Thursday,
Armenian Ruling Party Open To Talks With Pashinian
ARMENIA -- A woman reacts during a rally held by supporters of Armenian
opposition leader Nikol Pashinian in Yerevan,
Facing growing pressure to hand over power to Nikol Pashinian, the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) said late on Wednesday that it is ready to
discuss “any issue” with the opposition leader following Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkisian’s resignation.
The HHK also indicated that it will replace Sarkisian, who technically remains
the party chairman, with a new leader.
The HHK’s parliamentary faction made the announcement after its members met
with Sarkisian and acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian to discuss the
continuing political crisis in Armenia.
In a statement, it said Sarkisian, who served two presidential terms from
2008-2018, gave “more detailed explanations” for his decision to step down just
six days after being elected prime minister by the HHK-controlled parliament.
The ex-president also urged HHK lawmakers to regard “stability and the
country’s security” as their chief priority.
According to the statement, the “second half of the meeting” was held in
Sarkisian’s absence and focused on the government’s standoff with protesters
led by Pashinian. The participants agreed to declare that “the HHK faction is
prepared to discuss any issues with all sides without preconditions,” added the
statement.
The meeting came as Pashinian, who leads the opposition Civil Contract party,
held another big rally in Yerevan to demand that the parliament appoint him as
interim prime minister and call snap elections. “We demand an explicit and
unconditional capitulation of the Republican Party to the people,” he said.
Pashinian warned that his supporters will “blockade” the parliament building
and the prime minister’s office in Yerevan if the HHK majority in the National
Assembly moves to install Karapetian as prime minister. He accused the latter
of illegally occupying the country’s top executive post.
“We are saying at this square that the Armenian people have a candidate for
prime minister and the National Assembly factions must reckon with this
political reality and nominate that candidate by consensus,” Pashinian said,
clearly referring to himself. He urged supporters to continue to demonstrate
and block streets and roads on Thursday.
Pashinian and Karapetian had been scheduled to meet on Wednesday morning. The
meeting was called off after the acting premier rejected preconditions set by
Pashinian.
Armenian Parliament To Choose New PM On May 1
• Karlen Aslanian
Armenia -- The National Assembly meets to elect Serzh Sarkisian prime minister,
17Apr2018
The Armenian parliament will meet on May 1 to elect the country’s new prime
minister after two weeks of sustained street protests which forced the previous
premier, Serzh Sarkisian, to step down.
Sarkisian’s successor is expected to serve on an interim basis, until the
holding of snap parliamentary elections now demanded by most Armenian political
factions.
Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian, the main organizer of the massive protests,
has been pressing the National Assembly controlled by Sarkisian’s Republican
Party (HHK) to appoint him to that post. Pashinian claimed on Wednesday that
some HHK parliamentarians are ready to vote for him.
In an overnight statement, the HHK’s parliamentary faction offered to “discuss
any issues with all sides without preconditions.” The statement followed its
members’ meeting with Sarkisian and acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian.
Pashinian refused to comment on the HHK statement as he again led thousands of
supporters marching in Yerevan on Thursday.He also declined a comment on his
late-night meeting with Gagik Tsarukian, a businessman leading the second
largest parliamentary force, the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).
The BHK on Wednesday told its members to take to the streets and join
Pashinian’s movement. But it has yet to officially confirm whether its
parliament deputies will vote to elect Pashinian prime minister.
While continuing to rally supporters, the 42-year-old opposition leader urged
Armenians to stop blocking streets in the capital for now. He argued that the
daily blockades are increasingly abused by unruly car drivers, resulting in
traffic chaos.
Meanwhile, President Armen Sarkissian, who has largely ceremonial powers,
hailed Pashinian’s “popular movement” on Thursday in his latest address to the
nation. “We are now opening a new page of Armenian history,” he said. “We live
in a New Armenia.”
Sarkissian called on the parliamentary forces to jointly end the political
crisis which was triggered by Serzh Sarkisian’s controversial decision to
extend his decade-long rule.
Senior Armenian Officials Visit Moscow
• Emil Danielyan
• Arman Hovhannisyan
RUSSIA -- A view of Kremlin' Grand Kremlin Palace, center, Towers, Churches and
frozen Moskva (Moscow) river in Moscow, February 14, 2018
Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgian and Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian held talks with Russian officials in Moscow on Thursday amid the
continuing political crisis in their country.
An Armenian government statement said Gevorgian met with senior officials from
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s staff. It said they discussed, among other
things, “the internal political situation in Armenia.”
Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, did not confirm the information,
however. “I am not aware of that,” the Interfax news agency quoted him as
telling reporters. “As you know, we are in Saint Petersburg right now.”
According to the TASS news agency, Peskov reiterated that the street protests
that have forced Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian into resignation are Armenia’s
“internal affair.” “We want to hope that the situation will be settled as soon
as possible within the constitutional framework,” he said.
Putin phoned his new Armenian counterpart, Armen Sarkissian, on Wednesday to
discuss the lingering crisis. According to the Kremlin, he said that “all
political forces in the country need to display restraint and readiness to
solve existing problems through a constructive dialogue.”
Also on Wednesday, Russian diplomats in Yerevan met with Nikol Pashinian, an
opposition politician leading the nationwide protests against Sarkisian and the
ruling Republican Party of Armenia. Addressing thousands of supporters
afterwards, Pashinian said he received assurances that Russia will not meddle
in Armenian politics. He blasted “false” rumors that Moscow wants to see acting
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian retain his post.
Meanwhile, Nalbandian met with Russian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
“They discussed, in particular, the situation on the Line of Contact between
Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan,” a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria
Zakharova, told reporters.Neither Zakharova nor the Armenian Foreign Ministry
gave further details of the talks.
Earlier this week, the Armenian government and the Karabakh military accused
Azerbaijan of massing troops and military hardware along the Karabakh
frontlines. Yerevan warned Baku against attempting exploit the political
turmoil in Armenia to launch offensive military operations. The Azerbaijani
Defense Ministry denied the Armenian claims.
Responding to those claims, U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the
OSCE Minsk Group issued a joint statement underscoring “the critical importance
of the sides respecting the ceasefire at this delicate time and, in particular,
keeping heavy equipment positioned in the rear of the frontlines.”
Putin Weighs In On Armenian Crisis
• Emil Danielyan
• Arman Hovhannisyan
ARMENIA -- Armenian opposition supporters attend a rally in downtown Yerevan,
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for a quick solution to the
political crisis in Armenia which would reflect the outcome of last year’s
parliamentary elections won by Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK).
Putin telephoned Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian to discuss
the continuing political crisis in the country.
“It was emphasized that the settlement of the crisis situation in Armenia must
happen in the solely legal field, within the framework of the current
constitution, and on the basis of the results of the legitimate parliamentary
elections held in April 2017,” the Kremlin said in a readout of the phone call.
In that context, Putin “accentuated on the importance of the election by the
parliament of the republic’s prime minister scheduled for May 1, 2018,” it
added.
The two men spoke as Karapetian and the HHK faced growing pressure to hand over
power to Nikol Pashinian, the organizer of ongoing nationwide protests in
Armenia that have forced Sarkisian to resign as prime minister. Karapetian’s
reluctance to let Pashinian become interim prime minister drew a furious
reaction from the opposition leader on Wednesday.
RUSSIA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sarkisian speak in front of guests as they visit the exhibition of
Armenian painter Martiros Saryan in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, November
15, 2017
Pashinian met with Russian diplomats in Yerevan earlier on Wednesday.
Addressing thousands of supporters afterwards, he said he received assurances
that Russia will not meddle in Armenian politics. He blasted “false” rumors
about Russian support for Karapetian, a former Gazprom executive who lived in
Russia from 2011-2016.
Putin spoke with Karapetian as Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgian
and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian held talks with other Russian officials
in Moscow.
An Armenian government statement said Gevorgian met with top Kremlin officials.
It said they discussed, among other things, “the internal political situation
in Armenia.”
Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, did not confirm the information,
however. “I am not aware of that,” the Interfax news agency quoted him as
telling reporters. “As you know, we are in Saint Petersburg right now.”
According to the TASS news agency, Peskov reiterated that the street protests
are Armenia’s “internal affair.” “We want to hope that the situation will be
settled as soon as possible within the constitutional framework,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nalbandian met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “They
discussed, in particular, the situation on the Line of Contact between
Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan,” a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria
Zakharova, told reporters. Neither Zakharova nor the Armenian Foreign Ministry
gave further details of the talks.
Earlier this week, the Armenian government and the Karabakh military accused
Azerbaijan of massing troops and military hardware along the Karabakh
frontlines. Yerevan warned Baku against attempting exploit the political
turmoil in Armenia to launch offensive military operations. The Azerbaijani
Defense Ministry denied the Armenian claims.
Responding to those claims, U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the
OSCE Minsk Group issued a joint statement underscoring “the critical importance
of the sides respecting the ceasefire at this delicate time and, in particular,
keeping heavy equipment positioned in the rear of the frontlines.”
Armenian Protest Leader Offers Talks With Government
• Karlen Aslanian
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian addresses supporters in Yerevan's
Republic Square, .
Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian on Thursday offered to negotiate with acting
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian, while insisting that the ruling Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK) must let him become interim premier.
Pashinian ruled out any “compromise with the corrupt and anti-democratic
government system” as he addressed thousands of supporters in Yerevan.
“There can be no deals behind the people’s back,” he said. “Either I will be
elected prime minister through the people and with the support of the people,
or no prime minister of Armenia will be elected at all.”
“We expect all factions in the National Assembly to unconditionally recognize
the victory of the people,” he said.
Pashinian went on to declare that he is ready to meet Karapetian to discuss
these demands on Friday. But he said the meeting can only be held in the
presence of the press.
“We won’t be negotiating with the HHK behind the closed doors,” he told the
crowd repeatedly chanting “Nikol, prime minister!”
The two men had already been scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning, the day
after massive street demonstrations led by Pashinian forced Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian to resign. Those talks were cancelled after Karapetian rejected
preconditions set by Pashinian.
The HHK on Wednesday expressed readiness to discuss “any issue” with Pashinian
“without preconditions.” The party’s chief spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov,
reaffirmed this on Thursday.
“We do not reject the agenda put forward by Pashinian or other figures,”
Sharmazanov told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “But we also expect
the same constructive approach from our partners.”
Sharmazanov declined to specify concessions which the HHK is ready to make to
the Pashinian-led opposition. Nor would he say whether it could install him as
interim premier and hold snap parliamentary elections.
Armenia - Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian (R) meets U.S. Ambassador
Richard Mills, Yerevan, 25Apr2018
Sharmazanov also denied Pashinian’s earlier claims that Karapetian has no
mandate to negotiate on behalf of the HHK. “Karen Karapetian has the full
support of our team,” he said.
The HHK, which has until now been headed by Serzh Sarkisian, controls 58 of the
105 seats in Armenia’s parliament. The National Assembly is scheduled to meet
and elect the next prime minister on May 1.
So far only the opposition Yelk alliance, of which Pashinian is a leading
member, has explicitly backed his demands. Yelk holds 9 parliament seats.
The Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) of businessman Gagik Tsarukian is
represented in the parliament by 31 deputies. The BHK voiced support for
Pashinian’s popular movement on Wednesday. Tsarukian and Pashinian met later in
the day.
A senior BHK representative, Nair Zohrabian, declined to say on Thursday
whether the BHK lawmakers will vote for Pashinian on May 1, saying that
negotiations with the protest leader are “going on.” “I can only say that
Tsarukian’s bloc will take the people’s voice into account when making a
decision,” she said.
Pashinian also announced that he will hold a rally in Gyumri on Friday evening
and take his campaign to Vanadzor the following day. The demonstrations in
Yerevan, will resume on Sunday, he said.
Earlier in the day, Pashinian urged supporters to stop blocking streets in the
capital. He argued that the daily blockades are increasingly abused by unruly
car drivers, resulting in traffic chaos.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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