Tuesday, Pashinian Ally Hails Sarkisian Resignation Anniversary • Astghik Bedevian Armenia -- Armenians celebrate the resignation of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, Yerevan, April 23, 2018. A close associate of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian congratulated Armenians on Tuesday on the first anniversary of the dramatic resignation of the country’s former leader, Serzh Sarkisian, announced amid mass protests against his continued rule. “I want to congratulate all of us in connection with that event and say that a very important event happened in Armenia one year ago,” said Alen Simonian, a deputy parliament speaker and senior member of Pashinian’s My Step bloc. “The people of Armenia once again proved their superior qualities,” Simonian told reporters. Sarkisian stepped down on April 23, 2018 just six days after completing his second presidential term in office and becoming Armenia’s prime minister amid intensifying street protests organized by Pashinian. “Nikol Pashinian was right, I was mistaken,” Sarkisian said in a written address to the nation.“There are several solutions to the existing situation but I will not opt for any of them. They are not to my liking.” “The movement in the streets is against my tenure. I am fulfilling your demand,” he added. ARMENIA -- A man covered with a national flag waves an opened bottle of a sparkling wine celebrating Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sarkisian's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, April 23, 2018 The announcement sparked jubilant scenes in the streets of Yerevan filled with hundreds of thousands of people demanding his resignation. Sarkisian publicly rejected the demands for his resignation as recently as on April 22. At a short televised meeting with Pashinian, he accused the opposition leader of blackmailing “the legitimate authorities of the state.” “A faction that got 7-8 percent of the vote [in the April 2017 parliamentary elections] cannot speak on behalf of the people,” he said, referring to the opposition Yelk bloc, of which Pashinian was a leader. Pashinian was detained more than an hour after that meeting while holding a fresh demonstration in Yerevan. The arrest only added to popular anger, with tens of thousands of people flocking to Republic Square later on April 22. The protests resumed in Yerevan and other Armenian cities the following morning. Pashinian was set free in the afternoon, shortly before the announcement of Sarkisian’s resignation. The then Armenian parliament controlled by Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) reluctantly elected Pashinian prime minister on May 8 under relentless pressure from huge crowds demonstrating across the country. Pashinian’s protest movement was also backed by other major political forces, notably Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). The BHK joined his first cabinet formed later in May. It is now in opposition to the government. ARMENIA -- Opposition demonstrators gathered on the Republic Square celebrating Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sarkisian's resignation in Yerevan, April 23, 2018 A senior BHK figure, Gevorg Petrosian, claimed on Tuesday that the “velvet revolution” has not lived up to the people’s expectations yet. “The people did the revolution in hopes that there will be a tangible, positive improvement in their lives in the very near future,” he said. “In the economic sense we don’t have tangible growth right now.” Simonian disagreed, saying that Pashinian’s government is consistently improving the economic situation in Armenia with sweeping reforms. “This is an ongoing process which will continue unabated,” he said. “Everything will be done so that Armenia’s citizens feel the difference on their skin, in their family budgets.” Earlier this month the current parliament controlled by My Step approved a government proposal to designate the last Saturday of April as a public holiday called Citizen’s Day. Pashinian insisted in March that the new holiday will be dedicated to “the victory of the people and democracy,” rather than his rise to power. Russian Military Said To Deploy More Advanced Jets In Armenia • Emil Danielyan Singapore -- A Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jet from the Royal Malaysian Air Force performs a slow fly past during the Singapore Airshow at Changi exhibition center in Singapore, February 16, 2016 Russia will replace its 18 MiG-29 fighter jets stationed in Armenia with more sophisticated and powerful aircraft, it was reported on Tuesday Citing an unnamed official in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, the TASS news agency said the Russian military will start deploying Sukhoi Su-30SM jets to the Erebuni airbase in Yerevan next year. “The delivery of the aircraft will be carried out in two phases: in 2020 and 2021,” the said the unnamed source. “It is planned that all 18 MiG-29s, which are currently flown by pilots of the airbase, will be replaced by Su-30SMs.” Su-30SM is a modernized version of a heavy fighter jet developed by the Sukhoi company in the late 1980s. The Russian military received the first batch of such aircraft in 2012. It can carry much heavier and more wide-ranging rockets and has more advanced electronic equipment than MiG-29, which was designed in the 1970s. Armenia - A Russian MiG-29 fighter jet prepares for takeoff at the Erebuni air base in Yerevan, 12Mar2016. The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, did not deny or confirm the TASS report when he spoke to journalists later on Tuesday. “I am not prepared to talk about this subject in detail,” Kopyrkin said, according to the Sputnik news agency. For its part, Armenia’s Defense Ministry declined to comment on the possible deployment of Su-30SM aircraft, saying that Moscow has made no official statements to that effect. An Armenian government source told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that Yerevan would welcome such a deployment because Su-30SM is more modern than the aging MiG-29s that are part of the Russian military base in Armenia. The MiG-29s were modernized by the Russian Air Force several years ago. The Russia base headquartered in Gyumri is in turn part of Russia’s Southern Military District. The district commander, Colonel-General Alexander Dvornikov, met with the visiting chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian, on April 19. Russia -- Colonel-General Alexander Dvornikov (L), commander of Russia's Southern Military District, meets with Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian (R), the Amrenian army chief of staff, April 19, 2019. According to the Armenia Defense Ministry, the two generals discussed “joint combat readiness activities.” A ministry statement said Dvornikov also praised the most recent Russian-Armenian military exercises that were held at a training ground 50 kilometers west of Yerevan on April 1-12. Earlier this year, Moscow and Yerevan signed a contract for the delivery of four Sukhoi Su-30SM jets to Armenia. Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said in February that the Armenian military will receive them by the beginning of 2020. It plans to buy more such aircraft in the following years, he said. Financial details of the fighter jet deal remain unknown. Membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) entitles Armenia to buying Russian weapons at discounted prices. Armenian Law-Enforcement Body Reports Sharp Rise In Corruption Probes Armenia -The Investigative Committee headquarters in Yerevan. Armenia’s Investigative Committee said on Tuesday that the number of state officials and other individuals prosecuted by it on corruption charges more than doubled last year. In a detailed statement, the law-enforcement agency, which conducts the vast majority of criminal investigations in the country, revealed that it opened 1,077 corruption-related cases in 2018, up from 403 such cases in 2017. It said presumed embezzlement or misuse of public funds accounted for the largest share of those inquiries, followed by almost 130 alleged instances of bribery. The Investigative Committee said 382 individuals working in the central or local government bodies, the security apparatus and other public institutions were charged with various corrupt practices as a result. It reported a total of 77 corruption-related arrests of these and other people, compared with 23 arrests made in 2017. The committee did not specify whether the bulk of these actions were taken after last spring’s mass protests which toppled Armenia’s former government accused by its political opponents of not only tolerating but also sponsoring corruption. Public discontent with widespread graft is thought to be one of the reasons for the “velvet revolution.” Nikol Pashinian, the revolution leader elected prime minister in May, claims to have already eliminated “systemic corruption” in Armenia. The most high-profile corruption probes launched after the revolution have targeted relatives and cronies of Serzh Sarkisian, the country’s deposed former leader. In particular, one of his two brothers, Levon, was charged with “illegal enrichment” after tax inspectors discovered in June 2018 that he and his two children hold almost $7 million in undeclared deposits at an Armenian bank. Levon Sarkisian, who is known to have worked only in the public sector, apparently left Armenia shortly before being indicted. Press Review “Zhoghovurd” comments on the first anniversary of Serzh Sarkisian’s dramatic resignation as Armenia’s newly elected prime minister. “He resigned under popular pressure,” writes the paper. “Although he said the day before that ‘a political force that got 7 percent of the vote has no right to speak on behalf of the people’ and hinted at another March 1-style crackdown, he admitted on April 23: ‘Nikol Pashinian was right, I was wrong.’ There was a real jubilation in Armenia on the day of Serzh Sarkisian’s resignation.” The paper says that the greatest achievement of the past year was the conduct of free and fair parliamentary elections in December. It also praised the new government’s economic policies and record. “Aravot” says that judging from continuing statements made by senior members of Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), they “still do not understand and do not even try to understand that they were rejected and are hated to this day.” “They think that the revolution which happened one year ago was the result of a skillful use of public relations and political ‘color’ techniques,” editorializes the paper. “Far from denying that factor, we have to point out that it plaid a secondary role. They key thing was the public mood which accumulated in the past 20 years.” “The events of last year must also serve as a lesson for the current authorities. Childish jubilation and blind worship are as dangerous as courtier’s flattery,” concludes “Aravot.” “Zhamanak” says Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has trouble making Armenians understand what the “economic revolution” promised by him is all about. The paper says the main reason for this is that people have traditionally expected their government to give them tangible economic benefits, rather than create conditions for prosperity. “This is where a dialogue is not taking place,” it says, adding that Pashinian and his associates themselves nurtured this “old mindset” when they were in opposition to the country’s former governments. (Lilit Harutiunian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org