Monday,
New Armenian President Sworn In
Armenia - Armen Sarkissian is sworn in as new president of Armenia in Yerevan,
9 April 2018.
Armen Sarkissian, a former scholar who has long lived in Britain, pledged to
strive for a “new Armenia” able to meet challenges of the modern world as he
was sworn in as the country’s new president on Monday.
He took the oath of office at a special session of the Armenian parliament
attended by hundreds of other dignitaries.
The ceremony took place at a concert hall in Yerevan just over a month after
the National Assembly voted overwhelmingly to elect Sarkissian president of the
republic. His candidacy was nominated by the outgoing President Serzh Sarkisian
(no relation) and the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) earlier this
year.
Sarkissian, 64, is the first Armenian president not elected by popular vote.
The change stems from controversial constitutional changes that have
transformed Armenia into a parliamentary republic. Sarkissian will therefore
have largely ceremonial powers.
The HHK-controlled parliament is widely expected to appoint Serzh Sarkisian as
prime minister next week. The latter met with his handpicked successor shortly
before the inauguration ceremony broadcast live by national television.
Armenia - Armenia's outgoing and incoming presidents and their wives meet in
Yerevan, 9 April 2018.
Putting his right hand on the Armenian constitution and a 7th century Armenian
Bible, Armen Sarkissian vowed to stay “impartial” in performing his duties and
do his best to “strengthen national unity.”
In an ensuing speech, Sarkissian mentioned challenges facing the country. “We
must jointly and consistently fight against negative and vicious practices in
the state system, society and our environment: from corruption to social
injustice, from indifference to irresponsibility,” he declared. “In this just
and uncompromising fight, each of us has a role to play. We will succeed if we
not only criticize but also propose, if we join forces and work together,
rather than create divisions.”
The new president, who has tried to reach out to various political and civic
groups, intellectuals and business circles in recent weeks, went on to stress
the need for faster economic development. “No matter how attractive and
substantiated promises of the bright future are, people want to feel their
fruits now, and they are right,” he said.
“The 21st century is a century of thought and rapid scientific progress,” said
Sarkissian. “Accordingly, we must build a new Armenia; a young Armenia; a
dynamic, flexible, and creative Armenia.”
The inauguration was attended by 92 of the 105 members of the parliament. Most
of the absent deputies are affiliated with the opposition Yelk bloc, which
controls 9 parliament seats. Seven Yelk deputies voted against Sarkissian while
the two others did not vote at all on March 2.
Armenia - Armen Sarkissian is sworn in as new president of Armenia in Yerevan,
9 April 2018.
A physicist and mathematician by education, Sarkissian worked at the Cambridge
University when he was appointed as newly independent Armenia’s first
ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1991. He served as prime minister for four
months in 1996-1997 before being again named ambassador in London.
His second ambassadorial stint was cut short in 1999 by then President Robert
Kocharian. Sarkissian stayed in Britain and made a fortune there in the
following decade, working as an advisor and middleman for Western corporations
doing business in the former Soviet Union. He was appointed as Armenian
ambassador to Britain for a third time in 2013.
Under the amended constitution, Sarkissian will serve for a seven-year term. He
will be primarily tasked with ensuring “observance of the constitution” by
various branches of government. In particular, he will be able to send
parliament-approved bills to the Constitutional Court for examination in case
of objecting to their provisions. The bills will have to be signed into law if
the court certifies their conformity with the constitution.
The president will also formally appoint members of the government, Armenian
ambassadors abroad and the Armenian army’s top brass nominated by the prime
minister. In addition, he can sign international treaties recommended by the
ruling cabinet.
Russia’s Lavrov Upbeat On Karabakh Peace
• Aza Babayan
RUSSIA -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a joint press
conference with his Chinese counterpart following their talks in Moscow, April
5, 2018.
Joint efforts by Russia and other world powers to help resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will eventually end in success, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov said over the weekend.
In an interview with an Armenian reporter, Lavrov also praised Armenia for
remaining firmly allied to Russia while forging closer links with the European
Union.
Commenting on prospects for a Karabakh settlement, he said: “The most important
thing [for the conflicting parties] is to step back from distrust, which still
manifests itself sometimes during negotiations, and to concentrate on
realistic, pragmatic ideas which are in abundant supply.”
“The parties seem to conceptually agree to do that, but when things start
developing into concrete wordings … complications arise. But I think that we
will continue to consistently overcome them and achieve a result,” Lavrov said
in the televised interview publicized by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents pledged to try to break the deadlock in
the Karabakh peace process when they last met in Geneva in October. Their
foreign ministers held follow-up negotiations in December and January. The
U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group said in
February that the two sides intend to “continue intensive negotiations, taking
into account the current electoral period.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will likely win another term in office in a
snap election scheduled for Wednesday. Aliyev’s Armenian counterpart, Serzh
Sarkisian, served out his final presidential term on Monday. Sarkisian is
widely expected to become Armenia’s prime minister and thus extend his rule
later this month.
Aliyev and Sarkisian most recently came close to reaching a framework peace
accord at a 2011 meeting held in Kazan, Russia. Armenian officials accused
Aliyev s at the time of scuttling the deal with last-minute additional
concessions demanded from the Armenian side.
“During the [Kazan] summit there emerged additional questions and comments,”
said Lavrov. “Such things happen. We don’t regard that as a tragedy. Efforts
will continue. I am sure that a lot of what is contained in the so-called Kazan
document is still in demand.”
“So I think nothing from what was worked out at that time has been lost, even
though some new ideas, which the co-chairs are now furthering in their contacts
with the parties, have emerged since then,” he added without elaborating.
The Kazan document is thought to be one of the versions of the Basic Principles
of a Karabakh peace which were first put forward by the U.S., Russian and
French mediators in 2007. The framework accord calls for a phased settlement
that would start with Armenian withdrawal from virtually all Azerbaijani
districts around Karabakh. That would be followed by a referendum on Karabakh’s
internationally recognized status.
Lavrov was also satisfied the current state of Russian-Armenian relations,
saying that they have grown even closer in the political, economic and military
areas in the past decade. He praised Armenia for joining the Russian-led
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) at the expense of an Association Agreement with
the EU which was due to be finalized in 2013. Yerevan signed a less
far-reaching Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU last
November.
“It’s wrong to leave countries in the post-Soviet space with the choice of
either with the West or with Russia,” Lavrov said in a jibe at the EU. “That is
an absolutely ideological and politicized approach. And I think the fact that
Armenia insisted on the kind of relationship with the EU which involves …
recognition of Armenia’s rights and obligations in other integration processes
is a step in the right direction.”
Serzh Sarkisian’s Continued Rule All But Confirmed
Armenia - Outgoing President Serzh Sarkisian (R) and outgoing Prime Minister
Karen Karapetian meet in Yerevan, 7 April 2018.
Outgoing Prime Minister Karen Karapetian effectively confirmed on Monday that
Serzh Sarkisian will remain Armenia’s top leader even after completing his
second and final presidential term.
Karapetian made the announcement shortly after tendering his and his ministers’
resignations to Armen Sarkissian, the new president of the republic who took
office earlier in the day.
The resignations are mandated by Armenia’s amended constitution envisaging a
parliamentary system of government. This means that the next Armenian prime
minister will be the country’s most powerful official.
Serzh Sarkisian, who also leads the ruling Republican Party (HHK), signaled his
plans to become prime minister when he met with Karapetian on Saturday.
Commenting on that meeting, the outgoing premier said: “We decided to propose
to our party comrades to maintain the current government configuration in this
period: namely, to nominate Serzh Sarkisian as the number one figure.”
“Because it is extremely important to expedite a smooth and effective
transition to the new government system which will minimize risks,” he added in
comments reported by his press office.
The Armenian parliament, in which the ruling HHK has a solid majority, is due
to elect the next prime minister on April 17. In recent weeks, many senior HHK
members have backed Sarkisian to take up the top executive post.
Sarkisian said on Saturday that he and Karapetian will “bear the burden of
responsibility” for Armenia’s government for the next four years. This was a
further indication that the politically inexperienced Karapetian will be
appointed first deputy prime minister primarily responsible for the
government’s socioeconomic policies.
The Armenian opposition has strongly condemned Sarkisian’s plans to extend his
decade-long rule, calling it a gross failure. Some opposition groups are
planning to launch daily street demonstrations in Yerevan later this week in a
bid to thwart those plans.
Opposition leaders also accuse Sarkisian of backtracking on his 2014 promise
that he will “not aspire” to the post of prime minister if Armenia becomes a
parliamentary republic. Sarkisian claimed last month that his political
opponents are taking his 2014 statement “out of context.” “I still do not
aspire to the post of prime minister,” he said.
Opposition Leader Congratulates New President
• Harry Tamrazian
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian (R) congratulates the new
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian after an inauguration ceremony in Yerevan,
9 April 2018.
Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian attended Armen Sarkissian’s inauguration on
Monday, saying that the new Armenian president is more legitimate than his
predecessor.
Hovannisian was the main opposition candidate in Armenia’s last presidential
election held in 2013. He rejected as fraudulent the official election results
that gave victory to the incumbent Serzh Sarkisian. A series of demonstrations
organized by Hovannisian in Yerevan at the time failed to force the authorities
to invalidate the vote.
The new president of the republic was elected by the Armenian parliament,
rather than popular vote, in line with controversial constitutional changes
enacted in 2015.
“Five years on, we have a new electoral system,” Hovannisian told reporters
after the inauguration ceremony. “You can say it’s still based on fraud, but
it’s a de facto new electoral system and we had today an inauguration which was
more or less far from illegitimate. And so I congratulate Armen Sarkissian.”
“Let’s hope that with his proposals and experience he will help to mark, little
by little, the beginning of a new, free, independent and creative Armenia for
which our people fought not only five years ago but also for the last 25
years,” said the U.S.-born politician.
Sarkissian’s swearing-in ceremony was boycotted by all nine lawmakers
representing the opposition Yelk alliance. They have questioned his eligibility
to serve as head of state.
Armenia’s amended constitution requires presidential candidates to have had
only Armenian citizenship for the last six years. Sarkissian has admitted
receiving British citizenship in 2002. He insists that he gave it up in 2011.
Yelk has been unconvinced by these assurances, demanding that Sarkissian
produce a British government document certifying that.
One of the opposition bloc’s leaders, Nikol Pashinian, hit out at the new
president as he continued to tour northern and central regions of Armenia on
foot in an effort to drum up popular support for his upcoming anti-government
rallies in Yerevan.
“His [British-based] sons and grandchildren will tell their grandchildren, ‘You
know, our grandfather was Armenia’s president,’” scoffed Pashinian. “But if the
grandchildren are a bit more mindful, they will realize that that story is far
sadder than is presented.”
Pashinian, whose campaign is not supported by other Yelk leaders, is planning
to hold daily demonstrations immediately after reaching Yerevan on Friday. They
will be aimed at preventing former President Serzh Sarkisian from becoming
prime minister later this month.
Also campaigning against Sarkisian’s “reproduction” is the For the Armenian
State coalition of more radical opposition groups and activists, including the
Zharangutyun party which Hovannisian founded and headed until last month. The
grouping held its latest rally on Monday several hours after Hovannisian
attended the presidential inauguration.
Press Review
(Saturday, April 7)
“Zhamanak” notes that the Armenian-born billionaire Samvel Karapetian is not in
the latest group of more than two dozen Russian oligarchs and government
officials sanctioned by the United States. The paper speculates that Karapetian
is keen to have one or possibly more American companies join his energy
projects in Armenia to try to “neutralize his risks in Russia.”
“Zhoghovurd” says Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian have used foreign media
outlets to accuse each other of impeding a peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Aliyev said that Armenia is “imitating” peace talks
with Azerbaijan, while Sarkisian again blamed the lack of progress on Baku’s
“maximalist” position. The paper says the conflict remains unresolved because
both Aliyev and Sarkisian are not interested in peace.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reacts to the Russian-Turkish agreement to build a
Russian-designed nuclear power station in Turkey. The paper says the Armenian
government had pledged to build a new nuclear plant with Russian aid even
before the Turks decided to utilize atomic energy. It also blames Moscow for
the failure of the Armenian nuclear project and claims that the Russian-Turkish
deal is “directed against Armenia’s interests.”
(Tatev Danielian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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