Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am , Armenia
Sept 19 2009
Samvel Nikoyan’s adventures. Opposition ` `real’ and `unreal’: weekly review
15:57 / 09/19/2009
Domestic Policy
A final report of the ad hoc parliamentary commission set up to
investigate the tragic events in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008, proved to
be a key domestic political event in Armenia this week. An extensive
138-page report was supposed to provide answers to the most important
questions of public concern that are still the catalyst for domestic
political tension: who is responsible for the most serious civil
conflict in the history of independent Armenia and for the death of
eight demonstrators and two servicemen? The commission’s report did
not provide an answer to the second part of the question. Admitting
the fact that the persons responsible for the ten deaths had not yet
been identified, the commission made an absurd statement on all the
necessary measures implemented by the Armenian law-enforcement
agencies.
Meanwhile, the Opposition press and a report prepared by two members
of the dissolved fact-finding expert group name four policemen who
used Cheremukha-7 gas thereby killing three demonstrators. However,
they have not so far been held responsible. Moreover, they are still
serving in the police troops. The investigative agency’s argument is
that the officer(s) responsible for the death of demonstrators cannot
be accurately identified. The ad hoc parliamentary commission made a
high appraisal of the `hard’ work ` which is actually beneath all
criticism ‘ carried out by the special investigation group. Listening
to the report read out by Samvel Nikoyan, one of the outstanding
members of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), one gets the
impression that the authors either failed or, for political reasons,
did not want, to understand the purpose of the ad hoc commission:
instead of providing factual answers to the questions of public
concerns, the extensive document contains numerous political
assessments, which has repeatedly been done the authorities. The
commission’s wish to lay the whole blame on the Opposition runs all
through the report. Otherwise it is impossible to understand the
commission’s opinion on the `legally acceptable’ actions of the police
and internal troops, which claimed human lives. Most of the victims’
relatives gave a sharp response to the report: they picketed the
Parliament, carrying their killed relatives’ pictures. Like the
Opposition, the victims’ relatives insist on international experts
being involved in the investigation. Thus, the commission’s report,
and the cynical behavior of its chairman, enabled the Armenian
Opposition to justify its own refusal to take part in the commission’s
work.
Moreover, the Armenian authorities missed one more chance to start a
dialogue with the chief Opposition force in Armenia, Armenian National
Congress (ANC), led by Levon Ter-Petrosyan at the moment that the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement and Nagorno-Karabakh settlement
processes are at their active stage. No wonder, then, that at the
ANC-held rally attended by thousands of people this Friday, the ANC
leader Ter-Petrosyan severely criticized the commission’s report
This week has seen an eventual finish of the `resignation history’ of
`disfavored’ oligarch Khachatur Sukiasyan and of the founder of the
Heritage Party Raffi Hovhannisyan. The very first day of the RA
Parliament’s autumn session, Speaker Hovik Abramyan read out their
resignations. Although the Regulations of the RA National Assembly
allow them `to change their minds’ within 15 days, it should not be
expected in the context of the previous statements. The question of
vacancies remains open now. In the first case (Khachatur Sukiasyan)
nothing special should be expected: a by-election will be held in
election district #10 (the Center community of Yerevan), and another
oligarch ` this time one close to the authorities ` will enjoy
parliamentary immunity. As regards the second case (Raffi
Hovhannisyan), the situation appears rather complicated: Movses
Aristakesyan, who was expelled from the Heritage Party on September 9
as a result of a party split, ranks second in the party
ticket. Aristakesyan himself disagreed with the Board’s decision and
stated his intention to remain in Parliament. Time will show whether
he will be able to withstand the party’s pressure or will have to
refuse to accept his nomination.
The RA Central Electoral Commission (CEC) fixed a date, December 6,
for by-elections in two constituencies, with Sasun Mikaelyan and Hakob
Hakobyan being their respective representatives. Speaker of the RA
Parliament Hovik Abramyan addressed a letter to the CEC, proposing
that the two Parliament members, as well as Myasnik Malkhasyan, be
unseated. The last named was elected to Parliament on a RPA ticket, so
a by-election is not necessary in this case. All the three have been
unseated, as court verdicts on them are in effect. Two of them, Hakob
Hakobyan and Myasnik Malkhasyan, were amnestied, which, however, does
not matter now. The former Parliament members, who supported Levon
Ter-Petrosyan at last year’s presidential election, were convicted of
organizing riots on March 1, 2008. Sasun Mikaelyan was also convicted
of criminal possession of arms.
This week the RA Court of Cassation returned a verdict of not guilty
on the active oppositionist Armen Sargsyan, who was sentenced to four
years of imprisonment for having been `immediately involved in the
riots.’ It is noteworthy that the highest judicial authority formerly
refused to consider criminal cases relevant to post-election
processes, to say nothing of verdicts of not guilty.
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process
This week has seen the commencement of an active stage in domestic
political consultations on the initialed Armenian-Turkish Protocols on
normalizing bilateral relations. The Nagorno-Karabakh peace process
has been in the background. The three key events are worthy of note:
RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s meeting with the leaders of political
parties this Thursday; a rally of the opposition Armenian National
Congress (ANC) this Friday; actions of protest by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation since this Tuesday.
The Armenian President’s meeting with the country’s political elite
was to be a key event, but the leading opposition forces played down
its importance: not only the ANC, but also the Heritage Party refused
to participate in the meeting. Nonetheless, the meeting was a suitable
occasion for the President to specify his positions and for as many
political forces as possible to be involved. In his opening address
the President admitted the fact that he sees certain risks of the
present stage of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations. He
proposed sharing concerns for the sides to be able to harmonize their
points of view. `If we are to normalize our relations with Turkey some
day, our societies’ involvement is a necessary complement to the
political will of the Armenian and Turkish leaders. Otherwise, the
problem is impossible to solve,’ the President said, arguing for open
negotiations. The President made it clear he disagrees with the
argument for amending the initialed Armenian-Turkish Protocols before
they are signed. `I think that the explanations for some of the points
in the documents will remain unconvincing for some people, though, I
am sure, any doubts are hardly possible in case of an impartial and
comprehensive analysis,’ the Armenian leader said. President Serzh
Sargsyan does not think that establishing diplomatic relations with
Turkey and reopening the border is a `minimal’ or `maximum’ program of
action. The end of these processes implies the creation of minimum
conditions for starting a dialogue with Turkey especially because `we
have to settle numerous issues of normalizing the Armenian-Turkish
relations ` from political and economic to historical ones.’
On Friday evening, after a rather long interval, the Armenian National
Congress (ANC) held a rally attended by thousands of supporters in
Yerevan. The ANC leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan made an analysis of the
current stage of the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement. It is noteworthy
that, instead of making a detailed analysis of the Armenian-Turkish
Protocols, Ter-Petrosyan focused on the unfavorable aspects of the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. The Opposition leader expressed the
confidence that a real breakthrough in the Armenian-Turkish relations,
including the reopening of borders, is possible only after the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been settled or, rather, after serious
progress has been recorded in the process. Ter-Petrosyan once again
voiced fears that a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in
favor of the Armenian side is impossible with the `incumbent
illegitimate authorities.’ According to him, the only way of saving
the situation is President Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation. The
Opposition leader made a noteworthy statement: in case President
Sargsyan resigns, he will not run for presidency provided Robert
Kocharyan does not either.
This Tuesday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) launched
actions of protest in Republic Square. The ARF believes them to be
among most important components of the domestic political
consultations on the Armenian-Turkish Protocols. However, from the
very first days of the sit-in and hunger-strike one had the impression
that the organizers themselves were not quite serious about their own
actions. Initially there was a complete mess in the situation as to
the ARF leaders and faction members’ participation in the
hunger-strike. It proved to be one more instance of the ARF’s
traditionally inconsistent policy: everybody promised that an ARF
leader would joint the hunger-strike, but no final decision was
made. The ARF’s inconsistent policy was even more manifest in the
demands put forward by the action participants. Demanding the Armenian
Foreign Minister’s resignation, the ARF advanced a number of
unconvincing reasons for its unwillingness to struggle for the
resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan, who, under RA Constitution,
is responsible for Armenia’s foreign policy. The head of the ARF
parliamentary faction went on even further by staunchly defending the
Armenian President. At a press conference he stated that the President
was for normalizing the Armenian-Turkish relations without
preconditions, but the Government put him in an awkward situation. As
a result, although the actions of protest against the content of the
Armenian-Turkish Protocols are of importance ` at least to demonstrate
the plurality of opinions to the international community ` the actions
in the center of Yerevan are more like attempts (though futile ones
because of permanent inability or unwillingness to assume clear and
unequivocal positions) to gain a solid footing in the opposition
political arena.
Vardan Oskanyan, who was RA Foreign Minister under President Robert
Kocharyan for a number of years, openly criticized the Protocols as he
`gradually arrived at the conclusion that it is an imposed document.’
Oskanyan also dared speak favorably about Levon Ter-Petrosyan though,
during last year’s presidential election, his relations with Armenia’s
first President were, to put it mildly, not `quite good’: Oskanyan was
a staunch supporter of Robert Kocharyan and welcomed the authorities’
measures against the Opposition and its leader. Oskanyan also pointed
out that, in contrast to the incumbent authorities, Ter-Petrosyan was
strongly against Turkey’s preconditions in 1992. Of course, a person
who was Minister of Foreign Affairs for many years, was supposed to
`take the floor’ at a crucial moment. However, the most important
question remained: if Armenia’s incumbent authorities have to sign
previously initialed documents, who is responsible for getting the
country into the current state of affairs during the period when the
same Mr. Vardan Oskanyan was part of the power structure?
Economy and social life
By a majority vote the RA Parliament adopted the Government-propose
amendments to Armenia’s tax laws. The amendments were withdrawn during
the spring session of the RA Parliament. The Government’s initiatives
evoked oligarch MPs’ violent reaction. They objected to the
institution of tax authorities’ representatives in Armenia’s large
companies. RA Deputy Minister of Finance Suren Karayan stated that the
Government considered all the proposals made by the relevant
parliamentary commission. Specifically, tax officers will not conduct
inspections at storehouses, but will only be entitled to observe the
process of acceptance of goods. The Government hopes the new law will
seriously increase tax revenues.
The United States will allocate U.S. $2.3m to Armenia for a drug
trafficking control program and legal reforms. Relevant protocols were
signed by U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch and RA
Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan. The U.S. diplomat stated that the
USA has allocated a total of U.S. $12mln to Armenia under a program of
assistance to the RA law-enforcement system.
The U.S. funds are also intended for modernization of the RA Institute
of Forensic Examination and Financial Monitoring Center of the Central
Bank of Armenia (CBA).
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan attended the presentation of the
2009 Armenian national competitiveness report prepared by the Economy
& Values expert center. The RA Government’s press service reported
that the report contains assessments of innovative activity in Armenia
as compared with other countries, stressing its role in building
science-intensive economy. The RA Premier made a high appraisal of the
work and expressed hope that the report would give impetus to economic
reforms.