Category: 2022

Kremlin commented on protests in Armenia

Maral Takmazian
ARMINFO
Armenia – May 5 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.What is happening in Armenia is an internal affair of the country, but Moscow is interested in resolving the situation as soon as possible. This was  announced to journalists on Thursday by press secretary of the  President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, TASS reports.

“This is entirely and completely an internal affair of Armenia,” a  Kremlin spokesman said, referring to opposition rallies in Armenia.

He stressed that Yerevan is an ally of Moscow. “Armenia is our ally,  it is our partner in several very important integration formats for  us, Armenia is our great friend,” Peskov said.

“Therefore, of course, we are interested in seeing this period end in  Armenia as soon as possible and a period of stability begin again,  which will allow us to gradually move towards the implementation of  those trilateral agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh, which were finalized  with the participation of the President of Russia, as well as in  general in terms of the development of our bilateral relations,” the  Kremlin spokesman said.

Since May 1, a tent city of opposition forces has been set up on  France Square, demanding the resignation of Pashinyan and his team.  The activists of the movement have been spending the fourth night on  the street, and in the morning blocking the streets throughout the  city. On May 3 and 4, regional roads were also blocked.

Today, members of the Movement are also blocking the roads of the  capital and regions throughout the day. Thus, the fourth day the city  is in a transport collapse. It is worth noting that the police use  disproportionate force against peaceful protesters. 

Levon Ter-Petrosyan assures that in current situation, nothing depends on personality of leader of Armenia

Boris Nahapetian
ARMINFO
Armenia – May 5 2022
Naira Badalian

ArmInfo.First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan ssures that the current internal political confrontation weakens Armenia’s position in the upcoming difficult  negotiations and calls on Nikol Pashinyan, Robert Kocharyan and Serzh  Sargsyan to dialogue. This is stated in the article of the former  president, published on the iLur.am.

“It is not clear what the main goal of today’s opposition is. With  the light hand of Serzh Sargsyan, Nikol Pashinyan was labeled a  “surrender”, which, although aptly, does not fully reflect the truth.  In fact, it was not Pashinyan who capitulated, but Armenia. Pashinyan  only signed an act on capitulation of Armenia.  Therefore, whoever is  instead of Pashinyan – Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, or at least  Ishkhan Saghatelyan, they will dutifully accept the decision that  will be imposed on Armenia. Thus, the problem does not depend on the  personality of the leader of Armenia,” Ter-Petrosyan said .  The  former head of state assures that if this simple truth is not  understood, and internal political upheavals continue, then the  decisions imposed tothe RA will be much more painful, regardless of  who signs the final document – Pashinyan or others.

“The question is, do the current leaders of the opposition not  realize this? If they do not realize this, then they do not  understand anything in politics. The harsh actions of the current  government in relation to demonstrations, marches and rallies  organized by the opposition have nothing to do with national  interests,” Ter-Petrosyan said.

In his words, being a hopeless optimist, he still hopes that the  conflicting parties will finally realize the danger of their  positions, will make efforts to reach some kind of agreement, so as  not to complicate the situation even more, in order to avoid new  dangers. “If our intelligentsia really wants to do something  patriotic, let them force Nikol Pashinyan, Robert Kocharyan, Serzh  Sargsyan to sit at the same table and find a way out of the internal  political crisis,” the first president of Armenia concluded.

Newspaper: Artsakh President says we would not have had so many casualties if war had started half year later

Tambiyan Samvel
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 5 2022
10:14, 05.05.2022

YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] President Arayik Harutyunyan told the intellectuals who arrived in Artsakh from Armenia that even before the [44-day] war [in the fall of 2020] they had decided to start building underground fortifications—bunkers—as they knew that war was inevitable.

They were planning to build 100 such fortifications, which would provide strong defense in the event of an enemy attack. He said construction had already begun on 17 of them, one of which was even nearing completion, which was used during the war, and they had no casualties in that position for 44 days as the army sheltered there safely.

He noted with regret that if the war had started half a year later, those fortifications would have been built and we would not have had so many casualties, as on September 28 [2020] [i.e., the next day of the start of this war] they had already decided to stop a lot of construction work and spend all resources on building those fortifications.

Armen Grigoryan: Armenia and Azerbaijan could exchange enclaves

Emil Karabekian
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 5 2022
14:05, 05.05.2022

For us, the possible option for the solution to the issue of enclaves is for the enclaves of Armenia to remain in Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani enclaves, which are in the territory of Armenia, to remain in Armenia. Secretary Armen Grigoryan of the Security Council of Armenia stated this at Thursday’s press briefing at the government.

According to him, the issue of enclaves has not been raised so far, and both sides are silent in this regard.

“There are enclaves on both sides. There is an [Armenian] enclave in the territory of Azerbaijan [i.e., Artsvashen] and there are [Azerbaijani] enclaves in the territory of Armenia. The surface area of those territories is virtually the same,” Grigoryan added.

Also, he called “incomprehensible” the claims of the Armenian opposition that the issue of enclaves will arise if a peace agreement is signed with Azerbaijan, and said that the opposition continues to make unsubstantiated statements that have nothing in common with reality.

Armenia official: Peace agreement with Azerbaijan also means solution to Karabakh issue

Kanayan Tamar
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 5 2022
14:37, 05.05.2022

A peace agreement with Azerbaijan also means a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) issue. Secretary Armen Grigoryan of the Security Council of Armenia stated about this at Thursday’s press briefing at the government.

According to him, Armenia sees this decision in ensuring the safety and rights of the Armenians of Artsakh.

“Based on that, it is necessary to accept the status of Karabakh. And based on that, there need to be security guarantees. We do not know what institutional guarantees there will be. If we come to a decision and see that the safety and rights of the Armenians [of Artsakh] are ensured, we will agree,” Grigoryan said.

He added that in response to Azerbaijan’s five points, Armenia’s proposals—consisting of six points—were received.

“These two packages should be combined and discussions should start. There is understanding on this matter—both from Azerbaijan and other international partners. Armenia has noted that in order to have a comprehensive peace agreement, the Karabakh issue must also be resolved. I have not seen Baku publicly reject our proposals,” the Armenian official emphasized.


Azerbaijan promises Europe gas in the hope of loyalty to Baku’s crimes

Arbi Tashjian
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 5 2022
Azerbaijan promises Europe gas in the hope of loyalty to Baku’s crimes
15:34, 05.05.2022

Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov took part in a ministerial round table on regional cooperation for energy security, diversification and transition to green energy in Sofia.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Minister highlighted the energy dialogue with the European Union after President Ilham Aliyev’s meeting with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson in February this year, APA reports.

He said that the main areas of the energy dialogue are decarbonization of the energy sector, energy transition, energy efficiency, expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor for additional gas exports to Europe, including hydrogen, production and export of other types of green energy.

The Southern Gas Corridor has proved its strategic importance in a short period of time, providing European consumers with uninterrupted and profitable natural gas during the energy crisis, and Azerbaijan is determined to continue playing the role of a reliable energy supplier for both the region and Europe.

To date, 11.6 billion cubic meters of gas have been transported to Europe through TAP. During the first four months of this year, 3.5 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas were delivered to Europe – 3.1 billion cubic meters to Italy, 0.3 billion cubic meters to Greece and 0.1 billion cubic meters to Bulgaria. At current export rates, our gas supplies to Europe will exceed 10 billion cubic meters by the end of the year.

The minister also spoke about Azerbaijan’s plans for decarbonization and the transition to green energy and ongoing projects.

“Along with huge reserves of natural gas, our renewable energy potential has created great opportunities for further development of a progressive energy dialogue with the European Union,” the Azerbaijani minister said.

Saghatelyan: Tomorrow from 12:00 we will completely paralyze Yerevan from four directions

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 5 2022
22:00, 05.05.2022

We’ll gather at this square tomorrow at 12:00, divide into four parts and totally paralyze the city, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, deputy speaker of the parliament from the “Armenia” bloc said.

His remarks came at the large rally of the Resistance Movement on France Square in Yerevan on Thursday.

“Tomorrow there should be numerous disobedience marches so that the police do not have the opportunity to apprehend our compatriots.

Those who want to get actively involved in concrete actions, please come up to the tents and give your names and phone numbers. On Saturday we will go to one of the regions of the country to support our citizens. After that we’ll come back to Yerevan and continue the actions here,” Saghatelyan added.

How Russia’s Gas-For-Rubles Scheme Is Helping Lift Armenia’s Currency

Frangulian Shushan
May 5 2022
By Eurasianet – , 1:00 PM CDT

  • Armenia’s national currency has seen a sharp rise recently.
  • The country’s Central Bank of Armenia suggests that an influx of Russians coming to escape their home country is what has lifted the dram.
  • Armenia also began paying for Russian gas in rubles which could chip away at dollar demand and help lift the Armenian dram. 

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has upended economies around the region, Armenia’s currency has sharply gained in value.  After hovering at its usual rate of just under 500 to the dollar, it dropped to about 518 to the dollar in mid-March before rising to 450 on May 4, a 15 percent gain in about six weeks.

Explanations for the dram’s rise vary. 

The Central Bank of Armenia connected it to the influx of Russians who have come to the country to escape repression and sanctions at home. 

“We have international visitors in Armenia. […] When these people spend money in our resorts or restaurants, it is considered an export growth from the perspective of the balance of payments in Armenia,” the bank’s head, Martin Galstyan, said at a May 3 press conference. “This situation led to the point that we have progressive growth of foreign currency in terms of supply to demand, which resulted in some strengthening of the dram.”

Galstyan added that the future course of the dram would depend on how long the visitors stay in Armenia and how they spend. 

Another factor: Armenia recently began paying for natural gas from Russia in rubles rather than in dollars, which was the previous practice. 

“Armenia used to transfer $35-40 million a month to Russia for natural gas alone. Now that amount is not transferred in dollars,” economist Suren Parsyan told local news site lragir.am. With excess dollars now available on the local market, there is less demand for the greenback, supporting the value of the dram. 

“Besides, economic activity in Armenia has slowed down, and people’s purchasing power has decreased,” Parsyan added.

Related: Don’t Expect OPEC+ To Boost Production In June

Parsyan told Eurasianet that the Central Bank appears to be not intervening, seeing a chance to tame inflation. In May, the bank’s board met and decided to keep the refinancing rate unchanged at 9.25 percent. “They either could decrease the refinancing rate or buy dollars from the market and bring the exchange rate to what it was before. But the bank doesn’t want to do that since it would result in greater inflation,” he said. 

Core inflation has been running at 7.4 percent so far in 2022, after measuring 7.7 percent in 2021. A rise in the dram should help by making imports less expensive, though it can hurt exporters.

“From the point of view of inflation, this [the rise in the dram] is a positive phenomenon because it mitigates the situation,” Narek Karapetyan, an economist at the Yerevan think tank Amberd, told RFE/RL. “However, we cannot feel the impact immediately.” 

The Central Bank’s Galstyan said that inflation was projected to decrease to 4 percent “in the medium term.”

By Eurasianet.org

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/How-Russias-Gas-For-Rubles-Scheme-Is-Helping-Lift-Armenias-Currency.html

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/05/2022

Nahapetian Zhanna 
                                        Thursday, May 5, 2022
Russia Hopes For ‘Return To Stability’ In Armenia
RUSSIA – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, bottom, looks on as Russian President 
Vladimir Putin speaks via video call during a news conference in Moscow, 
December 17, 2020
In its first official reaction to ongoing anti-government protests in Armenia, 
Russia expressed hope on Thursday that political stability there will be 
restored soon.
“This is entirely and completely an internal affair of Armenia,” Kremlin 
spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. “Armenia, as you know, is our 
ally, it is our partner in several integration formats very important for us.”
“Armenia is our great friend. And therefore, of course, we are interested in 
seeing this difficult period end as soon as possible and a period of stability 
start again,” he said.
Peskov said that the return to political stability will allow Armenia and 
Azerbaijan to gradually implement their agreements brokered by Russian President 
Vladimir Putin after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The agreements call for the restoration of transport links between the two South 
Caucasus nations and a demarcation of their long border. Yerevan and Baku have 
made little progress towards their implementation so far.
Russia accused the European Union of trying to sideline it and claim credit for 
these initiatives after European Council President Charles Michel hosted fresh 
talks between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President 
Ilham Aliyev in Brussels on April 5. Moscow has since been seeking to regain the 
initiative in the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.
Pashinian said after the Brussels talks that the international community is 
pressing Armenia to scale back its demands on Karabakh’s status and recognize 
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He signaled his readiness to make such 
concessions to Baku, sparking the opposition protests in Yerevan.
Armenian Military Told To Draft Opposition Protesters
        • Susan Badalian
        • Robert Zargarian
Armenia - Opposition supporters demonstrate in Yerevan, May 4, 2022.
Senior pro-government lawmakers on Thursday urged the Armenian military to call 
up men participating in continuing opposition demonstrations aimed at forcing 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to resign.
They held an extraordinary session of the Armenian parliament committee on 
defense and security as thousands of opposition supporters blocked streets and 
highways and marched through Yerevan for the fifth consecutive day. Opposition 
leaders pledged to keep up the pressure on the government.
Police have arrested hundreds of protesters, most of them young men, since the 
start of what Armenia’s leading opposition groups call a “civil disobedience” 
campaign. All of them were set free after spending several hours in police 
custody.
Andranik Kocharian, the chairman of the parliament committee, suggested that 
many of them evade compulsory military service or periodical call-ups of army 
reservists.
“We want to see [real] citizens of Armenia among the detainees, who must have 
their involvement in the army, if the political goal [of the opposition] is the 
security of Artsakh (Karabakh) and Armenia,” Kocharian said during the committee 
meeting.
“I am calling on Armenia’s police and the National Security Service to collect 
personal data of these citizens and pass them on to the Armenian Defense 
Ministry,” he said.
Other pro-government lawmakers as well as high-ranking law-enforcement and 
military officials attending the meeting backed the idea.
Armenia - Andranik Kocharian is interviewed by RFE/RL, January 11, 2022
“It would be very good if well-trained young men … participated in the defense 
of our borders and the borders of Artsakh,” said Ashot Zakarian, the chief of 
the Armenian military police.
“We will try to pass that information on to our colleagues from the Defense 
Ministry who will ascertain if those individuals are of fighting age and try to 
draft them,” Artur Martirosian, a deputy chief of the national police, told the 
panel, for his part.
Human rights activists condemned Kocharian’s initiative as illegal and 
despicable. One of them, Artur Sakunts, insisted that the police are not allowed 
to share the personal data of detainees with any other state body.
“Even if there are draft dodgers they must not be caught and taken [to the 
military] from protest sites,” said another activist, Nina Karapetian. “This is 
not normal. This looks like a witch hunt.”
Opposition leaders likewise scoffed at the unprecedented instructions given to 
the military.
“Are there no limits to their meanness?” Ishkhan Saghatelian, the main speaker 
at the ongoing protests, told journalists.
Armenia - Riot police arrest an opposition protester in Yerevan, May 5, 2022.
“There were two disabled guys without legs speaking from this podium yesterday,” 
Saghatelian said, referring to participants of the 2020 war in Karabakh.
In his words, at least 40 of the protesters detained in various parts of Yerevan 
earlier on Thursday are also war veterans. The police reported 92 arrests.
The opposition claimed that the authorities ordered security forces to step up 
the use of force against its supporters because the anti-government protests are 
gaining momentum.
“The disproportionate force used against Armenia’s citizens testifies to one 
thing: Nikol has no power anymore,” said Anna Grigorian, a lawmaker from the 
opposition Hayastan alliance. “Real power lies in the streets.”
Hayastan and the other parliamentary opposition force, Pativ Unem, say that 
Pashinian must resign because he wants to cede Karabakh to Azerbaijan. The prime 
minister rejected the opposition demands when he spoke in the parliament on 
Wednesday.
Armenia Eyes U.S. Boost To Energy Security
        • Sargis Harutyunyan
USA - Senior U.S. and Armenian diplomats hold a session of the U.S.-Armenia 
Strategic Dialogue, Washington, May 3, 2022
A memorandum of understanding on “strategic nuclear cooperation” between Armenia 
and the United States could strengthen the South Caucasus country’s energy 
security, a senior Armenian diplomat said on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat 
Mirzoyan signed the document after talks held in Washington on Monday. An 
Armenian delegation led by Mirzoyan also met with other senior U.S. State 
Department officials as part of a bilateral “strategic dialogue” launched three 
years ago.
In a joint statement issued after the talks, the two sides said the memorandum 
“will serve as a mechanism through which our governments can develop stronger 
ties between our nuclear experts, industries, and researchers.” They gave no 
further details.
Armen Yeganian, a senior Armenian Foreign Ministry official accompanying 
Mirzoyan, expressed hope that this and two other US.-Armenian documents signed 
in Washington “will contribute to Armenia’s energy security and independence and 
the strengthening of democracy.”
“This memorandum will enable us to use, to a certain extent, American know-how 
and achievements and to engage in exchanges between our scientists,” Yeganian 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Commenting on the memorandum, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on 
Monday that “Armenia looks to diversify its energy supply.”
Russian nuclear fuel and natural gas generate roughly two-thirds of Armenia’s 
electricity. Russia has financed the $300 million modernization of the Metsamor 
nuclear power plant completed last year and expressed readiness to help the 
Armenian government replace it by a new facility in 2036.
Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Hakob 
Vartanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service last week that Moscow and Yerevan have 
formed a task force that will explore the possibility of jointly building the 
new nuclear plant.
In Yeganian’s words, Armenian and U.S. officials have not discussed a possible 
U.S. participation in the ambitious project.
Armenian-Azeri Commission On Border Demarcation Still Not Formed
        • Nane Sahakian
ARMINIA -- An Armenian flag flies at a new Armenian army post on the border with 
Azerbaijan, June 18, 2021
Armenia and Azerbaijan have not yet formed a joint commission on demarcating 
their border despite an agreement to that effect reached by their leaders, a 
senior Armenian official said on Thursday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
agreed to set up the commission before the end of April at their last meeting 
held in Brussels a month ago. They said it will also be tasked with easing 
tensions along the long and heavily militarized border.
The foreign ministers of the two states discussed the issue in two phone calls 
in the following weeks.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said on April 25 that the two sides will soon hold 
a “meeting regarding the commission.” Aliyev announced, meanwhile, that he has 
already appointed Azerbaijani members of the body.
Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, said Yerevan and 
Baku are continuing their “intensive discussions” on the issue.
“We have not yet found final answers to questions regarding the working group 
and some other issues,” he said without elaborating.
Grigorian again met with Aliyev’s top foreign policy aide, Hikmet Hajiyev, in 
Brussels on Monday. He said they also discussed preparations for separate 
negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.
In March, Baku presented the Armenian side with five elements which it wants to 
be at the heart of the treaty. They include a mutual recognition of each other’s 
territorial integrity. Yerevan said they are acceptable to it in principle, 
fuelling more Armenian opposition allegations that Pashinian is ready to help 
Azerbaijan regain full control over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Grigorian told reporters that Armenia has also presented its own proposals 
regarding the peace treaty but declined to reveal them. Baku signaled its 
readiness to discuss them at the upcoming negotiations, he said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Opposition leader denies plotting to seize parliament building

Torgomian Varazdat

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 17:19, 4 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. Opposition demonstrators began marching in the direction of the parliament building after one of their leaders, Vice Speaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan from the Hayastan faction delivered a speech in the France Square in downtown Yerevan.

Saghatelyan referred to his earlier speech on April 5, where he had published the principles that any government should be guided by.  He said that deviating from these principles would mean a loss of Artsakh and that any government that would deviate from these principles must resign.

Saghatelyan then demanded PM Pashinyan to step down.

He also denied the intelligence agency’s statement that accused them of plotting to seize the parliament building. “We are not going to seize any building, we won’t do any provocations,” he said.