Wednesday, January 31, 2017 Ex-PM Sees Major Presidential Powers . Karlen Aslanian Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian (R) meets with Armenian Ambassador to Britain Armen Sarkissian in Yerevan, 19Jan2018. Former Prime Minister Armen Sarkissian, who is tipped to become Armenia's next president, has dismissed suggestions that he would play a largely ceremonial role as head of state because of the country's impending transformation into a parliamentary republic. The switch to the parliamentary republic will make the Armenian prime minister the most powerful state official with wide-ranging executive powers, including those of commander-in-chief. Those powers have until now been wielded by President Serzh Sarkisian and his predecessors. In an interview with the private Shant TV channel aired late on Tuesday, Sarkissian again stated that he has yet to decide whether to accept the outgoing president's proposal to succeed him as head of state in April. But he also pointedly disagreed with those who believe that the next Armenian president will be "without powers." "If they read the constitution carefully they will see that it envisages not a limited monarchy but more powers than are enjoyed by the presidents of many European parliamentary republics," said the ex-premier currently serving as Armenia's ambassador to Britain. "Obviously, the president of the republic will have to stick to the letter and the spirit of the constitution during their tenure," he went on. "But you and I know very well that with the same letters and the same words one can write different sentences and express different thoughts." Sarkissian did not specify policy areas on which he believes the president could exert strong influence.He said only that he would "make every effort to develop the economy and create jobs" if he is elected president. Under Armenia's controversially amended constitution, the next president of the republic will be elected by the parliament for a seven-year term and be primarily tasked with ensuring "observance of the constitution" by various branches of government. In particular, he or she will be able to send parliament-approved bills to the Constitutional Court for examination in case of objecting to their provisions. The bills will have to be signed into law if the court certifies their conformity with the basic law. The president will also be empowered to appoint members of the government, Armenian ambassadors abroad and the Armenian army's top brass nominated by the prime minister. In addition, he or she can sign international treaties recommended by the ruling cabinet. Sarkissian, 64, has lived and worked in Britain for nearly three decades. He is thought to have made a big fortune there in the 2000s when he worked as a consultant and adviser for major Western corporations as well as lending institutions. Armenia Aims To Use Less Russian Gas For Power Generation . Emil Danielyan Armenia - A hydroelectric plant on the Hrazdan river, 21Jun2006. The Armenian government has reaffirmed its pledges to significantly increase the share of hydropower and other renewables in domestic electricity production at the expense of natural gas mostly imported from Russia. According to the National Statistical Service (NSS), hydroelectric plants accounted for about 30 percent of electricity generated in Armenia last year. By comparison, thermal power plants using gas had a 37 percent share in the total. Virtually all of the remaining 33.7 percent of energy was generated by the Metsamor nuclear power station, NSS data shows. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Ashot Manukian reiterated on Tuesday that his ministry is keen to ensure that renewable sources meet at least half of Armenia's energy needs within the next few years. That is essential for boosting the country's "energy security," he said at a meeting with Prime Minister Karen Karapetian. A government statement cited Karapetian as telling Manukian and other senior Energy Ministry officials, also present at the meeting, to continue these and other activities "with greater momentum." Hydropower provided only one-fifth of Armenia's electricity a decade ago. Its share in overall power generation has increased substantially since then thanks to more than 150 small hydroelectric plants built on fast-flowing mountainous rivers. According to Manukian, 36 more such plants with a combined capacity of 69 megawatts will be built by private investors in the next two or three years. The minister also cited the planned construction of a 76-megawatt plant on the Debed river flowing through the northern Lori province. The $150 million project is led by Samvel Karapetian, a Russian-Armenian billionaire businessman. The Robbins Company, a U.S. manufacturer of giant tunnel-boring machines, announced in October plans to participate in its implementation. Work on that facility court start by the end of this year. Armenia - A newly constructed solar power plant in Talin, 7Nov2017. The government hopes that solar energy will become another major source of electricity supply. It called last year an international tender for the construction of a 55-megawatt solar power plant in the eastern Gegharkunik province which will be financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Deputy Energy Minister Hayk Harutiunian announced on Wednesday that ten foreign companies have been shortlisted for the final phase of the tender. "This plant will make a serious contribution to the development of renewable energy," he said, according to the Armenpress news agency. Three much smaller solar plants were already built in various parts of the country late last year. Work on several others is reportedly in progress. Harutiunian said at Tuesday's meeting that ACCIONA Energy, a Spanish company specializing in renewables, has started exploring the possibility of building large wind farms in Armenia that could have a combined capacity of at least 100 megawatts. Prime Minister Karapetian met with top ACCIONA executives on January 24 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In Manukian's words, the Energy Ministry also expects that the volume of natural gas used by Armenian thermal power plants will fall by at least 20 percent by 2021 thanks to their greater efficiency. The minister singled out the ongoing construction by an Italian company of the second block of one such plant located in Yerevan. The plant's existing power generating unit will be modernized by the U.S. giant General Electric, he said. In addition, Manukian predicted a sizable increase in electricity production by the Metsamor nuclear plant. The Soviet-era facility is currently undergoing capital repairs aimed at extending the life of its 420-megawatt reactor by 10 years, until 2027. The Russian government provided Yerevan with a $270 million loan and a $30 million grant for this purpose in 2015. Russia is also Armenia's principal gas supplier. The government statement on Karapetian's meeting with the top energy officials said imports of Russian gas rose by 7 percent last year.It said nothing about the scale of a fall in Russian gas supplies which would almost certainly result from greater reliance on renewable energy planned by the government. Armenian Court Fines Delayed For Now . Anush Muradian Armenia - Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian speaks in the parliament in Yerevan, 6 December 2017. The Armenian authorities have postponed the introduction of controversial legislation allowing judges to fine lawyers for contempt of court, it emerged on Wednesday Government-drafted amendments to Armenia's Judicial Code passed by the parliament in the first reading in November set the maximum amount of such fines at 100,000 drams ($210). They triggered vehement objections from lawyers across the country who fear that judges would use the new power to limit their rights during court hearings. Attorneys representing radical opposition activists currently standing trial feel that they are the main target of the proposed penalties. They frequently argue with judges and are sanctioned by the latter during those trials Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian, the key author of the amendments, said on Wednesday that the controversial clause has been removed from the Judicial Code which has yet to be debated and passed in the final reading. But he made clear that it will be incorporated into another code which the authorities plan to amend later this year. One of the outspoken lawyers, Ara Papikian, dismissed the announcement, saying that the authorities are simply giving him and his colleagues more time. He said they will not introduce the fines at least until May. Another lawyer, Ara Gharagyozian, dismissed government arguments that judges in other countries have long been allowed to impose fines on lawyers. "If our courts were independent I would strongly support this law," he said. "But since judges in Armenia are not independent and pressurize lawyers in political cases such a measure must not be introduced here." The head of Armenia's Chamber of Advocates, Ara Zohrabian, reacted more cautiously to Harutiunian's announcement, saying that it does not represent a "final solution" to the matter. He called on members of the national bar association to hold further discussions. The justice minister has defended the fines sought by the authorities, saying that they are needed to increase public respect for the Armenian judiciary. Press Review "Zhamanak" reports that ethnic Armenian billionaires Samvel Karapetian and Danil Khachaturov are on a U.S. government list of Russian tycoons allegedly having close ties to the Kremlin. The paper says this raises questions about consequences for Armenia of a possible U.S. decision to impose sanctions on them. "These men, especially Samvel Karapetian, are large investors in Armenia," it says, adding that U.S. sanctions would put Karapetian's projects in Armenia at serious risk. "At first glance, this has little to do with Armenia," "Haykakan Zhamanak" writes on the same subject. It too cites Karapetian's growing involvement in the Armenian economy and energy sector in particular. The paper also points out that Karapetian is planning to obtain multimillion-dollar loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Asian Development Bank for modernizing Armenia's power distribution network owned by him. It says U.S. sanctions could discourage both lenders from extending those loans. "Aravot" questions the wisdom and fairness of the U.S. move, arguing that the warning list does not specify why exactly those wealthy businesspeople are "suspicious" for Washington. "Are these 220 individuals corrupt?" the paper asks. "They may well be. But that has to be proved. Do they violate human rights, cut illegal deals or abuse their position? We believe they do but we also want to know who did what. We do realize that this is a political move, a means of pressure. But can you really put [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's entourage under pressure with that?" "Zhoghovurd" reports that President Serzh Sarkisian called for a revision of Armenia's official national security strategy when he met with senior Foreign Ministry officials in Yerevan on Tuesday. He said that national security challenges facing the country are connected with "our external environment" in one way or another. "Sarkisian thus hinted at the need for making certain changes in the foreign policy course, regarding that as a security component," comments the paper. "But it is not clear what concrete changes will be made. In any case, the Russian military base will remain deployed in Armenia and Russia and Armenia will still be considered strategic partners." (Tigran Avetisian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org