RFE/RL Armenian Report – 03/26/2023

                                        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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Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS