Monday,
Russia Issues Stern Warning To Armenia
RUSSIA -- A view of Kremlin' Grand Kremlin Palace, center, Towers, Churches and
frozen Moskva river in Moscow, February 14, 2018
Russia on Monday bluntly warned Armenia against ratifying the founding treaty of
the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the “illegal” arrest warrant
issued by it for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow has notified Yerevan that such a move would have “extremely negative”
consequences for Russian-Armenian relations, a Russian diplomatic source told
the official TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies.
“Moscow considers absolutely unacceptable official Yerevan’s plans to join the
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court against the backdrop of the
recent illegal and legally void ‘warrants’ of the ICC against the Russian
leadership,” said the unnamed source.
The unusually stern warning came three days after Armenia’s Constitutional Court
paved the way for parliamentary ratification of the treaty signed by a former
Armenian government in 2004. The court ruled that the Rome Statute conforms to
the Armenian constitution.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government has not yet clarified whether it
will now send the treaty to the Armenian parliament for ratification. Armenian
law gives it up to three months to make such a decision.
The government had asked the Constitutional Court to pass judgment on the ICC
treaty in December after indicating plans to appeal to The Hague tribunal over
Azerbaijan’s military attacks on Armenian territory launched since May 2021.
Some opposition figures in Yerevan have linked the court ruling to the ICC’s
recent decision to issue the arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes allegedly
committed by Russia in Ukraine. They claim that Pashinian wants to score points
among the Western powers amid unprecedented friction between Moscow and Yerevan.
Russian-Armenian relations have deteriorated in recent months because of what
the Armenian government sees as a lack of Russian support in the conflict with
Azerbaijan.
Legal experts believe that recognition of the ICC’s jurisdiction would commit
Yerevan to arresting Putin in case of his visit to Armenia.
Earlier this week, a Russian law-enforcement agency opened a criminal case
against an ICC prosecutor and judges who issued the “illegal” arrest warrant.
Bypass Road In Karabakh Not Used After Azeri Advance
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Nagorno-Karabakh - A Russian roadblock on a road outside Stepanakert, December
24, 2022.
Azerbaijani forces continued to occupy on Monday a strategic hill near the
Lachin corridor seized by them at the weekend, further complicating
Nagorno-Karabakh’s communication with Armenia and the outside world.
They advanced into that area on Saturday in what the Russian Defense Ministry
called a violation of the ceasefire that stopped the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani
war. The ministry said Russian peacekeepers demanded that the Azerbaijan pull
back its troops to “their previously occupied positions.”
The Azerbaijani military said, for its part, that it “took necessary measures”
to stop Armenia sending weapons and military personnel through dirt roads
running parallel to section of the Lachin corridor blocked by Baku since
December.
Yerevan as well as Karabakh’s leadership strongly denied any military supplies.
They said the Azerbaijani advance constitutes a gross violation of the truce
accord brokered by Moscow.
According to the authorities in Stepanakert, Russian peacekeepers deployed to a
part of the strategic hill later on Saturday to stop the Azerbaijani forces from
advancing further and try to get them to retreat from the area.
Artur Harutiunian, a senior Karabakh lawmaker, said on Monday that the Russians
are continuing to negotiate with them. He said the high ground occupied by
Azerbaijani soldiers overlooks the barely passable bypass road leading to the
Armenian border.
“That road is very visible from the height occupied by them and it cannot be
used now for security reasons,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “They can
shoot or shell.”
The Karabakh Armenian army said, meanwhile, that it took “preventive measures”
on Monday morning to thwart an Azerbaijani attack on another hill located in the
same area. It did not elaborate.
The Karabakh authorities also accused the Azerbaijani army of continuing to fire
at Karabakh Armenian villagers cultivating land in their communities located
along “the line of contact.” Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry claimed that its
troops opened fire on Saturday to stop Karabakh forces from digging trenches
“under the guise of agricultural work.”
Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, discussed the worsening security
situation at an emergency meeting with local officials and political leaders. He
complained that “international actors” content themselves with making
“declarative statements” instead of forcing Baku to respect the ceasefire.
“Therefore, we need to soberly assess the whole gravity of the situation … and
draw necessary conclusions,” Harutiunian’s office quoted him as saying. It gave
no other details.
Earlier in the day, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s office said that it is
again inviting “representatives of Karabakh’s Armenian community” to visit Baku
for talks on Karabakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan and “infrastructure
projects.”
The Karabakh leaders rejected the same offer made by Baku two weeks ago, saying
that the talks should take place at the Karabakh headquarters of Russian
peacekeepers and focus on “humanitarian, technical and humanitarian issues.”
Yerevan Noncommittal On Recognizing Hague Court Jurisdiction
• Artak Khulian
Netehrlands -- The building of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The
Hague, November 23, 2015
The Armenian authorities declined to clarify on Monday whether they will press
ahead with recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court
(ICC) despite its arrest warrant issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Constitutional Court on Friday paved the way for parliamentary ratification
of the ICC’s founding treaty signed by Armenia in 2004. It said the treaty does
not run counter to the country’s constitution.
The ruling came one week after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin over
war crimes allegedly committed by Russia in Ukraine. Legal experts believe that
a possible recognition of the ICC’s jurisdiction would obligate the authorities
in Yerevan to arrest Putin and extradite him to The Hague tribunal if he visits
the South Caucasus country.
It remains unclear whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government will
submit the treaty to the National Assembly for ratification. Armenian law gives
it up to three months to make such a decision.
Armen Khachatrian, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Civil Contract party, said
its parliamentary group has not yet discussed the issue. He did not rule out the
possibility of putting the ratification process on hold.
“Armenia will do what is required by its national interests,” said Khachatrian.
“We must take into account the fact that the Russian Federation is our strategic
ally and we have strategic treaties with Russia. The whole world understands
that.”
Kyrgyzstan - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian meet in Bishkek, December 9, 2022.
Parliament speaker Alen Simonian called for the ratification when he spoke to
journalists last week before the announcement of the Constitutional Court
ruling. Simonian said Armenia must be able to appeal to the ICC over “war
crimes” committed by Azerbaijan during and after the 2020 war in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Opposition lawmakers warned, meanwhile, that Pashinian’s administration risks
further damaging Russian-Armenian relations which they believe are critical for
Armenia’s national security.
“Given the existing circumstances, Armenia had a perfectly legitimate excuse to
not even raise the [ratification] issue,” said Gegham Manukian of the main
opposition Hayastan alliance.
Another Hayastan lawmaker, Andranik Tevanian, claimed that Pashinian engineered
the court ruling to try to “please the West” at the cost of “ruining
Russian-Armenian relations.”
“A rhetorical question arises here: by what right can the Armenian people expect
assistance from Russia after Nikol Pashinian has taken an obvious anti-Russian
step, trying to please the West?” Tevanian said in a Facebook post. “Who will
pay the price for all this?
Most of the current Constitutional Court judges have been installed by
Pashinian’s political team. The government asked the court to pass judgment on
the ICC treaty in December.
Russia has long been Armenia’s main ally and trading partner. Relations between
the two countries have soured in recent months because of what the Armenian
government sees as a lack of Russian support in the conflict with Azerbaijan.
Armenian Government Faces Questions Over Legality Of Procurement Deal
• Heghine Buniatian
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Businessman Khachatur Sukiasian arrives for the government's
question-and-answer session in parliament, Yerevan, March 22, 2023.
Armenian regulators have launched an inquiry into an insurance company belonging
to the family of a government-linked businessman that recently won another
government contract without a competitive tender.
The move comes after an RFE/RL’s Armenian Service investigation raised more
questions about the legality of the deal.
The influential businessman, Khachatur Sukiasian, was elected to the current
Armenian parliament on the ruling Civil Contract party’s ticket in June 2021.
Sukiasian and his extended family have reportedly expanded their business
interests since the 2018 “velvet revolution” not least because lucrative
government contracts won by their firms, including SIL Insurance.
It emerged last month that the Armenian Interior Ministry will pay SIL Insurance
about $500,000 to buy yearly insurance coverage for some 2,000 vehicles used by
the national police. The company was contracted for the so-called APPA package
covering minimum insurance required by the law.
The ministry said it had checked with other insurance firms and found out that
they would charge higher fees. Interior Minister Vahe Ghazarian claimed
afterwards that SIL Insurance offered 2.5 million drams less ($6.400) less than
its competitors.
Armenia - Interior Minister Vahe Ghazarian speaks in the parliament, Yerevan,
March 1, 2023.
SIL told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, however, that the police never inquired
about the cost of the company’s basic insurance service. Other insurance firms
likewise insisted that they did not bid for the police contract officially or
unofficially.
The APPA tariffs are set by Armenia’s Bureau of Auto Insurers, a public
regulatory body. They are the same for all private insurers.
The Bureau confirmed that neither SIL nor any other company is allowed to charge
lower APPA fees. It said that it has therefore launched disciplinary proceedings
against SIL.
Even if Sukiasian’s firm is fined by the regulators its contract with the
Interior Ministry will not be rescinded.
The Interior Ministry also signed with SIL a separate $300,000 deal for an
optional broader insurance coverage for police vehicles. There was no
competitive tender in that case as well.
Armenia - The Armenian police unveil their newly created Patrol Service in
Yerevan, July 8, 2021.
Interior Minister Ghazarian commented on the dubious deals during a recent
cabinet meeting in Yerevan chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. The latter
described the resulting media uproar as a “pseudo or not pseudo scandal.”
Pashinian pledged to separate business from politics when he swept to power in
2018. He declared that Armenian entrepreneurs no longer need government
connections in order to protect and increase their assets.
There are growing questions about integrity in public procurement in Armenia.
This is one of the reasons why Transparency International downgraded the
country’s position in its annual survey of corruption perceptions around the
world released in January.
Armenian law allows the government not to put contracts for the delivery of
goods or services out to competitive tender in some cases. The number of such
government decisions has reportedly increased in recent years, prompting
concerns from opposition figures and civil society activists.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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