Thursday,
Anti-Government Protests Continue In Yerevan Amid Fury Over Karabakh Deal
ARMENIA -- People protest during a rally against the country's agreement to end
fighting with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Yerevan,
Armenian opposition groups are continuing their protests to demand the
resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian over the terms he agreed to in a
Russian-brokered accord with Azerbaijan that ended more than six weeks of
fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Several thousand protesters marched through the streets of Yerevan on November
12, shouting anti-Pashinian slogans such as “Traitor, go away!”
They also went to the National Security Service building where over a dozen
leaders of the protest are kept mainly on charges of organizing mass disorders.
The protesters described these leaders, including Prosperous Armenia Party
chairman Gagik Tsarukian, Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsian, Dashnaktsutun’s
Ishkhan Saghatelian and others, as political prisoners and called for their
release.
Human rights activist Avetik Ishkhanian compared the situation to Stalin-era
purges. He challenged one of the grounds for detentions – martial law, under
which political gatherings are banned in the country. “What martial law are you
talking about after surrender?” he said.
Protesters then gathered again in Liberty Square in the evening to stage a rally
at which speakers, including members of Prosperous Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun,
again demanded Pashinian’s resignation. They said protests will be continued on
Friday.
Separately, supporters of the opposition group Sasna Tsrer held a rally in
central Yerevan but canceled a planned march in the city after police told them
to disband, citing martial law.
A number of demonstrators who refused to leave the area were detained by
security forces.
Moscow ‘Confident’ Yerevan Will Abide By Karabakh Deal
• Aza Babayan
A service member of the Russian peacekeeping troops walks near a tank near the
border with Armenia, following the signing of a deal to end the military
conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces
Russia is confident that Armenia will fulfill its commitments under a
Moscow-brokered deal signed with Azerbaijan on November 10 to end six-week
hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on
Wednesday.
“Yesterday, President Vladimir Putin had a contact with Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian. This morning, I had a contact with [Armenian] Foreign Minister
Zohrab Mnatsakanian. I am convinced that the Armenian government fully
understands its responsibility and understands that it has signed this document
for the highest interests of its nation,” Lavrov said, adding: “I am confident
that the integrity of this agreement will be preserved and implemented. In any
case, I see that there are many political forces in Armenia that understand what
is happening and make right conclusions.”
Speaking in Moscow today, Lavrov noted that Moscow sees protests that the deal
has sparked in Armenia and “even understands that there are people among those
who took to the streets who are really in pain.” At the same time, he stressed
that the country’s authorities should have explained to the people in time that
it was impossible to keep seven districts [around Nagorno-Karabakh] indefinitely
and that they were to be returned.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (archive photo)
Lavrov also spoke today about the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that it is
necessary to discuss all issues related to the status, taking into account the
rights of all people – those who live there and those who lived there and must
return.
Soon after the document was signed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared
that it contains no issue of the region’s status.
Under the terms of the agreement, by December Armenian forces will gradually
withdraw from three districts held since the 1994 ceasefire agreement, while
Azerbaijan will keep the territory in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas
captured during the conflict.
Armenians will also forfeit the Lachin region, where a crucial road connects
Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The agreement calls for a 5-kilometer wide area in
the so-called Lachin Corridor to remain open and be protected by around 2,000
Russian peacekeepers.
The agreement also calls for Russian border services to monitor a new transport
corridor through Armenia connecting Azerbaijan to its western exclave of
Nakhijevan, which is surrounded by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.
The Russian foreign minister also announced today that representatives of the
United States and France – the two other co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group along
with Russia – are expected to arrive in Moscow in the coming days to discuss
steps to implement the signed document.
Lavrov had a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le
Drian on Wednesday during which he reportedly stressed that the agreement was
based on the principles developed by the Minsk Group co-chairs.
Amid statements from Baku and Ankara that Turkish military will also be involved
in the peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, at today’s press conference the
top Russian diplomat reiterated that according to the document, only Russian
peacekeepers will be deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, while “the mission of Turkish
observers will be limited to the geographical coordinates of the Russian-Turkish
monitoring center in Azerbaijan, which is not close to Nagorno-Karabakh and
which will be agreed upon additionally.”
Yesterday, the Russian and Turkish defense ministers signed a memorandum on the
establishment of a joint ceasefire control center in Nagorno-Karabakh. According
to a statement issued by the Russian Defense Ministry, the joint center will be
located in the territory of Azerbaijan.
Hours after the signing of the memorandum, official Baku and Ankara announced
that there will be not only Russian but also Turkish peacekeepers in
Nagorno-Karabakh. Moscow has repeatedly denied it at different levels today.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian president, once again stated today that
the issue of Turkish peacekeepers has not even been discussed and that their
deployment in Nagorno-Karabakh is not possible without Yerevan’s consent.
Pashinian Says Truce With Azerbaijan Still Not A Solution To Karabakh Problem
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses the nation,
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian insists that the statement he signed
with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia earlier this week about ending
hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh still does not amount to a solution to the
longstanding problem concerning the status of the region.
“The problem remains unresolved just like it was before,” Pashinian said in his
address to the nation on Thursday.
“We have a lot to do in this sense in the future,” he added.
The trilateral statement on November 10 sparked large-scale protests in Armenia,
with opposition forces accusing Pashinian of treachery.
Armenia signed the document putting an end to a bloody six-week war after a
series of defeats in the battlefield that the prime minister said forced the
Armenian military to seek a diplomatic way out of the conflict.
Under the terms of the accord with Azerbaijan, by December Armenian forces will
gradually withdraw from three districts held since the 1994 ceasefire agreement,
while Azerbaijan will keep the territory in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding
areas captured during the conflict.
Armenians will also forfeit the Lachin region, where a crucial road connects
Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The agreement calls for a 5-kilometer wide area in
the so-called Lachin Corridor to remain open and be protected by around 2,000
Russian peacekeepers.
The agreement also calls for Russian border services to monitor a new transport
corridor through Armenia connecting Azerbaijan to its western exclave of
Nakhijevan, which is surrounded by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.
Amid growing political tensions in Armenia nearly two dozen opposition parties
demanded Pashinian’s resignation over the deal viewed by them as an act of
surrender.
They reiterated their demands during rallies and street protests organized the
following day.
At least a dozen opposition politicians, including leaders of political parties,
have been arrested so far on charges of organizing disorders as authorities said
they defied martial law by organizing and holding rallies.
In his address to the nation Pashinian sought to reaffirm his control of the
situation, stressing that restoration of an atmosphere of stability and security
is a priority for his government. He called on citizens to rally around the
government so as to be able to overcome the current situation and ensure further
development of Armenia.
Pashinian again defended his decision to put an end to hostilities at the cost
of concessions, saying that the continuation of fighting was fraught with even
greater losses, including the lives of thousands of Armenian soldiers.
Pashinian said that signing the deal prevented a collapse of Armenian defense
lines and encirclement of up to 25,000 soldiers that would be cut off from the
rear.
“In such a situation it is not the soldier that ought to die for the homeland,
but it is the homeland that ought to make a sacrifice for the soldier,” the
prime minister said.
Pashinian admitted that the document he signed is “bad for us.” “But it should
not be presented as worse than it is,” he said, discarding the talk about
Armenia ceding territories in the south as absolute nonsense.
He said that the matter concerns unblocking transport communications in the
region from which Armenia could also benefit.
The prime minister emphasized that the tasks regarding the status of
Nagorno-Karabakh have not changed. “The international recognition of Artsakh
[the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh] becomes an absolute priority and there
are more weighty arguments for that now,” Pashinian said.
Armenian Opposition Leaders Arrested Amid Growing Political Tensions
ARMENIA -- People protest outside the government headquarters in Yerevan during
a rally against the country's agreement to end fighting with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian opposition groups continue to push for the resignation of Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian despite the arrest of a dozen leaders on charges of
organizing mass disorder.
A loose alliance of nearly two dozen opposition parties angered by Pashinian’s
signing a Russian-brokered accord with Azerbaijan to end six weeks of fighting
over Nagorno-Karabakh mostly on Baku’s terms planned a fresh anti-government
protest rally in Yerevan on November 12.
But hours before of the planned rally, the Special Investigation Service said 10
prominent opposition figures had been arrested for “organizing illegal violent
mass disorder.”
The announcement of the truce deal early on November 10 sparked a furious
reaction in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, where angry protesters stormed
government buildings and parliament.
The next day, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Yerevan, defying martial
law, under which rallies are banned, calling Pashinian a “traitor.”
Representatives of 17 opposition parties called for Pashinian to step down,
blaming him for what they described as heavy concessions.
Those arrested in the criminal case initiated by the Special Investigation
Service include Gagik Tsarukian, leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party,
Homeland party leader Artur Vanetsian, Ishkhan Saghatelian and Gegham Manukian
of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), and Eduard
Sharmazanov of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
The opposition parties denounced the arrests as illegal.
Meanwhile, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian held a meeting with Prime
Minister Pashinian on Thursday morning, the president’s office said. The
official report said that the current situation in the country was discussed. No
details of the discussion were revealed.
Lawyer Claims Tsarukian Arrested ‘Unlawfully’
• Naira Bulghadarian
Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian (archive photo)
Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukian was arrested
yesterday on suspicion of organizing a rally in violation of the law, his lawyer
Yerem Sargsian wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
Sargsian said Tsarukian’s arrest was “clearly unlawful.” He said the politician
was kept for hours at the National Security Service (NSS) to where he had been
invited to be questioned as a witness earlier on Wednesday. “For nine hours NSS
officers were struggling to find any grounds for Tsarukian’s arrest,” the lawyer
claimed.
The party led by Tsarukian was one of 17 opposition forces that took part in a
rally demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian over the
statement he signed with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia to end the war in
Nagorno-Karabakh on terms that are largely viewed by Armenia’s opposition as an
act of surrender.
Leaders and senior members of other parties participating in the protests were
also arrested or summoned for questioning by the NSS on November 11.
Despite the arrest, the loose opposition alliance vowed to continue its
anti-government protests and also seek the release of arrested leaders and
activists.
Tsarukian’s lawyer said that his client’s arrest was also unlawful because the
crime he is suspected to have committed is not considered a heavy crime and is
punishable by a fine of up to $600 or imprisonment for up to two months.
Tsarukian is currently under investigation as part of a separate criminal case
in which he is charged with organizing a vote-buying scheme in 2017
parliamentary elections.
The BHK leader was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in June and was
arrested on September 25. Tsarukian claimed political motives behind his
prosecution and arrest. He was freed on bail on October 22.
Later on Thursday, Armenia’s law-enforcement authorities said that Tsarukian was
arrested on charges of organizing mass disorders. Several other opposition
leaders and activists, including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF,
Dashnaktsutyun) Gegham Manukian and Eduard Sharmazanov of the former ruling
Republican Party of Armenia are also arrested and charged with organizing mass
disorders.
Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsian is arrested and charged with organizing
mass disorders and revealing a state secret. ARF leader Ishkhan Saghatelian is
also arrested and charged with revealing a state secret.
All in all, 10 people have been arrested, the authorities said.
Vanetsian Detained Over Defying Martial Law, His Party Says
• Naira Bulghadarian
Former director of the National Security Service, opposition Homeland party
leader Artur Vanetsian (archive photo)
Former director of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) Artur Vanetsian,
who currently leads the opposition Homeland party, has been detained, his party
says.
According to Arsen Babayan, a member of the Homeland party council, Vanetsian is
suspected of “disobeying the lawful demands of the police, deliberately
organizing and holding a rally in violation of the order established by law, as
well as for violating the temporary restrictions imposed during martial law.”
No official statement by law-enforcement bodies has yet been made in this regard.
Earlier on Wednesday Vanetsian was summoned for interrogation by the NSS. Later
he told reporters that he was interrogated as a witness in a case concerning
violations of the rules for publishing or disseminating information during
martial law.
The party led by Vanetsian was one of 17 opposition forces that took part in a
rally demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian over the
statement he signed with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia to end the war in
Nagorno-Karabakh on terms that are largely viewed by Armenia’s opposition as an
act of surrender.
Among the 17 parties supporting the demand are also the former ruling Republican
Party of Armenia, the Prosperous Armenia Party and the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutyun). Leading members of these parties, including
Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukian, were also invited to the NSS for
questioning on Wednesday.
At a press conference convened after midnight ARF Supreme Body member Artsvik
Minasian said that that they “will not only fight for the removal of Nikol
Pashinian, but also for the release of numerous political prisoners in Armenia.”
Minasian said that a significant part of the leaders of the movement, as well as
other important figures were detained and arrested.
Parliament Majority Suggests Opposition Clarify Its Position Before Challenging
Truce Deal
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (C) talks to deputies from the
majority My Step faction during a parliament session, Yerevan, September 16,
2020.
The ruling parliamentary My Step faction has issued a statement in which it
calls on the opposition parties to clarify their position on several issues
before discussing the legality of the statement on ending the war in
Nagorno-Karabakh signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.
On November 11, the two opposition factions in Armenia’s National Assembly –
Bright Armenia and Prosperous Armenia – initiated a special session of
parliament to discuss the document that has largely been branded by the
opposition as an act of surrender.
It followed a day of street protests staged by 17 opposition parties, including
Prosperous Armenia, during which demonstrators also called for the resignation
of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
In its statement My Step suggested that before challenging the deal the
opposition parties should “very clearly declare to all Armenians and the world
that they support the abolition of Russian mediation; support the withdrawal of
Russian peacekeepers from the line of contact; stand for the continuation of the
war.”
“After that, the opposition forces should also present a proposed roadmap for
victory in the renewed war,” the ruling faction said, adding that accepting the
announced conditions in the current situation was the only way to avoid the
total loss of Nagorno-Karabakh and thousands of human lives.
At the same time, My Step said it believes that the public should receive
answers to all questions that concern it. The faction also said that it is not
going “to take part in any sessions aimed at destabilizing the situation” in
Armenia.
“Honoring the glorious memory of the military servicemen and volunteers who
participated in the fighting and died in the heroic battle of Artsakh [the
Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh], sharing, with deep sorrow, the pain of
families, friends and relatives of the victims, taking into account the internal
political events in Armenia and Artsakh that followed the military actions and
the truce, the My Step faction declares: the current analysis of the military
operations provides grounds to ascertain that the Armenian people with its joint
efforts fought, in fact, not only against Azerbaijan, but also against one of
the largest armed forces in the world, an army with ultra-modern weapons and an
unlimited human reserve, mercenary terrorists and special forces recruited from
different countries. During the 45 days of the war, outstanding heroism was
shown along the entire front line, thanks to which it was possible to prevent
the unleashed genocidal crime of the enemy against Armenians,” My Step’s
statement reads.
The ruling faction emphasized that “the pan-Armenian potential was involved in
the logistical support of the army during the hostilities.” “The hostilities
were taking place in parallel with major geopolitical events conditioned by
security challenges that led to the failure of all international efforts to
establish a ceasefire regime, including numerous attempts by the three
co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group,” My Step said.
The two parliamentary opposition factions had collected enough signatures to
convene a special session of parliament, however, as leader of the Bright
Armenia faction Edmon Marukian said, a meeting of the National Assembly Council
was to take place before convening the session, which, however, did not take
place. Of My Step lawmakers only Deputy Speaker Lena Nazarian had come to
parliament.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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