan Danielyan submitted a letter of personal pledge to change the pre-trial measure for second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan. After listening to all parties, the judge left for the consultation room to render a decision, which will be announced on May 13.

Medical staff at Armenia’s Maralik town hospital complains of attempts to reduce their salaries during self-isolation

Adrine Hakobian
News.am, Armenia

14:51, 12.05.2020

The medical staff of the hospital in Maralik town of Armenia’s Shirak Province is holding a protest Tuesday.

According to nurse Anna Ayvazyan, after COVID-19 was detected in more than 20 employees of the hospital, some of them were sent to an infectious disease hospital, and the hospital management had called on the rest to self-isolate.

“We had to self-isolate,” she said. “But now the management says that we shall get a salary based on a bulletin; this means that we will receive 80% of the amount due. (…). We want the Minister of Health to issue a message and clarify how legal all this is.”

Lab assistant Armine Ayvazyan, in her turn, added that at the very beginning of the pandemic, the medical staff was not provided with protective equipment, including gloves.

Anahit Hakobyan, an ambulance staff, said that the real increase in the salaries of medical workers from the promised 30 percent increase was only 20 percent.

And Vram Melikyan, former acting director of the hospital, stated that he had been asked to temporarily ensure the hospital’s activities so that the local population would not suffer.