Thursday,
Pashinian Slams ‘Corrupt’ TV Channels
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian holds a cabinet meeting in Yerevan,
.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian lambasted TV stations critical of him on
Thursday, saying that they belong to corrupt individuals and wage an
“information war” against the Armenian government.
Pashinian said the government should expose the “real owners” of the private
channels. He did not name any of them.
“I would say that the level of democracy in Armenia is so high that even corrupt
persons have TV companies in Armenia nowadays,” he told a weekly cabinet meeting
in Yerevan. “The logos of at least two TV channels can be replaced with the
words ‘Corruption’ or ‘Corruption Group.’”
Pashinian claimed that he is “not unhappy with this situation” because these
broadcasters help the authorities combat corruption by frequently interviewing
former officials facing corruption charges and exposing their other “tentacles.”
Nevertheless, he went on, the government needs to enact legislation that will
require them to reveal their “real owners” and thus increase broader
“transparency” in the Armenian broadcast media. Justice Minister Rustam
Badasian told Pashinian in that regard that his ministry is already working on
such a legal “mechanism.” Badasian did not elaborate.
At least two Armenian TV channels are owned by individuals thought to be linked
to former Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Robert Kocharian or their relatives in
one way or another. They regularly air strong criticism of the current
authorities in their news programs and talk shows.
The official owner of one of the pro-Kocharian Fifth Channel, Armen Tavadian,
was arrested late last month on charges of seeking false testimony in favor of
the jailed ex-president. Tavadian rejected the charges as politically motivated.
Some Kocharian loyalists and Fifth Channel executives claim that Tavadian’s
arrest is aimed at silencing the opposition media outlet.
No Date Set For Next Armenian-Azeri Talks
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian speaks at a news conference in
Yerevan, December 2, 2019.
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian on Thursday declined to give a possible
date for his fresh talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov
anticipated by international mediators.
Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov have met regularly in the last 18 months, most
recently in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava on December 4. They appeared to have
failed to make major progress towards a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict during that meeting which Mammadyarov described as “tough.”
The U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group said
afterwards that the two ministers will meet again early next year “to intensify
negotiations on the core issues of a peaceful settlement.”
“Ever since our government took office in May 2018 we have not dragged out or
delayed the [negotiating] process at any point,” Mnatsakanian told reporters
when asked when that meeting will take place. “As you know, we worked quite
actively last year.”
“The process is going on,” he said after meeting with pro-government lawmakers
in Yerevan. “You know that we announce a meeting when we reach agreement on it.
We announce it simultaneously with the co-chairs.”
Mnatsakanian also noted that it is “too early” to talk about fresh talks between
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
Mammadyarov claimed later in December that the Bratislava talks focused on the
most recent version of a framework peace accord originally drafted by the U.S.,
Russian and French mediators in 2007. He said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov presented it to the conflicting parties two years ago.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry insisted, however, that “no document is being
discussed” by the parties at present.
Yerevan Mayor Demands Retraction Of Corruption Claims
• Narine Ghalechian
Armenia -- Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutian speaks to journalists, January 16, 2019.
Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutian on Thursday challenged two leading members of the
opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK) to substantiate their allegations that his
administration has accepted dubious cash donations from wealthy businesspeople.
In letters sent to the LHK’s Edmon Marukian and Davit Khazhakian, he said they
must retract those claims if they cannot come up with any evidence.
Khazhakian is a member of the Yerevan city council who has repeatedly accused
Marutian of corruption and mismanagement. He sparked a scandal in November by
revealing that private firms have donated two dozen garbage trucks to the
municipal administration.
Khazhakian claimed that the donations were made in return for construction
permits given to them. Marutian strongly denied such a quid pro quo.
The opposition politician subsequently alleged that the municipality also
accepted cash from private donors.
Marutian’s spokesman, Hakob Karapetian, dismissed that allegation as
“disinformation.” “After that statement the municipality conducted an additional
inquiry and did not find any instances of cash donation,” he told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service.
Karapetian did not exclude that the mayor will take the opposition figures to
court if they ignore his demands.
Khazhakian insisted, meanwhile, that he does have evidence of the alleged
wrongdoing and has submitted it an ad hoc commission of the Armenian parliament
which was formed recently to investigate the controversial donations. He said
Marutian should cooperate with the commission.
Press Review
Armenia -- Newspapers for press review illustration, Yerevan, 12Jul2016
“When the leader of a post-Soviet state initiates constitutional changes he very
likely does so in order to extend his rule,” writes “Aravot.” “In countries like
ours, there is no culture of resigning in a dignified manner after completing a
term in office. Usually they invent some ploys to keep sitting on the same or
altered throne forever.” The paper says Russian President Vladimir Putin is
pursuing the same goal in his latest drive to amend Russia’s constitution. Putin
wants to stay in power for the rest of his life, it claims.
“Zhoghovurd” says that under Armenian law Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has
only two more months to choose the new heads of Armenia’s Police and National
Security Service (NSS). “These agencies have been run by acting heads for the
last four months,” explains the paper. They cannot temporarily these posts for
more than six months. “What is the reason for this uncertain situation?” the
paper goes on. “It is possible that the prime minister cannot find trustworthy
individuals in the security agencies.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” weighs in on a growing debate in Armenia about whether media
outlets and social media users should be allowed to spread false or slanderous
information and whether a government crackdown on them would constitute a
violation of freedom of speech. “Those who carry out such propaganda against the
authorities and political beneficiaries of that think they can spread any lies
and nobody has the right to tell them off because freedom of speech is an
absolute right,” writes the pro-government paper. “The opposite side believes,
however, that … there is a limit beyond which there is a state interest which
everyone must reckon with.” The daily controlled by Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s family goes on to accuse unnamed media outlets of “using freedom of
speech against Armenia’s state interests.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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