Friday,
Ex-Official Sees No Conflict Of Interest In Contesting ‘Grave Insults’ Law
• Naira Nalbandian
Kristine Grigorian addresses the National Assembly shorly before being elected
Armenia's new human rights defender, Yerevan, January 24, 2022.
Armenia’s newly appointed ombudswoman Kristine Grigorian sees no conflict of
interest in pursuing a case in the Constitutional Court next week against a law
that she herself presented in parliament as a deputy justice minister half a
year ago.
The matter concerns the criminalization of serious insults adopted by parliament
last summer.
Under amendments to the Armenian Criminal Code enacted last summer anyone
insulting government officials and public figures risks paying hefty fines or
going to jail for up to three months.
Opposition members and human rights activists criticized the authorities for
adopting the measure, describing it as an infringement of free speech.
Former ombudsman Arman Tatoyan took the matter to the Constitutional Court,
insisting that the law is unconstitutional.
Grigorian took over Tatoyan’s office in February and is now due to present the
case at litigations opening on March 22.
Talking to reporters on Friday, Grigorian insisted that there is no conflict of
interest in her involvement in the case on the other side now.
“According to our legislation, it is the government that presents its position.
I presented the government’s point of view as a co-rapporteur,” she explained.
Grigorian added that she was not going to withdraw any application submitted to
the High Court by her predecessor. “But we do have some ambiguous perceptions
and problems with practice,” she added.
Tatoyan declined to comment on how unbiased his successor would be in pursuing a
case against amendments that she herself defended in parliament only a few
months ago. He only stressed the importance of a proper presentation of the case
against the criminalization of serious insults that he said has become a means
of shielding state officials and politicians from criticism.
The Constitutional Court did not suspend the effect of the law despite agreeing
to consider Tatoyan’s claim.
Since the adoption of the amendments last summer about two dozen criminal cases
have been referred to courts under the penal code article on “grave insults.”
The bulk of the cases are related to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who has
heard some strong-worded criticism mainly from the nationalist and conservative
flank of the political spectrum since Armenia’s defeat in a war against
Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.
A number of international organizations, including the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe, have called on Armenia to decriminalize “grave insults.”
The U.S. democracy watchdog Freedom House has repeatedly said that the passage
and enforcement of the controversial law highlighted a “clear degradation of
democratic norms” in Armenia.
Armenian authorities have defended the controversial law. Prosecutor-General
Artur Davtian said earlier this month that the law is necessary for “reducing or
neutralizing the scale and impact of hate speech.”
IMF Sharply Cuts Armenian Growth Outlook
• Robert Zargarian
Citing regional and global spillovers from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised downwards its forecast for
Armenia’s economic growth from 4.5 percent to 1.5 percent this year.
In a statement issued on March 17, the leading international financial
institution stressed that the wide-ranging Western sanctions imposed on Russia
over the war in Ukraine will “inevitably have a notable impact on Armenia.”
“Higher food and fuel prices, lower remittances, increased global financial
market volatility are expected to widen [Armenia’s] current account deficit,
lead to a pickup in inflation, and reduce economic growth in the coming months.
While there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of the impact on
Armenia, as the situation is still evolving, our preliminary assessment is that
the [Armenian] economy could grow at around 1.5 percent in 2022—a much slower
pace than previously expected,” the IMF said.
Earlier this week Armenia’s Central Bank also sharply cut its initial annual GDP
growth forecast from 5.3 percent to 1.6 percent.
Central Bank governor Martin Galstian acknowledged on Tuesday that increased
geopolitical risks in the region and a high degree of uncertainty have led to
increased volatility in Armenia’s financial markets. He said that it was clear
that sanctions imposed on Russia, which is Armenia’s main trading partner, would
significantly slow down economic growth in Armenia and hit some sectors of its
economy.
“We see that there are certain problems in the mining industry, in the
processing industry… There is a certain decline in the construction sector as
well. The only sector that we expect to have some positive development is
agriculture,” he said at a press conference in Yerevan.
In order to curb inflation, which stood at 6.5 percent in February, the Central
Bank of Armenia decided earlier this week to raise its benchmark interest rate
by 1.25 percentage points – to 9.25 percent.
“In the current situation, the Central Bank’s governing board considers it
expedient to increase the refinancing rate by a relatively large step,” the
regulator said.
The Central Bank said it expects that as a result of such policy measures
Armenia’s 12-month inflation will gradually decrease, reaching the target of 4
percent.
Armenian Defense Chief Visits Syunik
Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikian during a visit to the Syunik province,
.
Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikian has paid a working visit to the
country’s southern Syunik province where deaths of two conscripts in separate
incidents were reported earlier this week.
During the visit, which the Defense Ministry’s press office said took place on
March 17, Papikian also traveled to the border area where local residents
claimed Azerbaijan had moved its military positions into Armenian territory.
According to the official report, while visiting Syunik the defense minister met
with local officers to discuss the recent incidents involving conscripts.
Papikian reportedly stressed that such incidents were a result of the violation
of discipline in some units as well as an “insufficient moral and psychological
level of individual servicemen.”
“After listening to the reports of the officers responsible for the incidents,
the defense minister instructed that the commander of the military unit take the
necessary measures to exclude such cases in the future,” the report said.
The Investigative Committee on Thursday launched criminal cases over the deaths
of two conscripts in noncombat conditions in Kapan and Meghri. Both were found
dead with gunshot wounds. At least in one of the cases investigators suspect a
suicide, but do not exclude outside influence on the soldier’s decision to take
his own life.
During the visit Papikian also reportedly traveled to the border area adjacent
to the village of Nerkin Hand in the southeast of Syunik where the commander of
the local military unit, Major-General Artak Budaghian presented to him the
current situation.
The mayor of Nerkin Hand and other residents of the village told RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service on March 15 that Azerbaijani servicemen had moved 800-900
meters deep into the administrative territory of the community, set up five
tents and began digging trenches there earlier this month.
Later that day, the Armenian Defense Ministry dismissed allegations about the
advancement of the Azerbaijani military. In particular, it said that Azerbaijani
servicemen had simply returned to the positions that they previously controlled,
but recently had to leave temporarily due to harsh winter conditions.
“There can be no question of any [Azeri] advancement. In this and all other
sections of the border the Armenian Armed Forces are fully fulfilling their
tasks, monitoring any movement of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and keeping the
situation under control,” the ministry 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.
Category: 2022
Artsakh slams celebration of Azerbaijan’s UN membership anniversary in Shushi
Panorama.am
Armenia –
The Artsakh Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced the Azerbaijani celebration of the 30th anniversary of its accession to the UN in the occupied town of Shushi. The full text of its statement is provided below.
“Official Baku, in line with its style, continues to wage a destructive policy aimed at legitimizing the results of its aggression against Artsakh, trying to involve and exploit the international community and various structures in that process. The organization in Artsakh’s occupied town of Shoushi of a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s membership to the United Nations and the participation of representatives of the UN and its structures in this event is another manifestation of this policy.
The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the holding of such an event in Shoushi.
The participation of the UN representatives in the event organized in the town, which has been one of the main targets of Azerbaijan’s aggression and Armenophobia, contradicts the principles of activities, ideology and mission of this influential international organization, and will be undoubtedly used by Azerbaijan to legitimize its inhumane and aggressive policy. This is also a serious blow to the reputation of the UN, which will have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the organization’s activities.”
Expert: Aliyev’s confession gives pretty complete answer to what really happened because of capitulation
Panorama.am
Armenia –
POLITICS 15:28 18/03/2022 ARMENIA
Varuzhan Geghamyan, an Armenian expert on Middle East and South Caucasus, has reflected on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s latest statement, where he admitted that his country had been defeated for 30 years.
“For many years, for almost 30 years, we had been represented in the international arena as a defeated country – both in sports and in the political arena. Difficult as it is to acknowledge that, it is what it is. In other words, we must know and tell the truth the way it is,” Aliyev said on Thursday.
“Aliyev’s confession gives a pretty complete answer to what really happened because of the capitulation. Armenia was transformed from a country which defeated Azerbaijan into a loser,” Geghamyan wrote on Facebook on Friday.
“Recalling Aliyev’s statements about Azerbaijan being forced to recognize Artsakh’s independence behind closed doors [in October 2016], it immediately becomes clear what chances Azerbaijan actually had to win if the de facto pro-Turkish group had not seized power in Armenia.
“The regime that destroyed the real victory is now deceiving large masses of the Armenian people with a virtual victory, which is spread by the media empire affiliated to it,” he said.
Armenian defense minister comments on recent army incidents
Panorama.am
Armenia –
Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan on Thursday paid a working visit to Syunik Province where deaths of two conscript soldiers were reported, the Ministry of Defense said in a press release.
At a meeting with local officers in a military unit, Papikyan addressed the recent incidents involving conscripts. He underscored that the incidents were a result of improper discipline in certain units as well as poor morale of individual servicemen.
After being briefed on the incidents by the officers in charge, the defense minister issued instructions to the commander of the military unit to take necessary measures to exclude such cases in the future.
Suren Papikyan also visited the border area close to the Nerkin Hand community where Major-General Artak Budaghyan, the commander of the local military unit, presented the current situation.
He next visited the construction site of a local military unit and got acquainted with the construction process on the ground.
Opposition MP: Armenian authorities turned victorious country into loser in a few years
Panorama.am
Armenia –
Tigran Abrahamyan, an MP from the opposition With Honor faction, blamed the incumbent authorities for turning Armenia from a winning country into a losing one in a few years.
“At meetings with various groups, the Azerbaijani president keeps complaining that his country was a loser in all fields for 30 years and only now can he proudly announce that the situation has changed and they are a winner,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday.
According to the lawmaker, in fact, after 2018, when the Armenian authorities kept saying that the situation had changed, they actually had it in mind.
“In a few years, the victorious country was turned into a loser, which was forced to capitulate,” the lawmaker noted.
Armenia`s former human rights defender reports four incursions into Armenia`s territory by Azerbaijani troops
ARMINFO
Marianna Mkrtchyan
ArmInfo.The Azerbaijani troops have until now made four incursions into Armenia’s territory, Armenia’s former human rights defender Arman Tatoyan.
According to him, the Azerbaijani troops have made incursions into the following Armenian territories: the village of Nerqin Khand, Syunik region, in March, 2022; the Vardenis community, Gegharkunik region, in May 2021; Goris, Syunik region, May 2021; the borderland near the village of Tsav, Syunik region, October, 2020.
“We must not forget the incursion into the part of the Tsav and take it into account in all the actions. The Azerbaijani armed forces’ illegal presence on he Goris-Kapan and Kapan-Chakaten roads (November- December, 2020), as well as illegal blocking of the roads (since November 2021).
“We must not forget that since November 2020 Azerbaijani troops have been present in the vicinities of Armenian villages, and often in the lands and houses Armenian citizens have legally owned since the Soviet times, as well as in the communal lands and houses,” Mr Tatoyan said.
Armenia`s application to OSCE MG gives rise to questions
ARMINFO
David Stepanyan
ArmInfo.Yerevan’s application to the OSCE Minsk Group in the context of Baku’s proposals gives rise to a number of questions, allowing different interpretations, Tevan Poghosyan, Head of the International Center for Human Development (ICHD), said in an interview with ArmInfo.
On March 14, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement:
“The Republic of Armenia responded to the proposals of the Republic of Azerbaijan and applied to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship to organize negotiations on the signing of peace agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan on the basis of the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Helsinki Final Act.”
“The best way to clear up the present misunderstanding would be Yerevan’s explicitly and publicly explaining the redlines in the context of the Baku-proposed 5-point document. It is also important to understand if this application implies any changes in the Minsk Group’s mandate. It is common knowledge that the co-chairs’ mandate of 1994 deals with the settlement of the Artsakh problem proper rather than with Armenian-Azerbaijani relations,” he said.
Given Yerevan’s statement that the Artsakh conflict remains far from being settled, Armenia’s application to the OSCE Minsk Group should, in principle, imply one more initiative within the co-chairmanship, which, in turn, gives rise to one more question: what about a settlement of the Artsakh problem, which is getting increasingly complicated in the course of time. And if it is a new initiative that is in question, it necessitates informing the public of the Armenian government’s intentions, Mr Poghosyan said.
“Moreover, I have not so far seen a response by Armenia’s foreign office to the recent psychological terror against the Artsakh residents that are freezing in this cold weather. I think their fate must be discussed as well, which is, in fact, the problem. Specifically, the Turkish foreign minister stated that the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan are the two states’ business and warned other against interfering.
“One more problem is the present disagreements between the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states – Russia, the United States and France. We have seen these disagreements have escalated into confrontation,” Mr Poghosyan said.
UN representatives` participation in event organized in Shoushi undermines UN authority, Artsakh foreign office states
ARMINFO
Marianna Mkrtchyan
ArmInfo. The Artsakh Foreign Ministry has issued a statement on the occasion of holding an event in Shoushi dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Membership to the UN.
Official Baku, in line with its style, continues to wage a destructive policy aimed at legitimizing the results of its aggression against Artsakh, trying to involve and exploit the international community and various structures in that process. The organization in Artsakh’s occupied town of Shoushi of a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s membership to the United Nations and the participation of representatives of the UN and its structures in this event is another manifestation of this policy.
The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the holding of such an event in Shoushi.
The participation of the UN representatives in the event organized in the town, which has been one of the main targets of Azerbaijan’s aggression and Armenophobia, contradicts the principles of activities, ideology and mission of this influential international organization, and will be undoubtedly used by Azerbaijan to legitimize its inhumane and aggressive policy. This is also a serious blow to the reputation of the UN, which will have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the organization’s activities.
Erdogan is "kissing the hand he wishes to cut off" in seeking USA`s favor, expert states
ARMINFO
David Stepanyan
ArmInfo. The reason for Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s recent overtures to Israel is, among other things, Anraka’s seeking new approaches to the United States, Emma Begijanyan of the Armenian Institute of International Affairs and Security, said in an interview with ArmInfo.
“In other words, Turkey is seeking access to the United States through Israel. Many analysts account for President Erdogan’s overwhelming desire to improve his relations with Israel primarily by his seeking Israel’s mediation in purchasing F-16 from the USA. This segment in the Turkish Armed Forces has remained undeveloped since Washington’s much-talked-of refusal to sell F-35 to Turkey,” she said.
One more reason for Erdogan “kissing the hand he wishes to cut off” is his seeking Israel’s support in developing the gas fields in Eastern Mediterranean – in other words, in a grave problem involving Turkey’s relations with Cyprus and Greece. This is the reason for Recep Erdogan’s statements on the prospective development of Turkish-Israeli energy cooperation, which he made during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s recent “historic,” as he said, visit to Turkey.
However, Ms Begijanyan is pessimistic about Turkey’s expectations, especially in the context of the Israeli president’s statement prior to his visit to Ankara. Specifically, he emphasized that any rapprochement between Israel and Turkey will by no means be to the detriment of Israel’s energy cooperation with Cyprus and Greece. According to Ms Begijanyan, it reflects Tel-Aviv’s general position on the matter.
The constant process of Israel’s establishing contacts with Arab states makes the rapprochement between Turkey and Israel even more uncertain and problematic. Tel Aviv’s good relations with a number of Arab states allow one to speak of Turkey’s declining importance for Israel. This last fact means Ankara’s agreeing to concessions to Israel in the process of normalization of relations launched in 2020 with Azerbaijan’s active support.
“And the last fact reflecting Erdogan’s unprecedented determination to normalize relations with Israel: to please Israel, Turkey has lately made steps against Iran. Specifically, neutralizing an Iranian spy ring was a sort of prelude to President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Turkey. The ‘spy ring’ allegedly planned the assassination of a big Israeli businessman in retaliation for the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian nuclear physicist and scientist, by Israeli intelligence services,” Ms Begijanyan said.
Armenia opposition MP: Azerbaijan will use statements of lawmaker Aghajanyan, FM Mirzoyan
NEWS.am
Armenia –
14:56, 18.03.2022
The opposition “Armenia” and “With Honor” Factions had applied to the National Assembly (NA) leadership with a proposal to convene a special sitting of the interparliamentary committee of the parliaments of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)—which is being delayed. “Armenia” Faction Gegham Manukyan MP told about this to reporters in the NA Friday, reminding that the aforesaid committee that was set up in October 2021 has not convened a full meeting yet.
And reflecting on their recent visit to Artsakh, Manukyan noted as follows, in particular: “It was an ‘electrified’ atmosphere—taking into account both the controversial statements of Armenia’s Foreign Minister [Ararat Mirzoyan] and the statements of Eduard Aghajanyan, Chair of the NA [Standing] Committee on Foreign Relations, which are dangerous, go beyond all logic. Naturally, this cannot but have an effect on our compatriots in Artsakh.”
Manukyan noted that several years ago, Former president of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov had stated that the Popular Front of Azerbaijan had organized the tragic events in Khojaly, and the Armenian side has been using this as an argument to this day.
“Now the Azerbaijani side will use the statements of Eduard Aghajanyan and Ararat Mirzoyan,” the opposition MP added.