1- Armenian President Resigns:
Another Setback for Armenia
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- President Sarkissian Resigns: Constitution Doesn’t Give Him Influence
3- Armenian Prime Minister wins lawsuit against Armenia in ECHR
4- Armenian Church to be Consecrated in Del Mar
5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
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1- Armenian President Resigns:
Another Setback for Armenia
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
I woke up Sunday morning to the shocking, yet not unexpected, news
that the President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, announced his
resignation while abroad, most probably London, after nearly four
years in office.
The President is someone I have known for 30 years. He is a
highly-educated man with multiple accomplishments: physicist, computer
scientist, successful businessman, diplomat and politician (former
Prime Minister and President of Armenia).
Sarkissian, a native of Armenia, graduated from Yerevan State
University with advanced degrees in Theoretical Physics and
Mathematics. He then became Associate Professor of physics at his alma
mater. In 1982, he moved to the UK and became a professor at the
University of Cambridge. He subsequently served as the Head of the
Department of Computer Modeling of Complex Physical Phenomenon at that
university.
In 1991, shortly after Armenia’s independence, Sarkissian became the
country’s first Ambassador to London. He served as Armenia’s Prime
Minister from November 1996 to March 1997. After recovering from a
bout with cancer, he was appointed as Special Advisor to the President
of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and as
a Governor of EBRD from 1998 to 2000. He served on the Dean’s Board
and Advisory Board of Harvard and Chicago universities and several
prestigious international organizations.
In 2018, Pres. Serzh Sargsyan recommended Armen Sarkissian to the
Parliament to be his successor, shortly before current Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan came to power who had been critical of his nomination.
Sarkissian became the President of Armenia under the amended
constitution which gave him a ceremonial role with no political
decision-making power. He had the choice of either approving
appointments proposed by Pashinyan and laws passed by the Parliament
or submitting them to the Constitutional Court for its determination.
As President, Sarkissian was entrusted with ensuring compliance with
the provisions of the Constitution. He had to navigate delicately
through Armenia’s highly charged political atmosphere and severely
divided society. Despite the limitations of his office, he used his
extensive international political and business contacts to promote
relations with Armenia and encourage investments from overseas. He
visited over a dozen countries, holding high-level meetings during his
tenure.
Meanwhile, Sarkissian was subjected to relentless criticism by
Pashinyan’s partisans who never missed an opportunity to undermine his
reputation and actions. He was also attacked by opposition groups.
Much less understandable was the constant drumbeat by
conspiracy-minded Armenians who accused him of being a British spy,
without any basis of fact. These individuals must have forgotten that
Great Britain is no longer a great power. It lost its vast Empire
where the sun never set. Nowadays, Great Britain is a country with its
multiple political and economic problems, and not in a position to
meddle in Armenia’s internal affairs.
During a private meeting I had with Pres. Sarkissian in his office in
2019, he confided to me the constant criticisms and continued attempts
to undermine his activities by his detractors.
We all recall that Pres. Sarkissian found out from the following day’s
newspapers about Pashinyan signing the statement of capitulation at
the end of the Artsakh War on Nov. 9, 2019. Pashinyan did not have the
minimum courtesy of letting the President of Armenia know about his
grave decision neither before nor after signing that statement.
Pres. Sarkissian tried to overcome the obstacles created by three
separate groups: Pashinyan’s partisans in power, the opposition, and
the conspiracy-minded crowd. He was severely criticized for objecting
to certain orders submitted for his signature by Pashinyan or laws
passed by the Parliament’s ruling majority. The biggest outcry was
raised in the fall of 2020, shortly after the devastating Artsakh War,
when he publicly urged Pashinyan to resign.
In his resignation statement, Pres. Sarkissian complained that he and
“sometimes his family are targeted by various political groups. They
are not so much interested in the achievements of the presidential
institution for the benefit of the country as in my past, various
conspiracy theories, and myths. This ‘concern’ for me goes beyond
morality, ultimately directly affecting my health.”
Furthermore, in his resignation statement, Pres. Sarkissian pointed
out the “paradoxical situation when the President has to be a
guarantor of statehood without actually having any real tools. The
Constitution also presupposes the supremacy of one institution over
another, creates obstacles for well-known Diaspora specialists to
participate in the management of state institutions of the historical
Homeland, etc…. We are a parliamentary republic in form, but not in
content. The purpose of my proposal was not to move from one form of
government to another (parliamentary to semi-presidential or
presidential), but to create a state system based on checks and
balances.”
Explaining his inability to deal with “the current national crisis” in
Armenia due to his limited powers, Pres. Sarkissian concluded his
statement with a warning that Armenia will find itself “in the margins
of history. We have no right to make mistakes anymore!”
According to the Constitution, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the
Parliament, is now the Acting President until elections are held for a
new President, no earlier than 25 days and no later than 35 days from
Sarkissian’s resignation.
The Constitution also outlines the process of electing a new President
by the Parliament: At least 25percent of the Parliament Members has
the right to nominate a presidential candidate. Whoever receives at
least 75percent of the votes of the Members of Parliament is elected
President. If no candidate receives 75percent of the votes, a second
round of elections is held, during which all the candidates who
participated in the first round can run. In the second round, the
candidate who receives at least 60percent of the total number of the
Parliament’s votes is elected President. If not, a third round is
held, in which the two candidates with the most votes in the second
round can run. The candidate who receives the simple majority of the
votes of the Parliament is elected President.
The presidential candidate must: Be at least 40 years old, solely an
Armenian citizen for the last six years, permanently resided in
Armenia for the last six years, has the right to vote, and speaks
Armenian. The term of the President is seven years. He or she cannot
be reelected.
The new President will be chosen by the Prime Minister’s party members
in Parliament as they hold the majority of the seats. My fear is that
an unqualified person will be chosen to be the next President just
like the other appointments made by Pashinyan, thus confirming once
again his preference for partisan politics over national interests.
Rather than establishing much needed governmental checks and balances,
the choice of a pro-Pashinyan President will further consolidate the
absolute power enjoyed by one man, the Prime Minister. He confirmed
our worst fears when during his press conference on ,
he said: “the President, government, and majority in Parliament must
have a political harmony.” In other words, rather than checks and
balances, Pashinyan prefers single-handed rule.
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2- President Sarkissian Resigns: Constitution Doesn’t Give Him Influence
(Combined Sources)—Armenian President Armen Sarkissian tendered his
resignation on Sunday, January 23 saying he believes the country’s
constitution does not give him sufficient powers to influence events.
Sarkissian, president since 2018, was in a standoff with Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan last year over a number of issues, including
the dismissal of the head of the armed forces.
The role of prime minister is seen as more powerful than that of president.
“I have been thinking for a long time, I have decided to resign from
the post of the President of the Republic after working actively for
about four years,” Sarkissian said in a statement (see page 8). “The
question may arise as to why the President failed to influence the
political events that led us to the current national crisis. The
reason is obvious again—the lack of appropriate tools—the
Constitution. The roots of some of our potential problems are hidden
in the current Basic Law.”
At a referendum in December 2015, Armenia became a parliamentary
republic, while presidential powers were significantly curtailed.
Sarkissian in his statement did not refer directly to any particular
events or issues.
Armenia agreed a ceasefire with Azerbaijan last November at their
border, after Russia urged them to step back from confrontation
following the deadliest clash since a six-week war in 2020 when Moscow
also brokered a peace deal to end the hostilities.Pashinyan has since
been under pressure, with regular street protests demanding he step
down over the terms of the peace agreement. Under the 2020 deal
brokered by Russia, Azerbaijan regained control of territory it had
lost during a war in the early 1990s. Armenia seceded from the Soviet
Union in 1991 but remains dependent on Russia for aid and investment.
Many Armenians accuse the government of corruption and mishandling a
country economy that has struggled to overcome the legacy of central
planning.
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3- Armenian Prime Minister wins lawsuit against Armenia in ECHR
By Ani Avetisyan
(OC Media)—Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has won a case
against the Armenian state in the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) over his imprisonment a decade before coming to power.
Pashinyan sued Armenia in 2010 over his arrest and conviction
following the deadly 2008 crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Pashinyan’s government, as the respondent in the case, did not comment
before the court on the allegations brought against it by the prime
minister.
In an 18 January judgement, the ECHR ruled that the Armenian
authorities had violated Pashinyan’s rights to freedom of _expression_,
peaceful assembly, and to liberty and security.
Pashinyan did not demand any material compensation in his application.
The state was represented in the case by Yeghisheh Kirakosyan, who was
appointed as Armenia’s representative to the ECHR by Pashinyan’s
government in 2018, after briefly serving as an advisor to the prime
minister.
The ruling was the latest in a series of judgements by the ECHR
against Armenia over the 2008 crackdown over numerous violations of
the European Convention on Human Rights.
Pashinyan was arrested in July 2009 on charges of attempting to
‘overthrow constitutional order’. He was sentenced to seven years in
prison but was released in 2011 in a pardon marking the 20th
anniversary of Armenia’s independence.
He was convicted for his role in supporting protests against the
results of the 2008 presidential election, which saw Robert Kocharyan
coming to power.
At the time, Pashinyan was an opposition activist and the
editor-in-chief of Haykakan Zhamanak(the Armenian Times).
The protests were organised in late February by Armenia’s first
president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who lost to Kocharyan in what the
opposition claimed were rigged elections.
At least ten people died, including two police officers, when the
authorities dispersed the protests on 1 March 2008.
After coming to power in 2018, Pashinyan revisited the events of 1
March. In July 2018, the authorities brought charges against Kocharyan
and his allies under the same article used to arrest Pashinyan in
2009: overthrowing constitutional order. The charges against
Kocharyan, who now leads the largest opposition party, were dismissed
in March 2021 by Armenia’s Constitutional Court.
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4- Armenian Church to be Consecrated in Del Mar
On Friday, January 28; Saturday, January 29; and Sunday, January 30,
the Armenian Church and Community of San Diego—led by His Eminence
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese, and The
Very Rev. Fr. Pakrad Dz. V. Berjekian, as well as guest clergy from
Armenia—will officially consecrate the new Armenian Church in Del Mar.
The new name of the sanctuary will be revealed during the consecration
service on Saturday, replacing the name of the old church.
The Armenian community of San Diego traces its roots back to the 1920s
after survivors of the Armenian Genocide immigrated to the United
States. The community was more formally organized in the 1970’s when
local Armenians established a church in San Diego. St. John Garabed
Armenian Church on 30th Street was consecrated in 1981. Over the
years, more and more Armenians came to call San Diego ‘home’. In the
2000’s, a search began to find a new church location because the
community was already outgrowing the current space. In addition, most
parishioners were based in North County, which made the 30th Street
location unable to serve the growing needs of its community. In 2008,
St. John Garabed Church’s Trust Committee purchased 18 acres of land
that is now the new church campus. The campus has been officially
named “Heritage Pointe at Del Mar.”
Eleven years of planning, government approvals, meetings,
construction, and fundraising have culminated in this momentous
occasion.
Thanks to the unparalleled generosity of Armenians locally, throughout
the state, and around the country as well as numerous fundraising
events over the past 11 years, this important milestone has been
reached.
The address of the church is 13925 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130
(between Del Mar Heights Rd. and San Dieguito Rd.).
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5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
Armenia continues the fight against COVID-19, as the country continues
promoting the vaccination phase. Armenia's Ministry of Health
announced on January 11 new restrictions to curb the fast spreading of
the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. From January 22, people above 18
must present either a vaccination certificate or a negative recent
test result prior to entering restaurants, hotels, cinemas and other
similar venues, Xinhua news agency reported citing the MInistry as
saying. As of Monday, January 10 the country had administered a total
of 1,694,518 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, according to the Ministry.
The U.S. State Department on July 26 warned American citizens to
reconsider travel to Armenia due to the increase in cases of the
Covid-19.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a
Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Armenia due to COVID-19, indicating a
high level of COVID-19 in the country,” said the State Department.
The State Department also urged U.S. citizens not to travel to the
Nagorno-Karabakh region due to armed conflict. “The U.S. government is
unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in
Nagorno-Karabakh as U.S. government employees are restricted from
traveling there,” the State Department added.
WHO, with funding from the European Union, in September supplied X-ray
equipment to 7 COVID-19 frontline hospitals – 1 in the capital Yerevan
and in 6 other cities in Armenia.
A new law came into effect on December 10, by order of the Armenian
Ministry of Health, that would allow employers to fire workers who
refuse to provide proof of vaccination. Armenia has the lowest
vaccination rate in the region and Europe. Armenia began its mass
vaccination campaign in April with authorities planning to inoculate
700,000 of the country's 2.9 million citizens by the end of the year.
However, only 516,989 citizens had been fully vaccinated by Dec. 6.
620,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine were donated to Armenia by Norway
with the support of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism within the
framework of the Team Europe initiative is already in Armenia.
"The entire infrastructure is ready to carry out a large number of
vaccinations. I add that vaccination does not exclude the disease, but
reduces the risk of contagion", Armenian Health Minister Anahit
Avanesyan reported during a recent press conference, adding that the
late entry into force of the restrictive measures was a shortcoming of
her department. According to the minister, they are currently
considering the option of requesting certification of negativity from
Covid or vaccination to enter restaurants and attend concerts.
There were 9,977 active cases in Armenia as of .
Armenia has recorded 352,399 coronavirus cases and 8,028 deaths;
334,394 have recovered.
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