Friday, June 21, 2019 Armenia, Azerbaijan Urged To Observe Ceasefire June 21, 2019 • Emil Danielyan U.S. -- Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian of Armenia and Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and international mediators meet in Washington, June 20, 2019. U.S., Russian and French diplomats urged the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to prevent further ceasefire violations when they mediated fresh talks between Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s foreign ministers in Washington on Thursday. The three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said the talks focused on recent armed incidents around Karabakh and “core issues of the settlement process.” Neither they nor the conflicting parties reported major progress towards a long-awaited peace accord. “Noting with regret recent casualties, the Co-Chairs urged the sides to take immediate measures to restore an atmosphere conducive to peace and favorable to substantive talks,” the mediators said in a joint statement. “They called on the sides to reaffirm their commitment to observe the ceasefire strictly and to refrain from any provocative action, including the use of snipers and engineering works along the line of contact and the international border,” they added. According to the statement, Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mammadyarov agreed on the need to “reduce the risk of escalation” and pledged to meet again “in the near future.” The Armenian service of the Voice of America quoted Mammadyarov as saying after the meeting that the mediators presented the two ministers with “additional substantive proposals.” He did not disclose them. Mammadyarov also told reporters that the two sides continue to disagree on details of a peace formula which he said has been advanced by the United States, Russia and France for the last 15 years. It calls for Armenian withdrawal from virtually all seven districts around the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast which were fully or partly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces during the 1991-1994 war. In return, Karabakh’s predominantly ethnic Armenian population would determine the disputed territory’s internationally recognized status in a future referendum. A statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also said that the co-chairs put forward “results-oriented proposals” at Washington but did not elaborate. It described the meeting as “positive.” For its part, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said the mediators “shared ideas aimed at pushing the peace process forward, including in the humanitarian sphere.” Speaking to journalists in the U.S. capital, Mnatsakanian stressed the importance of strengthening the ceasefire regime in the conflict zone and thus creating an “appropriate environment” for a peaceful settlement. Truce violations along the Karabakh “line of contact” escalated in late May and early June after several months of unusual calm. They had decreased significantly since Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev first met in September. The two leaders also talked on four other occasions in the following months, raising some hopes for progress in the protracted peace process. Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov have also negotiated on a regular basis. Ahead of their talks in Washington the two ministers met separately with U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton and senior U.S. State Department officials. Constitutional Court Keeps Working Despite Challenge June 21, 2019 • Naira Nalbandian Armenia -- The Constitutional Court building in Yerevan, June 21, 2019. The chairman and six other members of Armenia’s Constitutional Court continued to meet and make decisions on Friday despite being effectively declared illegitimate by their newly elected colleague Vahe Grigorian. Grigorian was sworn in on Thursday two days after the Armenian parliament approved his appointment to a vacant seat in the court. In an ensuing speech, he said that under constitutional amendments which took effect last year the Constitutional Court now consists of “judges,” rather than “members,” as was the case until April 2018. He said that only he and Arman Dilanian, who was elected by the parliament last year, can be considered judges and make decisions. What is more, Grigorian declared that because of Dilanian’s absence from the country he will take over as acting chairman of the Constitutional Court on Friday. A senior pro-government parliamentarian, Nikolay Baghdasarian, similarly stated that Hrayr Tovmasian, who has headed the court since March 2018, is no longer its chairman. But some opposition lawmakers cited a constitutional provision which they say makes it clear that the court members appointed before 2018 can continue to perform their duties until they turn 65. Tovmasian, who was previously a senior lawmaker representing the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, appeared unaffected by Grigorian’s statement as he entered the Constitutional Court building in Yerevan on Friday morning. “As you can I see, I’m going to work,” Tovmasian told reporters when he was asked about the statement. He declined to comment further. Armenia -- Hrair Tovmasian, the newly elected head of the Constitutional Court, speaks in the parliament, March 21, 2018. Felix Tokhian, a veteran member of the court, seemed to defend his legitimacy, saying that “there is no legal dispute.” Two other judges, Alvina Gyulumian and Arevik Poghosian, refused to comment on Grigorian’s claims. Gyulumian did note, though, that unlike Grigorian, she believes “the Constitutional Court is not in crisis.” She also made clear that she does not intend to resign. Poghosian said afterwards that the 9-member court held a “working discussion” attended by Grigorian but that it did not address his unexpected declaration because the new judge did not bring it up. “If he does, naturally we are colleagues and we’ll see what he says,” she said. However, Grigorian, who enjoys the backing of the ruling My Step alliance, told journalists later in the day that he has discussed the matter with Tovmasian and other members of Armenia’s highest court. He said the discussions were “constructive” but did not elaborate. “After they are over I will answer all questions,” he added. “I find it wrong to make any comments now.” Grigorian also said that he “he did not participate” in any formal decisions made by the Constitutional Court on Friday. In particular, the court decided to hold hearings and rule on two appeals lodged by Armenia’s indicted former President Robert Kocharian. The latter has challenged the legality of his arrest and coup charges brought against him last year. Armenia -- Supporters of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian block the entrance to the Constitutional Court building in Yerevan, May 20, 2019. Kocharian was released from custody on May 18 five days after the start of his trial. The decision made by a district court angered many allies and supporters of the Armenian government who hold the ex-president responsible for the 2008 post-election bloodshed in Yerevan. Armenia’s Court of Appeals is scheduled to uphold or overturn it on June 25. On May 20, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian promised a sweeping reform of Armenia’s judiciary, saying that it remains linked to “the former corrupt system.” The announcement came as Pashinian’s supporters blocked the entrances to all court buildings in protest. Asked about the Constitutional Court’s latest decisions on the Kocharian case, Grigorian replied: “It’s a decision of the court. I won’t comment on it. When it’s published we’ll see.” Large Loan Sought For Ending Yerevan’s Transport Woes June 21, 2019 • Narine Ghalechian Armenia - An overcrowded public transport minibus in Yerevan, October 16, 2018. The Yerevan mayor’s office revealed on Friday that it has asked the Armenian government to borrow at least $100 million for a complete overhaul of the city’s deteriorating system of public transport. Ever since the mid-1990s, the system has been dominated by minibuses belonging to private companies. Few of them have invested in their fleet of aging vehicles in the past decade. The minibuses as well as a smaller number of buses provided by the municipality have become even more overcrowded as a result. A British transport consultancy, WYG, was contracted by Yerevan’s former municipal administration in 2016 to propose a detailed plan to revamp the transport network. Then Mayor Taron Markarian essentially accepted the proposals in 2017, pledging to replace the battered minibuses with new and larger buses by the end of 2018. Markarian was forced to resign last summer following the “velvet revolution” which brought down Armenia’s former government. His successor, Hayk Marutian, said after taking office in October that the city’s long-suffering commuters will have to wait for at least two years. He told WYG to conduct further research on the volume of passenger traffic and bus fares that would have to be set in the Armenian capital. Marutian’s first deputy, Hrachya Sargsian, did not mention WYG proposals when he answered questions from opposition members of the city council concerned about Yerevan’s lingering transport woes. He told them that the municipality needs more than $100 million to buy 820 modern buses. Sargsian said it has proposed that the government raise the money from external sources. He said that one-fifth of the required funding could come in the form of grants provided by foreign donors. Sargsian insisted that the new transport network would not only recoup these investments but also operate at a profit. The municipality would need between two and three years to create such a network, he said. Hripsime Arakelian, a council member representing the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), was unconvinced by this plan. She argued that it would add to the country’s increased debt burden. Tehmina Vartanian, a councilor representing the opposition Luys bloc, echoed that concern. She accused the municipality of having done little to solve one of the city’s most serious problems. Press Review June 21, 2019 Lragir.am says that in their statement issued after Thursday’s meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group again did not mention the 2016 agreements on international investigations of ceasefire violations in the Karabakh conflict zone. According to it, some observers expected Yerevan to seek to revive those agreements at the Washington meeting. “Azerbaijan is against that because it would thereby effectively recognize Artsakh’s borders,” writes the online publication. It wonders if Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian raised the matter with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov and the Minsk Group co-chairs in Washington. It worries that Yerevan may have again agreed to “save Ilham Aliyev’s face.” “Aravot” cites Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian as saying during a court hearing that $18 million was transferred to the bank account of former President Robert Kocharian’s son Sedrak in 2007-2009. He was aged 26-28 at the time. “Presumably that young man did a very profitable business if he made such a huge profit,” the paper comments tartly. “He definitely did not deal in weapons or drugs to make so much money. Nor is Sedrak a shareholder in transnational corporations. We can only add that he started displaying his remarkable business acumen when his father still held the post of president of Armenia. A country where the average monthly salary did not exceed $300.” “Zhoghovurd” comments on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s strong praise of his government’s performance in 2018. The paper says that his statement is bound to prompt criticism from opposition figures and other critics of the government. It defends the government, pointing to official statistics which shows that the Armenian economy grew by 7.1 percent in the first quarter of this year. (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