Monday, July 4, 2022
Moscow Deplores ‘Anti-Russian’ Rationale For Canadian Embassy In Armenia
RUSSIA -- A woman looks at her phone as she walks across a bridge with the
Russian Foreign Ministry building in the background, Moscow, October 12, 2021.
Russia denounced on Monday a key official reason for Canada’s decision to open
an embassy in Armenia.
The Canadian government announced the decision last week, saying that it wants
to deepen Armenian-Canadian relations in view of the ongoing “profound
geopolitical shift” in the world resulting, in large measure, from the Russian
invasion of Ukraine. A government statement said the diplomatic presence in
Armenia as well as four Eastern European states will help Ottawa “counter
Russia’s destabilizing activities.”
Reacting to the development, the Russian Embassy in Yerevan said: “One is
surprised by such an overtly arrogant and dismissive attitude towards a state
with which they seem to be going to strengthen bilateral ties. One cannot but
wonder how such a line will affect the well-being and security of the Armenian
people.”
In a statement, the embassy said it is indicative of the West’s “arrogant
attitude towards other countries and peoples that underlies many tragic events
taking place in the modern world.”
Like other Western powers, NATO member Canada has strongly condemned the Russian
invasion and provided Ukraine with military and economic assistance. By
contrast, Armenia has refrained from criticizing the “special military
operation” launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24.
The South Caucasus state has long maintained close military, political and
economic ties with Russia. Its heavy dependence on Moscow for defense and
security deepened further after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Armenian government welcomed the planned opening of the Canadian embassy in
Yerevan, with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan calling it “another milestone in
progressively developing Armenian-Canadian relations.”
Armenian Judicial Watchdog Fails To Elect New Head
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - The Supreme Judicial Council holds a hearing in Yerevan, July 26, 2021.
A supposedly independent body overseeing Armenia’s courts failed to elect a new
chairman on Monday nearly two weeks after ousting its previous head who had
fallen foul of the government.
The key position became vacant on June 23 when the Supreme Judicial Council
(SJC) formally dismissed Ruben Vartazarian as its chairman and member because of
a recent newspaper interview in which he attacked another SJC member, Gagik
Jahangirian.
Jahangirian became the acting head of the judicial watchdog in April 2021 after
Vartazarian was charged with obstruction of justice and suspended as SJC
chairman amid rising tensions with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. He was widely
expected to succeed Vartazarian on a permanent basis.
However, Vartazarian publicized on June 20 secretly recorded audio of his
February 2021 conversation with Jahangirian in which the latter appeared to warn
him to resign or face criminal charges. The 14-minute recording caused uproar in
Armenia. Jahangirian announced his resignation from the SJC on Friday.
The seven remaining members of the body -- which nominates judges, monitors
their integrity and can also dismiss them -- met on Monday to elect a new
chairman. Three of them ran for the vacant post. None received enough votes in
two secret ballots.
One of the candidates, Grigor Bekmezian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that
another ballot will likely be held in the coming days or weeks.
In line with Armenian law, the SJC was due to be run by its oldest member,
Stepan Mikaelian, in the interim. However, Mikaelian ceded the temporary role to
another judge, Sergei Chichoyan.
It was not clear whether the decision was connected with the fact that Mikaelian
also participated in Jahangirian’s secretly recorded dinner meeting with
Vartazarian.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s Investigative Committee announced on Monday that it has
opened a criminal case in connection with the recording. A spokesman for the
law-enforcement agency said it is conducting a criminal investigation into abuse
of power and obstruction of justice. He did not clarify whether the
investigators consider Jahangirian a suspect in the case.
Another Opposition Member Resigns From Parliament
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Parliament deputy Artur Ghazinian, September 22, 2021
Another opposition lawmaker announced his resignation on Monday amid growing
questions about continued opposition presence in Armenia’s parliament.
“I can no longer imagine my further work in this National Assembly under any
agenda,” Artur Ghazinian of the main opposition Hayastan alliance wrote on
Facebook.
Ghazinian attributed his decision to “political and tactical considerations” but
did not clarify whether he has disagreements with the alliance headed by former
President Robert Kocharian. He said he will continue to take part in
antigovernment protests staged by Hayastan and the other parliamentary
opposition force, Pativ Unem.
Ghazinian could not be reached for further comment.
His resignation came three days after the parliament controlled by the ruling
Civil Contract party voted on to dismiss one of its deputy speakers and the
chairman of its economic committee affiliated with Hayastan. The parliamentary
majority blamed the decision on a continuing opposition boycott of parliament
sessions.
Hayastan and Pativ Unem condemned the decision. All but one of the other
opposition parliamentarians holding leadership positions in the National
Assembly resigned in protest.
Ghazinian is the second oppositionist to resign his parliament seat in the last
two weeks.
Artur Vanetsian, who co-headed Pativ Unem with former President Serzh Sarkisian,
said on June 21 that the National Assembly has “ceased to be an effective
platform” for challenging the Armenian government. Unlike Ghazinian, Vanetsian
made clear that he is parting ways with the other opposition forces that have
been jointly trying to topple Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian with street
protests.
The resignations may increase pressure on the 33 other opposition members of the
107-seat parliament. A growing number of opposition supporters in the country
think that they too should resign from a legislature that routinely refuses to
even debate opposition initiatives.
Hayastan and Pativ Unem leaders have not ruled out the possibility of such a
mass exit. But they say they still think that they can use their parliamentary
mandates in their push for regime change.
“If you manage to use your mandate for your political goals and activities, that
mandate is certainly necessary,” Gegham Manukian, a Hayastan deputy, told
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Asked about the opposition’s inability to push through bills, Manukian said: “By
that logic there must be no [parliamentary] opposition in any part of the world
because the incumbent authorities reject most opposition initiatives.”
Armenian Opposition Again Slams EU
• Robert Zargarian
Armenia - Opposition supporters demonstrate outside the EU Delegation building
in Yerevan, July 4, 2022.
Opposition leaders accused the European Union of turning a blind eye to what
they see as Armenian government efforts to control the judiciary and stifle
dissent as they again rallied supporters outside the EU Delegation in Yerevan on
Monday.
They singled out the EU’s failure to publicly react to a scandal that led to the
resignation late last week of Gagik Jahangirian, a controversial former
prosecutor who had headed Armenia’s judicial watchdog since April 2021.
Jahangirian stepped down following the release of secretly recorded audio in
which he appeared to blackmail Ruben Vartazarian, the previous chairman of the
Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) who fell out with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Critics of Pashinian’s administration have portrayed the recording as further
proof that Jahangirian was installed as acting head of the SJC to increase
government influence on courts. They say his leadership of the powerful state
body made mockery of judicial reforms declared by the Armenian government and
backed by the EU.
Some of the protesters who marched to the EU Delegation building held a big
photograph of the delegation head, Andrea Wiktorin, sitting next to Jahangirian
at a an international conference on those reforms held in Yerevan last month.
Armenia - Opposition leader Aram Vartevanian addresses protesters outside the EU
Delegaton in Yerevan, July 4, 2022.
“For almost one and a half years, that man [Jahangirian] carried out all
judicial reforms and was behind all arrests [of opposition members and
supporters,]” said Aram Vartevanian, one of the opposition figures leading the
crowd. “Doesn’t the EU ambassador have anything to say? Doesn’t the EU
ambassador want to say whether this was the kind of reform that she imagined? If
not, she shares responsibility for all of Gagik Jahangirian’s deeds.”
“They are turning a blind eye to all illegal practices, political persecutions
and attacks on courts,” charged Gegham Manukian, another lawmaker representing
the main opposition Hayastan alliance.
The EU mission did not immediately react to what was the second opposition
demonstration held outside its offices in a month.
The opposition staged the previous protest on June 7 to deplore the EU’s failure
to condemn Armenian security forces for using what it regards as excessive force
against protesters demanding Pashinian’s resignation.
Armenia - Opposition supporters demonstrate outside the EU Delegation in
Yerevan, June 7, 2022.
Wiktorin said in May that riot police should not be allowed to “operate with
impunity.” She also stressed: “There can be different perceptions of what
peaceful gatherings are, and if there are provocations I would personally ask
myself where does it end.”
The U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracy, also expressed concern over the use
of force against protesters in Yerevan. Still, Tracy angered the opposition when
she effectively welcomed on May 18 the outcome of last year’s parliamentary
elections won by Pashinian’s party.
Vartevanian was asked by journalists on June 7 why the opposition does not voice
similar criticism of Russia, which has not publicly commented on the Armenian
authorities’ response to the protests. He argued that unlike the Western powers,
Moscow does not portray Armenia as a democracy or claim to promote democratic
reforms in the country.
Both Tracy and Wiktorin addressed on May 20 a “forum for democracy” in Yerevan
attended by Pashinian and other senior government officials. Opposition
representatives were not allowed to participate in the event.
India, Armenia Mull Defense Cooperation
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan meets with Sanjay Verma, an Indian
Ministry of External Affairs secretary, Yerevan, July 4, 2022.
India and Armenia are exploring “long-term” military cooperation as part of
their efforts to deepen bilateral relations, a senior Indian official said
during a visit to Yerevan on Monday.
Sanjay Verma, a secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, arrived in
Armenia to co-chair with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan a session of an
Indian-Armenian intergovernmental commission tasked with facilitating closer
ties between the two countries sharing common geopolitical interests.
“On the defense side, we have begun looking at concrete cooperation,” Verma said
at the start of the meeting. “We are looking at a long-term relationship in that
area.”
In his opening remarks, Mirzoyan likewise listed “defense and military-technical
cooperation” among the areas that are “very promising for our countries.”
“The ongoing discussions in these directions will turn into practical agreements
and into new opportunities for our governments and businesspeople,” he said.
It was not clear whether the commission discussed any defense-related issues and
reached understandings on them.
Mirzoyan and Verma met separately before the session. According to the Armenian
Foreign Ministry, Mirzoyan again praised the Indian government’s position on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and “reaffirmed Armenia’s support for India” in its
long-running dispute with Pakistan.
Pakistan staunchly supports Azerbaijan, refusing to not only establish
diplomatic relations with Armenia but also formally recognize it. Islamabad
underscored that support during the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Karabakh.
But it denied claims that Pakistani soldiers participated in the six-week war on
the Azerbaijani side.
By contrast, India has backed international efforts to settle the Karabakh
conflict spearheaded by the United States, Russia and France. It has also
effectively sided with Armenia in an Armenian-Azerbaijani border dispute that
broke out in May 2021. In a statement issued at the time, the Indian foreign
ministry called on Baku to “pull back forces immediately and cease any further
provocation.”
Armenia - India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar speaks at
a joint news conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Yerevan,
October 13, 2021.
Mirzoyan held talks Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in April
this year on the sidelines of an international conference held in India. It was
their third face-to-face meeting in eight months.
Jaishankar visited Armenia last October. He and Mirzoyan approved a “roadmap for
future cooperation and mutual visits at different levels.” The top Indian
diplomat singled out closer economic ties between the two nations.
According to Armenian government data, Indian-Armenian trade soared by over 40
percent but still stood at a modest $181 million last year.
“These figures do not reflect the full potential of our bilateral trade and
economic cooperation, and we expect a drastic increase in trade turnover volumes
in the coming years,” Mirzoyan said on Monday.
Verma said, for his part, that New Delhi is encouraging Indian entrepreneurs to
“look at investing in Armenia because the possibilities and potentials are
immense.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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