KARABAKH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE VANIK AVANESYAN’S ELECTION PLATFORM
BBC Monitoring research
16 Jul 07
A presidential candidate in Nagornyy Karabakh has said that house
building is the focal point of his election programme. Vanik Avanesyan,
who is a professor at Nagornyy Karabakh state university, also said
it was important to bring all emigrants back to this separatist
republic. Nagornyy Karabakh is to hold a presidential election on 19
July. Following a war for this disputed region in the early 1990s,
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a cease-fire in 1994, but the dispute
remains unresolved after more than a decade of negotiations and troops
remain in a tense standoff. The following is the text of Avanesyan’s
election platform published and distributed in Nagornyy Karabakh
ahead of the election; subheadings as published:
Vanik Garegin Avanesyan was born on 18 November 1934 in Stepanakert. In
1951 he graduated from Stepanakert Armenian language secondary school
No 2. In the same year he was admitted to the Azerbaijani Azizbayov
Industrial Institute in Baku. After graduating from the university
in 1956 he started to work in the sphere of industry.
In 1957 he started to work as a fellow researcher at the Hydromechanics
Problem Laboratory at Baku Scientific Research Institute. In 1962
he started his postgraduate study at the Azerbaijani Industrial
Institute and in 1965 he defended his candidate dissertation and
became candidate of technical sciences. In 1966 he was appointed
fellow researcher at the Armenian Scientific Research Institute for
Water and Hydrotechnical Problems. In 1967-71 he was a professor at
the department of engineering of Yerevan Veterinary Institute. In 1971
he was appointed head of the department of structural mechanics and
resistance of materials at Ust-Kamenogorsk Construction Institute. In
1976 he became a professor of Orenburg Polytechnic Institute. In 1978
he was appointed senior research officer at Krasnodar All-Soviet
Scientific Research Institute. In 1979 he became the dean of the
physics and mathematics department of Stepanakert Pedagogical
Institute. Later on he was head of some departments in the same
institute.
In 1988 he defended his doctoral dissertation in Moscow. In 1998-2002
he was the rector of Stepanakert Technical University.
Currently, he is a professor at the Artsakh [Nagornyy Karabakh] State
University. He was awarded the medal of Artsakh State University. In
2001 under the decree of the NKR president, he was awarded the Anania
Shirakatsi medal. He has written more than 180 published scientific
and other articles as well as some books. He is a member of the
Democratic Party of Artsakh.
Vanik Avanesyan is married, he has a son and two grandchildren.
Part one. Social issues
More resources will be spent to solve social issues. To achieve this
we have to eradicate shadow economy, and ensure the effective use
of financial resources and reforms in the tax filed. The essence
of tax reforms should be introducing higher taxation rates for the
rich. This would help increase pensions and salaries at least by 50
per cent. Minimal pensions should be 40,000-50,000 drams [110-140
dollars], minimal wages 50,000-60,000 drams.
House building will be a focal point of my presidency. I am planning
to provide apartments to all disabled veterans of the Artsakh war,
mothers having many children, people who lost their houses as a result
of the war, people who live in basements and new young families at
least in three to four years.
I will pay special attention to safeguarding round-the-clock water
supply in the capital Stepanakert. People in the capital should have
a cheerful life.
Economic development. In the sphere of industry, significant attention
will be paid to the introduction of new capacities and development
of the already functioning ones. There are good prospects for
expanding the tanning and garment industry at least two and a half
to three times. It is possible to restore the former capacities of
the Stepanakert furniture factory. I will open factories processing
fruit and berries. This will help create new jobs.
Part two. Agriculture
I am confident that it is necessary to create gradually joint-stock
industrial companies, semi- industrial, consumer and other types
of organizations. We have to create large enterprises processing
agricultural products. We have to stop the decentralization of
agricultural machinery and equipment. There have to be created
joint-stock and, if necessary, state corporations which will assist
the effective use of agricultural equipment and machinery.
Part three. Improvement of governance and personnel policy
The current system of state governance needs serious improvements. In
comparison with the Soviet period, our bureaucratic apparatus has
increased despite the decrease in the population. The apparatus must
be half the current size. But this has to be carried out gradually, in
parallel with creating new jobs. We have to take into consideration
work experience, knowledge and moral character before promoting
somebody. I will demand that every executive officer be accountable
to a higher level official and that directors of enterprises and
factories be accountable to their employees. We have to redirect
investment from the sphere of trade to industry and consumer services.
We have to develop tourism. We have all the necessary conditions
(nature, picturesque places, etc) to do this. We have to develop a
comprehensive tourism development strategy.
Part four. Emigration and birth rate
The issue of emigration is the most important issue. The implementation
of the abovementioned tasks will help bring back our compatriots who
emigrated from the NKR. We have to thoroughly study the experience of
Israel in this field. Repatriates should be confident that they will
have a permanent job and will enjoy a secure life in Karabakh. The
current state programme should be substantially improved. First of
all, repatriates should be provided with houses where they prefer,
that is not only in rural areas, but also in towns, including the
capital Stepanakert.
Part five. Science and education
There are programmes that have been carried out in our republic in the
fields of science and education. These programs should be improved and
made more effective. I put special emphasize on teaching the Russian
language in our universities. This is an imperative both because of
centuries-long friendship between the Armenian and Russian people and
the role the Russian language plays as a medium through which we will
be able to keep pace with scientific progress.
Part six. Nagornyy Karabakh conflict settlement
Artsakh should be part of the negotiation process. Nagornyy Karabakh
cannot be part of Azerbaijan in any form. The only way out is the
state sovereignty of Artsakh or its reunification with the Republic of
Armenia. When Baku is ready for compromises, we will be ready too. But
no compromise can be achieved around the abovementioned issues.
We have to stop abuses of power by officials, eradicate corruption
and make justice, truth and humaneness become the cornerstone of our
state building.