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
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