Category: 2022

Judge Tigran Sahakyan dismissed

Ophelia Vardapetian
Panorama
Armenia – July 19 2022

Judge Tigran Sahakyan of Armenia’s Court of Criminal Appeals has been officially relieved of his duties as the court chair and member after turning 65.

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a state body overseeing Armenian courts, made a decision on his dismissal on Monday, July 18.

Under the domestic law, judges retire at age of 65 in Armenia.

Human rights activist Ruben Melikyan said he was among the judges "behind political repressions against oppositionists" after agreeing to take over the appellate court 10 months ago”.

‘About Armen and his murderers’: Opposition activist Avetik Chalabyan’s letter from pre-trial custody

Alex Jidarian
Panorama
Armenia – July 19 2022

Avetik Chalabyan, an opposition activist and public figure who has been illegally kept in pre-trial custody since May 14, wrote a letter from the Armavir penitentiary. His full letter is provided below. 

We saw each other every day, his prison cell was opposite ours.

"Armen and I have known each other since 1991. In September of that year, the Club of Cheerful and Resourceful (KVN in Russian) of the Yerevan Medical Institute played in Moscow against the team of Novosibirsk University, and as a fan I joined the team and went to Moscow with them. Unfortunately, our team lost, but with those unforgettable days I have kept friendship with Armen, Gor, Mark, Raf and other wonderful members of the team.

In the following years, our paths diverged, Armen and I sometimes met in Moscow, but we became close again in recent years, when both of us, in different ways, found ourselves in the vortex of the national liberation struggle. In the last two months, Armen and I met every day, his prison cell was located in front of ours, and every day while going for a walk, Armen stopped for a moment in front of our window and greeted us. I was approaching the window and we managed to exchange two words. Each time we promised each other to fight to the end, not only for our freedom, but also against the evil that plagued our country. Every time, Armen cheered me up, joked and smiled, and quickly left under the frowning looks of the prisoners.

On that fateful Friday, Armen approached our cell again in the morning, greeted us, said that he was in a fighting mood, and went to court. He left, never to return, to give his soul to God in front of all of us, and to join the many martyrs of our nation. Armen was only 57 years old, he was cheerful and resourceful all his life, sometimes excessively categorical and radical, but a true, unfailing devotee of his nation and homeland. The heart of such people burns to give light to those around them, sometimes to warm them, and more often to break through the darkness veiling their eyes.

Why do we kill the righteous and enlightened among us?

During the two days that passed after Armen's death, I thought for a long time about him, what or who killed him, and many devotees like him in the past, from Khachatur Abovyan to Yeghishe Charents, from Garegin Nzhdeh to Paruys Sevak. Each of these people brought light and truth to his people, but his death was sealed by the hands of his conventional representatives. Why do we kill the righteous and enlightened among us, for what earthly or heavenly good, why do we constantly make a deal with our conscience – this is what gives me peace, both after Armen's death and before it, because abomination has been with us for a long time.

In the last two months, being in the detention center, I was "lucky" to communicate with various representatives of the "law enforcement" system: judges, prosecutors, investigators and policemen on a daily basis. People with whom I had never interacted in my entire previous life, and who were an unknown new world to me. Most of these people are distinguished by their meek obedience to the government, sometimes to the point of absurdity. Without exception, they realize that in the case of Armen, me, or others like us, they are making an arbitrary and rude order that has nothing to do with law and justice, but they continue to fulfill it with the obedience of a slave.

The investigators and the prosecutor, who simply lost themselves at court sessions and could not justify their decisions. Judges who, under the weight of the arguments of our defense team, were forced to accept the absurdity of my arrest, but after leaving the "consultation room" by some magic trick (presumably receiving a call from somewhere important) changed their position, and with their eyes fixed on the ground, reading quickly only the final part of the court decision, they ran away from the courtroom.

What makes them serve as submissive tools to modern day sultans?

The Ottoman sultans created a corps of janissaries to keep their subjects in obedience from many conquered countries in a few decades. To fill the Janissary corps, Christian boys were taken from their families, forcibly converted to Islam and raised in slavery. Raised, they became fearsome warriors but remained slaves to the Sultan, with no right to property, family, relatives, friends outside the corps, or any other aspect of life. These warriors were as fearsome as they were loyal to the Sultan, and were the main military pillar of his rule for more than three centuries, until their dissolution in 1830.

It seems that two centuries have passed since then, slavery does not exist in our time, people have the ability to freely choose (among others, they can move to the private sector). What then forces them to serve as obedient tools to modern sultans, what forces them to break the law every day, make illegal decisions that cost human lives, bring misfortune, without benefiting anyone.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but there are several factors that can collectively explain this phenomenon.

The dictatorial constitution and the person who controls it

1. First, successive authorities in Armenia (and perhaps in all post-Soviet countries) have tried to involve people in the law enforcement system who are not so much distinguished by their high legal awareness as by their willingness to obey. Over time, this system has become cemented, and in a sense, it doesn't really matter whose orders it follows, it's important that it ensures its own stability and systemic integrity.

2. Second, we have inherited a dictatorial constitution from the previous authorities, which enables the parliamentary majority (or the person controlling it) over time to take control of the entire legal system: the investigative bodies, the prosecutor's office, the three-tiered system of courts, and even the Constitutional Court.

This is happening before our eyes and is approaching its final stage, when after capturing the prosecutor's office and the court of cassation, the current government is also preparing to finally capture the Constitutional Court, filling it with its unconditional minions. In such a law enforcement system, there are no more checks and balances, it begins to act as a single monolith and punches the decisions handed down to it.

The "democratic" kingdom of crooked mirrors – Armenia

In this gloomy panorama, the issue of judges deserves a separate discussion. It seems that the Constitution guarantees their independence, because they are appointed for an indefinite period, and not by the parliamentary majority, but by the presentation of the president of the country. But in the "democratic" kingdom of crooked mirrors, in which we have found ourselves today, the president of the country is just an ordinary official appointed by the prime minister, the BDH is occupied by the tactician Gagik Jahangiryan, the judges are afraid of disciplinary proceedings, possible dismissals, their relatives and friends from the day of their appointment. of the criminal cases to be brought against them (to be examined by judges who are as terrified as they are).

It turns out that even two hundred years after the abolition of the Janissary corps, collective slavery is possible, moreover, under the false name of "judicial" reforms, with international grants and technical assistance, it was masterfully implemented in the kingdom of "victorious democracy".

"Collective Self-Deception"

The attentive reader will ask here: we are not a sultanate, and not even a kingdom, we do not have a prime minister elected by the people and a parliamentary majority, and the people are not capable of changing them, if they are really that bad, and they try him everyday. to keep in slavery.

It is a bitter irony of fate that the people (or their active majority) have already given unconditional and unlimited power to the ruling group twice. Moreover, if the first time it was against the background of universal enthusiasm, positive expectations, rejection of the past, then the second time it was a paradox, if not to say "collective self-deception".

It is naive to hope that with "democratic" mechanisms, going to elections every 5 years, it is possible to change this state of affairs: the government, having once subordinated itself to the law enforcement system, is able to keep the less educated majority of the society in obedience through it, and through it to regularly reproduce itself. , keeping the veil of "democracy" from a formal point of view. If someone has doubts, let them study the history of the 20th century, for example, Mexico, which formally had "democratic" elections, but actually had a one-party government for about 70 years.

It will be the same with us, if we do not realize the deception imposed on us, and understand that the primary thing is the rule of law, our individual, collective and national rights, and fight every day consistently for the rule of law and an independent judicial system.

Armen's fight is not over: we must continue it

Armen told me that he would fight to the end and not give up. He really fought to the last breath and gave the fight the most precious thing, his life. However, his struggle is not over, and we must continue it. The end of this struggle should not be the end of Armen, me and others like us, but a truly fair, free and powerful Armenia. Join this fight, everyone in their place, and don't let the slave inside you defeat the free man.

Avetik Chalabyan
July 17, 2022
Armavir penitentiary institution

Armenians – A Century of Collateral Damage

Meline Chalian
23/07/2022
By David Davidian
Armenians became collateral damage twice in just over a century when great powers and those with parallel interests used nationalism in achieving their congruent goals. This article is meant to be less of a history lesson than it is to expose the consequences of manipulating nationalism for the benefit of third parties.

David Davidian

During the lead-up to WWI, the British and their supporters, to dismember the Ottoman Empire, needed to supplant (but not remove) Islam as the centripetal force uniting the Empire’s varied Muslim populations and replace each with senses of nationalism. The British plan, albeit one supported by others including Germany, was to create an ethnic glue—one of the strongest forces of nationalism—to supplant Islam.” 
This operation was the most ambitious. As a British intelligence officer, TE Lawrence led much of the Arab uprising against the Turks, fulfilling the dreams of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, a secret arrangement between England and France with nods from Russia and Italy for the engineered dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire. The days were numbered for the archaic, despotic, and bureaucratic Ottoman Empire. Twentieth-century republics had their basis as nation-states. Germany’s Bismarck and Italy’s Garibaldi both architected the unification of their states within established borders. Nation-states, unlike kingdoms and empires, need a population with some form of shared identity. 
Many internal and external forces contributed to supplanting Islam as the primary identity vehicle for Turkish-speaking Muslims in the Ottoman. The list included Pan-Turkism such as the Hungarian Turkologist Armin Vámbéry. Balkan Turks were exposed to the successes of European republics, including Mustafa Kemal, later known as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and even Pan-Turkish writers in Baku. The 1908 Young Turk revolution that deposed the Ottoman Sultan had clear Turkish nationalist overtones. Young Turk ideologues such as Ziya Gokalp and pan-Turkist Munis Tekinalp, envisioned a Turkey for the Turks. Crypto-Jews (see Donme) in positions of influence encouraged a Turkish national identity. Zionists needed such dismemberment as a precondition for the 1917 Balfour Declaration. The 1913 coup d’etat by the proto-fascist wing of the Young Turk party set the stage for eliminating the unassimilable in an envisioned Turkish state. Under the guise of WWI, Armenian civilization was cleansed across Anatolia, followed by the Greek and Assyrian. Eventually, an _expression_ of Kurd identity became an enemy of the Turkish state. As the Empire was being dismantled, much of the Turkish war effort was being expended on deporting Armenians, killing a million and a half of them, looting their property, and escorting Muslim refugees from the Balkans and the Caucasus into former Armenian homes. Young Turks, especially those associated with Mustafa Kemal, were more interested in an eventual Turkish state than the rest of the Empire, already being disassembled by imperial Europe. Many interests did not like the presence of Armenians throughout the region. Exterminating the Armenians was one solution to the Armenian Question.
Today, some forces wish to dismember Iran if it will not unilaterally end its nuclear program and much of its advanced delivery systems. Despite Turkish President Erdogan’s anti-Semitic rants, Turkey is allowed to serve a neo-Ottoman policy that pressures Iran as well as Russia in Central Asia. The West, particularly Israel, actively encouraged and supported Azerbaijan’s capture of the historic Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. This support was not based on so-called internationally recognized borders (note: Israel’s silent annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights and NATO’s creation of Kosovo violated such tenets) but rather to encourage a sense of an Azerbaijani nationalist success that is hoped to spill over into Azerbaijani-speaking northwest Iran. An increase in Turkish influence in the southern Caucasus that would supplant Russian influence would serve Western interests. What initially might have been a Russian-Turkish quid pro quo, with Turkey increasing its regional influence, instead resulted in a multi-thousand strong Russian contingent having installed itself ostensibly to protect what remains of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians on land that Azerbaijan considers its territory. It’s not that Israel or Georgia, the latter having offered its airspace to Turkish jets, with ISIS fighters imported into Azerbaijan to fight Armenians, had anti-Armenian policies, but rather both had pro-Azerbaijani policies for different reasons. The Azerbaijani capture of Nagorno-Karabakh and especially lands extending to the Iranian border is hoped, by certain regional powers, to impress upon Iranian Azerbaijan (called southern Azerbaijan by Baku) to consider demands for union with the Republic of Azerbaijan. The immediate goal is to add to Iran’s internal social and political pressure. The loss of Iranian Azerbaijan would dismantle Iran, as the British and others accomplish with the Ottoman Empire.
Over four thousand Armenian young men, and civilians, lost their lives fighting Azerbaijan’s 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, run by the Turkish General Staff. Unrestrained Turkish nationalism created a century ago is continuing to be used today generating more collateral damage.
Yerevan, Armenia
Author: David Davidian (Lecturer at the American University of Armenia. He has spent over a decade in technical intelligence analysis at major high technology firms. He resides in Yerevan, Armenia).

Russians change Gyumri’s rhythm

Greg Madatian
 

ByArmine Avetisyan
Photo: Armine Avetisyan/OC Media.

The war in Ukraine drove tens of thousands of Russian citizens to relocate to Armenia. While most have settled in Yerevan, high rents in the capital have pushed some to seek out other options.

Since the start of the war, Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport has been as busy as ever; incoming flights, however, don’t only bring in tourists who want to relax in the picturesque mountains of Armenia, but also thousands of Russians who intend to settle in the country.

According to official numbers, around 142,000 Russians crossed the border during the first quarter of the year — a significant jump from the comparatively paltry 43,000 recorded in the same period last year.

Illustration: Armine Avetisyan/OC Media.

Some of those who come return after a while, and others use Armenia as a transit country to circumvent direct flight bans to and from Russia, but tens of thousands choose to stay.

Vitaly Sitsin, a 48-year-old programmer by profession, moved to Yerevan from the Russian city of Perm two months ago.

‘Our company closed [in Perm] and moved to Yerevan. I am gradually adapting to life here’, Vitaly told OC Media.

Vitaly’s employer rents an apartment for him and his coworkers who have temporarily settled in the Armenian capital. He said his rent exceeds $1,000 a month, and he is happy that he is not the one paying it. Rents for some apartments in the Armenian capital have doubled since the war broke out on 24 February.

[Read more on OC Media: Evictions surge as rents skyrocket in Yerevan and Tbilisi]

‘I have many friends who moved to Armenia like me, but not all of them stayed in Yerevan’, the programmer said. ‘Many prefer to move to other cities where life is relatively affordable.’ 

One such city is Gyumri, the second-largest in the country with a population of 100,000. Developed and affordable, it has become the go-to for those who have been priced out of the country’s capital. Even Vitaly has been mulling moving there if he decides to stay in Armenia longer, he said.

Ilya and Irina, a Russian couple from Moscow, thought long and hard about where to go after the war started before settling on Gyumri. Ilya is a programmer, who could easily do his work remotely, while his wife, a carpenter, can take her craft wherever she goes.

‘You know, we have adapted to life here, we love this city’, Ilya told OC Media. ‘We are many here, there are bars in the city that are filled with Russian citizens, especially in the evening.’

The couple pays about $500 for a four-room apartment located in the centre of the city, which is a far cry from the skyrocketing rent prices of Yerevan.

[Read more on OC Media: Evictions surge as rents skyrocket in Yerevan and Tbilisi]

At first glance, everything seems to be going great for the couple; they’ve settled in, made friends, and plan on staying in the city for the next few years.

Now, their only concern is continuing the education of their 12-year-old son, Danila.

‘We need a Russian school. We are still looking’, said Irina. ‘If we don’t find a good school here, maybe we will look in Tbilisi as well, though we think we will find one: we are new, we do not know everything well yet.’

Old Gyumri. Photo: Anahit Harutyunyan/OC Media.

‘Russian citizens have changed the rhythm of our lives’, said Liza Gasparyan, a tour company operator based in Gyumri.

‘There were some problems, in the beginning, there was even artificial inflation in the real estate market’, she explained. ‘The issue was settled, although not so quickly.’

Gasparyan also noted that despite the initial inflationary shock stemming from the Russians' arrival, there has also been an economic benefit to the Russians’ arrival and their frequenting of the city’s establishments. More than before, Gyumri, she said, ‘buzzes with life almost every day.

Gasparyan thinks that due to their warm reception, some of the guests may even consider permanently residing in Gyumri.

Since the very start of the war in Ukraine, 1,600 Russian citizens have applied for Armenian citizenship. Many others have also applied for residency permits as well, with around 350 Russian nationals applying for residency between 24 February and 13 April.

There are three types of residence statuses in Armenia, explained Nelli Davtyan, a public relations officer at the Armenian Migration Service. 

‘A residence status is granted to any foreigner if they substantiate that there are circumstances justifying their stay in the territory of Armenia for a period of one or more years’, Davtyan said. ‘Such circumstances may be for education, work, business, or being a family member of an Armenian citizen.’

According to Davtyan, roughly 200 Russian citizens have also applied for refugee status in the republic so far.

A refugee application in Armenia usually takes anywhere from three to six months to be processed. Should a person be recognised as a refugee, they are afforded the right to live legally in Armenia for an indefinite period, however, they are not allowed to own land or vote.

If their application gets rejected, they are considered illegal immigrants and are forced to leave Armenia.

‘The right to asylum is a fundamental right; we are open to all foreigners who want to obtain refugee status. Everyone's claims are considered individually’, Davtyan said

By Armine Avetisyan

Armine Avetisyan is a print and broadcast journalist from Armenia who has covered social and political issues in the country since 2007. She holds a Master’s Degree from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA).

 

"Azerbaijan does not recognize the occupation policy of Russia" – comments from Baku

Lilit Nahapetian



  • JAMnews
  • Baku

Azerbaijan is set to double its exports of natural gas to Europe against the backdrop of what experts in Baku on Russian-Azerbaijani relations dub Russia’s “occupation policy”.

But in spite of this doubling of volume to EU nations, Azerbaijani gas will meet only 4% of the needs of these states, in the opinion of Azeri experts speculating on the Russian threat. According to doctor of political science Dzhumshud Nuriev, Russian provocations can even move from Central Asia to the Caucasus ⁠— namely to Georgia and Azerbaijan.

  • Opinion from Baku: “Russia is a wounded bear that lost its mind”
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At the beginning of this week, Azerbaijan and the European Union signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on the strategic partnership between the European Union, represented by the European Commission, and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the energy sector.” The document was signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.

According to the memorandum, Azerbaijan will increase the volume of gas supplied to EU nations by up to 20 billion cubic meters per year.

Azerbaijan signed a memorandum on gas export with the European Union. According to the document, Baku will double the volume of natural gas exported to Europe

At present, 10 billion cubic meters of gas are supplied from Azerbaijan to the EU through the “Southern Gas Corridor” annually.

According to economists, EU nations’ annual need for natural gas is about 500 billion cubic meters. Of this volume, 60% is covered by Russian gas. The EU intends to seriously reduce gas imports from the Russian Federation.

Yet even with a doubling of Azerbaijani gas exports, only 4% of EU nations’ need will be met, Azeri experts on the Russian threat stated in connection with Baku’s intention of replacing Russian gas.

According to former member of the Milli Majlis (Azeri parliament), doctor of political sciences and professor Jumshud Nuriyev, relations between Baku and Moscow haven’t been particularly friendly since Azerbaijan declared independence.

“At times the tension in the relationship was quite serious. I consider November 10, 2020, the height of this tension. But it then began to wane,” Nuriev said.

“This essentialy a reprint” – former Azerbaijani FM discussed similarities and differences of Shusha and Moscow declarations

Nuriev is confident that the development of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Turkey benefits Azerbaijan. Furthermore, a memorandum of alliance between the two countries signed by Aliyev and Putin on February 23, 2022 has eased tension somewhat.

“At present, tensions are at a low level. But there is a kind of orthodoxy among the Russian military brass, closely connected to Armenia. We can see some enmity in their attitude toward Azerbaijan.

“In particular, they are trying to cover up failures on the Ukrainian front by diverting attention to other areas. So as far tension between Moscow and Baku, the tension is rather hidden,” he added.

Jumshud Nuriyev further stated that processes inside the country, namely a galvanizing opposition and the actions of immigrants abroad, show that provocations against Azerbaijan are possible:

“This cannot be ruled out. And earlier experts have stated that there is a danger of tension spreading from Central Asia to the Caucasus. We must be prepared for such provocations.”

In the part of Karabakh where the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is deployed, the authorities are completely subordinate to Moscow, Azerbaijani politician Igbal Agazade believes

Deputy of the Azerbaijani Parliament and economist Vahid Ahmadov also maintained that Russia’s attitude toward Azerbaijan has never been friendly. “Recently there have also been threats, often straight from Moscow,” he said.

“Take the Karabakh issue. Which points of the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020 have been fulfilled? Neither the delimitation of the borders, nor the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from this territory happened. The infrastructure linking the main part of Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan hasn’t been started either.

Russian peacekeepers leave the Lachin corridor. Azerbaijan government reports their illegal activities becoming more frequent

“We often point to Armenia as the culprit, but Russia is behind it. That is why Russia’s attitude toward us is no surprise.

“Moscow is pursuing a colonial policy. It wants to keep Azerbaijan as its colony. But this is no longer possible; Azerbaijan is pursuing an independent policy, trying to solve its problems on its own. And Moscow doesn’t like that.”

Ahmadov noted that another factor irritating the Kremlin is rapprochement between Azerbaijan and Turkey:

“Russia doesn’t like that Turkey has become an active player in the region by developing fraternal relations with Azerbaijan. Although it has some influence on this process, it is basically impossible to stop.

Russia banned the import of tomatoes from Azerbaijan, citing ‘pest infestation’. The ban also extended to Azeri potatoes and cherries. But what has sparked these ‘food wars’?

“Both the world and Azerbaijan itself have changed. We have serious political, economic, military and humanitarian ties with Turkey. Turkey and Azerbaijan are responsible for each other’s security.”

The Azerbaijani MP noted that Azerbaijan has never severed relations with Russia.

“Relations between our countries have always existed. Russia is our neighbor. There are close political, economic and humanitarian ties. It is impossible not to note President Ilham Aliyev’s good relations with Russia.

“But in spite of this, we do not recognize the occupation policy of Russia. Azerbaijan is a sovereign state. And Moscow is pursuing an occupation policy.

“Events in Moldova, Georgia, and now in Ukraine are unfolding before our eyes, though a similar situation is hardly possible in Azerbaijan for the reasons I have indicated.

“Russia itself should be interested in close economic and political relations with Azerbaijan,” Vahid Ahmedov concluded..

https://jam-news.net/azerbaijan-does-not-recognize-the-occupation-policy-of-russia-comments-from-baku/

Work for the Karabakh war participants: Armenian government program

Tatoyan Vazgen



Employment program for Karabakh war participants

A new program is being launched in Armenia to provide employment for the unemployed participants of the Karabakh military actions. This includes those who participated in the so-called “April” or “four-day” war, i.e. the escalation on the line of contact in Karabakh in 2016, as well as the 44-day war of 2020. According to a study conducted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, many of them can’t find work and need to acquire new knowledge and skills.

Under the government program, they will have the opportunity to take professional courses, receive scholarships, and even get paid for a probationary period with the employer. After that they will sign contracts for at least a year. Moreover, both the program participants and employers will receive financial support from the state budget.

The program launches as an experiment. If it proves to be effective, the government intends to continue it.

Below are the details on who can apply for the new project, how the state intends to support the military activities participants and employers.

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The government expects the following results from the project:

  • unemployed participants of the “April” and 44-day war will receive a stable job,
  • employers will be able to hire workers with the necessary professional knowledge and skills.

The Armenian government has introduced a new housing program in the border villages. The state will help families who wish to build a house in one of the borderline villages to repay their mortgage and interest rates

The program consists of three main components:

  1. up to 5 months of professional training at the employer or in an educational institution,
  2. three-month probationary period with the employer,
  3. start of work (in case the employer considers that the program participant doesn’t need training or a probationary period).

If a participant enrolls in the first component of the program, they will:

  • receive compensation of tuition fees in the amount of 50 thousand drams ($120 at the current exchange rate) per month,
  • receive a scholarship in the amount of 50% of the minimum monthly salary (currently at 34 thousand drams, or $82),
  • after graduation, sign an employment contract for a period of at least a year (during this year, the employer will receive state support in the amount of no more than 50 thousand drams per month, or $120).

If the second, probationary period of the program, is deemed necessary, the employer will receive a compensation:

  • for three months, in the amount of the minimum monthly wage (to pay the salary of the project participant),
  • for three months, in the amount of no more than 25,000 drams ($60), and for nine months, in the amount of no more than 50 thousand drams (to pay income tax and other payments).

In the event that a war participant is immediately hired (at least for a year) without training or probation, the employer will receive a lump sum payment from the state budget in the amount of 300,000 drams ($730).

In Armenia, pensioners and socially disadvantaged families receiving benefits will receive a monthly cashback for non-cash transactions. Thus, the government aims to promote the use of non-cash payements

Employers will provide information about vacancies and professional skills required to be hired to the Unified Social Service under the Ministry of Labor.

The service will make a list of unemployed, from which the employer will select the most suitable candidates for themselves.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan said that a tripartite agreement would be signed between the service, the employer, and the program participant.

This program of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is a pilot and will be implemented in the third and fourth quarters of 2022.

According to the project, up to 200 participants will be involved in it by the end of the year.

After monitoring the results of the pilot for this employment program, the government will decide whether to continue it next year or not.

Interview: After the Ukraine conflict, will Armenia step up partnership with India in weapons, trade and investments?

Jhanna Virabian
India Narrative
  •  Aditi Bhaduri

    •  

  • Published:   23-07-2022 04:48 PM

    •  

  •   8 min read

Dr. Mher Sahakyan is Director, China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research, Armenia. He was previously an AsiaGlobal Fellow, Asia Global Institute, University of Hong Kong. His most recent co-edited volume is China and Eurasia: Rethinking Cooperation and Contradictions in the Era of Changing World Order. Routledge, 2021.

He spoke exclusively to Aditi Bhaduri about the changing geopolitical and geo-economic landscape of Eurasia, in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. He points out that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could hasten China’s search for a new land trade route to Europe that by-passes Russia.  He also speaks about the presence of thousands of Indians in Armenia, pointing out that a process of official engagement at a politico-military level has begun between New Delhi and Yerevan that rides the “very strong” people-to-people connections.  

Excerpts:

How do you see the future of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in the backdrop of Russia's military operation in Ukraine and the changing world order?

[The] Ukrainian war creates problem for the further development of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). As Russian and Belarusian economies together are the largest part of EAEU’s economy, and Western sanctions on Moscow and Minsk are also harming economies of other member states. However, sanctions on Russia and Belarus can create not only challenges, but also opportunities for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia. However, there is a need to note, that because of Russo-Ukrainian war, not only EAEU’s economy, but also economies of the EU, UK, and US are also declining, because of Russian sanctions on them. For this reason, great, middle, small states located in Eurasian continent are also losing [out] not only economically, but also politically as the West and Russia press them to take a side. 

Mher Sahakyan with his latest book (Image courtesy: Twitter/@mhereast)

On your question about changing world order and EAEU, our international team from different countries published China and Eurasia: Rethinking Cooperation and Contradictions in the Era of Changing World Order book at Routledge in September 2021, bringing answers and recommendations.  Actually, in the multipolar world order 2.0, where we are now, the EAEU is in the Eastern pole, which is being built by Russia and China. In the framework of the Eastern pole Moscow and Beijing agreed to harmonize with each other the EAEU and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Greater Eurasian Partnership hinges on joining economic blocs, like EAEU with China's BRI, ASEAN and so on. Where do you see this GEP heading now in the light of sanctions on Russia?

The Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP), initiated by Russia, is a constructive idea, which can bring development and stability to the entire Eurasian continent. However, in the era of Russo-Ukrainian war, it will be very hard to implement, as the EU, UK, Japan, South Korea and other allies and partners of the US will not join with this initiative. Russia can try to implement it with China, India, Iran, Armenia, Belarus, Central Asian Republics (CARS) and other partners and allies, but in this case, it will not become the continental project from Lisbon to Vladivostok and Tokyo and can be realized only within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The other problem of realization of the GEP is that it is not clear which states or institutions should finance this initiative. For instance, the BRI has had success, because China and its financial organizations are fully financing it. For this I recommend establishing a “Greater Eurasian Partnership Bank”, which will meet financial criteria for the GEP.

Russia was a major link in China's BRI. But now with the sanctions China is looking for alternate trade routes to Europe. Can you shed light on this?

You are right, one of the economic corridors of the BRI, which is Called New Eurasian Land bridge, passes through Russia. It utilizes Russian Trans-Siberian railways, ports in Eastern Russia for the trade and transportation between China, Asia and Europe. Because of the Russo-Ukrainian war and sanctions, the EU states will try to connect with China and Asia without passing Russian territory. For this reason, China also created another economic corridor which is called China-Central Asia-West Asia. In our times, this route, step by step, will stand the main transportation arteries for China-Europe trade and transportation. Therefore, the roles of Central Asian, South Caucasian states and Turkey will rise in BRI. 

What is Armenia's role in Eurasia?

It is a very good and difficult question. I think that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia could not find its place not in Europe nor in Asia. Culturally and with its religion, Armenia is mostly connected with Europe and Russia, but physically it is in Asia. For this reason, it is causing problems for Armenia. Mentally most of the Armenians think that they relate to Europe, but of course on the ground they are in Post-Soviet Eurasia. This kind of thinking is bringing miscalculations in Armenian foreign policy with great losses, as it was during the last Karabakh war.  Ukrainian and Georgian wars, once again proved, that no one is waiting for the ex-Soviet states in NATO and in EU. For this reason, Armenia must keep good relations with the EU and mostly with France with which it has constructive relations, but also understand that neither France nor non-Eurasian US can provide any military or security support to it. For this reason, Armenia must do its best to strengthen the Collective Security Treaty organization (CSTO) and EAEU, as it is a member of these organizations, to keep its military and economic partnership with Russia, to strengthen and improve relations with China and India in bilateral or multilateral levels. Also, there is a need to solve problems with Turkey and Azerbaijan, which will bring prosperity and peace to the entire region.

Tell us about the North South Road Corridor in Armenia. What will its function be, what is the aim, how far has it been developed? How will Armenia benefit from this?

Armenia builds its North-South Road Corridor. Yerevan aims to connect with each other’s Iranian and Georgian transportation infrastructures through its territory. The implementation of this project will connect landlocked Armenia with the routes of the International North South Transport Corridor, bringing Armenia more cooperation with India as well. 

How do you see Russia-Turkey relations panning out in this changing order, especially in Eurasia? 

In short, I will call Russo-Turkish relations in Eurasia as competitive cooperation. They compete in South Caucasus, Syria and Ukraine for the spheres of influence, but also cooperate. For instance, Turkey bought Russian air defence system S400 without taking into consideration warnings of its main ally US, Russia also constructs nuclear power plants in Turkey, and Ankara does not join sanctions against Russia, etc. But of course, if there were a direct clash between NATO and Russia, Turkey would join its allies. 

What is the future of Armenia-Russia relations with Russia focused so much on Ukraine and its economy steadily weakening?

Relations between Armenia and Russia must be an all-weather friendship. Actually, entire world’s economy is weakening, therefore, maybe it will be constructive if Armenia tries to mediate between the West and Russia for finding ways for peace. 

As someone specialising on China and Eurasia, do you think Armenia has a role to play in China's BRI? Don't you think Armenia can easily fall into a Chinese debt trap like Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan or Sri Lanka?

I do not think so. We have also great examples of Kazakhstan, Georgia, Serbia and dozens of other states, which joined to Chinese BRI, got investments and now develop their economies. 

Armenia needs Chinese investments, technologies, innovations for developing its economy, but still there is not any activity in this direction. In this year, China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research jointly with Renmin University of China organized Armenia and China forum for finding some ways for improving Sino-Chinese relations. 

Armenia is interested in defence ties with India. What kind of cooperation is Armenia looking for? Can you tell us something about this?

Armenia is interested to improve and strengthen relations with India in every sphere. Armenians live in India for several centuries, there are many Armenian churches in this wonderful country. Now thousands of Indians live, work and study in Armenia. You can find many Indian restaurants in Yerevan. I have many colleagues and friends in India, every year we have many attendees from India in our “Eurasian Research on Modern China and Eurasia conference”. We are also attending conferences organised by Indian colleagues, together we write books. Therefore, I think, that connection between Armenian and Indian people is very strong, thus we need to strengthen cooperation between states as well. We can see that during last year foreign ministries of both sides are working in this direction very actively. Hopefully they will have a success.

By the way Indo-Armenian relations cannot make problems for improving Sino-Armenian relations and vice versa, as India and China also closely cooperate with each other in the BRICS format and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). According to UN Comtrade in 2021 trade between China and India totaled approximately US$110.5 billion, it was US$23.9 more than in 2020. Therefore, Armenia needs to develop its relations with these two giants of Asia – India and China simultaneously for finding opportunities to sell its products in vast markets of these states and to develop its technologies and economy.

(Aditi Bhaduri is a columnist specializing in Eurasian geopolitics.Views expressed are personal and exclusive to India Narrative)


Armenia rejects any preconditions in dialogue with Turkey

Garnik Tadevosian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia –
– 12:19 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chairman of the Armenian parliament's Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Eduard Aghajanyan has said that Armenia's position on the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement has not been changed, and that any precondition is unacceptable for Yerevan.

Aghajanyan made the remarks Friday, July 22 at a joint press conference with and the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister, who arrived in Armenia on regional visit.

Aghajanyan highlighted the meetings of the Delegation led by McAllister with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Parliament Alen Simonyan, Vice President Ruben Rubinyan, members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and the representatives of other political forces in parliament.

According to him, modern regional problems, particularly developments in the context of the Armenian-Azerbaijani, Armenian-Turkish relations, the problems combining them the ways of solutions, as well as the issues of the return of Armenian prisoners of war, the protection of historical-cultural heritage and other numerous issues.

McAllister underscored the active role of the European Parliament in the work for the solution of the regional problems and reminded that the European Parliament called on the two countries to return prisoners of war. He noted that the Council of Europe would continue to be in contact with their Armenian colleagues in any event.

Iran-Armenia high voltage electric line discussed in Yerevan

Alex Nanijanian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia –
– 16:58 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan on Saturday, July 22 revealed details about the progress of construction of the Iran-Armenia high voltage electric line at a meeting with President Vahagn Khachaturyan.

Khachaturyan's office said in a statement that the current status of the construction of the North-South highway, especially works currently being carried out on the road section of the Syunik province were also on the table.

The two also exchanged ideas on the opportunities and problems surrounding the construction of a new nuclear power plant.

Any precondition put forward by Turkey unacceptable for Armenia – Eduard Aghajanyan

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –
, 22:17

 

Armenia’s position on Armenian-Turkish relations remains unchanged, any precondition is unacceptable for the Armenian side, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, said at a joint press conference with David McAlister, chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

Eduard Aghajanyan attached importance to the meetings of the delegation led by Mr. McAllister with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan, Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and representatives of political forces represented in the Parliament.

During the meetings reference was made to regional issues, in particular, the developments in the context of Armenian-Azerbaijani, Armenian-Turkish relations in the post-war period, the related problems and the ways to solve them, as well as the return of Armenian prisoners of war, preservation of historical and cultural heritage and many other issues.

Eduard Aghajanyan hailed the positive activity and influence of the European Parliament on the above processes, in particular, specific statements and resolutions related to the Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh, the statement by the European Parliament regarding the prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan.

Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, David McAllister, also emphasized the importance of the meetings held in Armenia, stressed the importance of the issues discussed. He also emphasized the active role of the European Parliament in the work towards the settlement of regional problems.

David McAllister reminded that the European Parliament has called on both countries to return the prisoners of war. He also noted that the European Parliament will continue to be in contact with Armenian partners in any case.