Author: Arpi Talalian

Turkish-Azerbaijani military drills aimed at terrorizing Armenia – Turkish media

Arpi Talalian
Panorama, Armenia

Turkey and Azerbaijan will start joint large-scale military exercises on Wednesday. The exercises will involve military personnel, armored vehicles, artillery mounts and mortars, as well as military aviation and air defense equipment of the two countries’ armies, Ermenihaber reported.

According to the plan, exercises involving the ground forces of the two countries will be held in Baku and Nakhichevan from August 1 to 5, while separate drills involving the Turkish and Azerbaijani military aviation will be held in Baku, Nakhichevan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh from July 29 to August 10.

Referring to the topic, the Turkish media report that the joint exercises are connected with the July fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, adding that they are aimed at terrorizing Armenia.

Armenpress: Countries selling arms to Azerbaijan must set preconditions for its use in the contract – MP

Arpi Talalian

Countries selling arms to Azerbaijan must set preconditions for its use in the contract – MP

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 20:30,

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. The countries selling arms to Azerbaijan must set clear preconditions in the contract which will prohibit their use first of all against civilians, MP representing ‘’My step’’ bloc Vladimir Vardanyan said, commenting on the positions of Armenia following its victories in July clashes against Azerbaijan which were presented by PM Pashinyan on July 23.

Referring to the establishment of an effective international monitoring mechanism and its possible results, Vardanyan said, ‘’If the side reach an agreement on the establishment of an effective international monitoring mechanism, they will express also their consent to preserve those rules. And from the point of view, the OSCE Minsk Group will have an opportunity to be more actively involved in that process’’.

Speaking about the tool of establishing direct contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani servicemen proposed by PM Pashinyan, the MP noted that the direct contact will in many circumstances give an opportunity to avoid from incidents which can take place when the sides have no deliberate intention to violate the ceasefire. Vardanyan also thinks that this tool can raise mutual confidence between the sides and become an important tool to avoid misunderstandings. ‘’But it’s hard to say if Azerbaijan will agree to given the military rhetoric in Azerbaijan’’, he said.

Referring to the firing at the civilians by Azerbaijan, Vardanyan expressed confidence that the recent incidents on the border with Armenia, as well as during the April war and the contact line in general, are just targeted attacks by Azerbaijanis against civilians, which can be assessed as not a side effect of the clashes, but a serious violation of the Geneva Convention or crimes against humanity.

‘’The countries selling arms to Azerbaijan must clearly understand that they should set preconditions of in which conditions and how those arms should be used’’, he said.

The MP also noted that the Minsk Group has no alternative and Armenia has always emphasized the necessity of the negotiations under the auspices of the Minsk Group and these negotiations should go on.

Referring to the recent developments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, he said, ‘’We once again reaffirmed that no one should speak in the language of threats or use of force with Armenia or Artsakh. We reaffirmed our readiness to continue this process with peaceful negotiations. And we also showed that Armenia is capable to protect its borders and guarantee the security of the Republic of Artsakh and its population’’.

Reporting by Anna Grigoryan, Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

Armenian Speaker of Parliament signs law on making amendments to Law on Constitutional Court

Arpi Talalian

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 10:20,

YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan signed the law, adopted by the Parliament on June 3, on making changes and amendments to the Law on the Constitutional Court.

“Now the Law must be published in the official bulletin and will enter into force from that moment”, the Speaker said.

On June 30 the Parliament adopted the bill submitted by the ruling My Step faction which sets a pension for the judges of the Constitutional Court whose powers have been suspended based on the recent changes. After the adoption of the bill President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian announced that he would not sign it.

On June 22 the Parliament adopted the bill on the Constitutional amendments submitted by a group of the ruling My Step faction MPs, which proposes to replace the Constitutional Court President and those judges of the Court which have served no less than 12 years. The Constitutional amendments have entered into force. Hrays Tovmasyan is no longer the President of the Constitutional Court, and the powers of three judges of the Court – Felix Tokhyan, Hrant Nazaryan and Alvina Gyulumyan have been suspended. The three new judges of the Court must be elected within two months.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/18/2020

Arpi Talalian 
                                        Saturday, 

Pashinian Calls For Safeguards Against Armenian-Azeri Truce Violations


Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks at a meeting with Defense 
Minister Davit Tonoyan (L) and top Armenian army generals, Yerevan, July 18, 
2020.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Saturday called for a new international 
mechanism to maintain the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and 
said Armenia and Azerbaijani should continue peace talks after the latest deadly 
clashes on their border.

Pashinian met with Armenia’s Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan and top army 
generals to discuss the situation at a volatile border section where at least 16 
Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers were killed in heavy fighting that broke out 
on July 12. The military authorities in Yerevan and Baku reported no serious 
ceasefire violations there for the second consecutive day.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Pashinian again blamed Azerbaijan for 
what was the worst escalation of the Karabakh conflict since 2016, saying that 
it was sparked by a failed Azerbaijani attempt to seize an Armenian border post.

Pashinian noted that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stepped up his 
“bellicose rhetoric” and threatened to pull out of Karabakh peace talks in the 
weeks leading up to the flare-up. The Armenian army proved this week that 
Azerbaijan cannot resolve the long-running conflict militarily, he said.

Pashinian also condemned as a “crime against humanity” an Azerbaijani threat to 
launch a missile attack on Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant.

“We all must finally get out of the whirlwind of continuous statements about 
ceasefire violations and create an international system of credible monitoring 
of the ceasefire regime,” said the Armenian premier. “Also, the negotiating 
process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group presidency should continue, 
and Azerbaijan should at last adopt a constructive position.”

Baku maintains that the Armenian side itself provoked the hostilities by 
attacking Azerbaijani army positions in the western Tovuz district bordering 
Armenia’s Tavush province.


ARMENIA -- Armenian soldiers take their position on the front line in Tavush 
region, July 14, 2020

On Thursday, Aliyev again threatened to withdraw from peace talks with Armenia, 
saying that they have been “meaningless” so far. He said the U.S., Russian and 
French mediators co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group should do more to make the 
talks “substantive” in addition to trying to prevent truce violations.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the mediators stressed the “importance 
of returning OSCE monitors to the region as soon as circumstances allow.”

Aliyev and Armenia’s former President Serzh Sarkisian reached agreements on 
bolstering the shaky ceasefire regime during a series of face-to-face meetings 
held after the April 2016 hostilities in Karabakh. They specifically agreed to 
allow the OSCE to deploy more field observers in the conflict zone and 
investigate truce violations occurring there.

Baku subsequently refused to implement these safeguards against deadly fighting, 
however, saying that they could cement the status quo. Pashinian did not clarify 
whether he now wants to revive Aliyev’s confidence-building agreements with 
Sarkisian brokered by the mediators.

Serious skirmishes along the Tavush-Tovuz section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani 
border appear to have largely ground to a halt on Thursday afternoon. A 
spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday morning that the 
situation there remains “relatively calm.”

An Armenian military spokesman, Artsrun Hovannisian, said Azerbaijani forces 
“sporadically” fired small arms overnight. He spoke of a lingering “potential” 
for renewed attacks on Armenian troops deployed in the mountainous area.

“If they resort to large-scale provocations they will get an adequate answer,” 
Hovannisian warned at a news conference.


Nagorno-Karabakh -- An official photograph purportedly showing an Azerbaijani 
military drone shot down by Karabakh Armenian forces, .

Meanwhile, Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army claimed to have shot down an 
Azerbaijani military drone early on Saturday. It released photographs of what it 
described as an Israeli-made Orbiter-3 drone lying in a field.

Hovannisian said that the reported destruction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 
does not necessarily mean that fighting could also break out soon at the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani “line of contact” around Karabakh. No major ceasefire 
violations have been reported from there in recent weeks.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

The Trump White House finally — if unintentionally — invokes the Armenian genocide

Arpi Talalian
Washington Post
July 7 2020
 
 
 
By  Aaron Blake
July 7, 2020 at 5:41 p.m. GMT+3
 
President Trump’s close ally, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, may not be happy about this one.
 
After decades of the United States government declining to acknowledge the Armenian genocide because it would alienate Turkey, the White House on Monday invoked the term — albeit indirectly.
 
In the course of decrying protesters desecrating memorials across the country, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany referred to a memorial to the genocide by its proper name.
 
“There seems to be a lack of understanding and historical knowledge when the Armenian Genocide Memorial, remembering victims of all crimes against humanity, including slavery, is vandalized,” McEnany said.
 
McEnany appeared to be referring to the Armenian Genocide Memorial outside the Colorado state Capitol in Denver, which was vandalized several weeks ago.
 
The inclusion by McEnany was meant to reinforce the haphazard nature of the protesters’ alleged disregard for history. But it also trod into uneasy waters for an administration that, like its predecessors, has conspicuously avoided using the g-word.
 
The United States has long declined to acknowledge the Armenian genocide, owing in large part to its strategic alliance with Turkey in the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire is accused of slaughtering more than 1 million Armenians during World War I.
 
As a candidate, Barack Obama pledged to recognize the genocide for what it was, but his administration never made good on that promise over his eight years.
 
Likewise, Trump’s administration has shunned a more forceful congressional attempt to press the issue. After both chambers of Congress last year passed resolutions — each overwhelmingly — to symbolically recognize the genocide, Trump’s State Department maintained that the resolutions didn’t reflect U.S. policy.
 
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) later said that he momentarily blocked a vote on the measure in the Senate at the express request of the White House, given that Erdogan happened to be visiting at the time.
 
“The only reason I did it is because he [Erdogan] was still in town,” Graham said, adding: “That would’ve been poor timing. I’m trying to salvage the relationship, if possible.”
 
The recognition of the genocide is indeed politically dicey. The White House will surely argue that McEnany was simply referring to a memorial by its actual name, but even using that name has been a no-go for many years inside the White House. Some Obama aides have expressed regret for not making a more principled stand on the issue. “I’m sorry,” Obama’s former United Nations ambassador, Samantha Power, said in 2018. “I’m sorry that we disappointed so many Armenian Americans.”
 
What’s more, groups that have been pushing for the recognition hailed McEnany’s comments Monday.
 
“We appreciate that the [Trump] administration has taken note that the Armenian Genocide memorial in Denver was vandalized and of the need for a better understanding of historical knowledge,” Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny said in a statement to The Fix on Monday. “This monument, dedicated on the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, ‘commemorates the victims of all crimes against humanity.’ ”
 
The Trump White House has addressed “atrocities” against Armenians, saying on Armenian Remembrance Day this year, “Today, we join the global community in memorializing the lives lost during the Meds Yeghern” — an Armenian phrase recent U.S. administrations have adopted meaning “great calamity” — “one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century.” That statement, including the use of the Armenian phrase, echoed how the Obama administration handled it. But both studiously avoided saying “genocide.”
 
The use of the actual word by McEnany is particularly striking from the Trump administration, though, given that Trump has carved out an especially close relationship with Erdogan. Among other things, Trump withdrew troops from northern Syria, which detractors, including many Republicans, argued allowed Erdogan to slaughter the U.S.-allied Kurds in the region. Former White House national security adviser John Bolton also said in his recent book that Trump told Erdogan he would intervene in a Justice Department case involving a Turkish firm — apparently Halkbank.
 
Given Trump’s posture, it would seem odd that McEnany would refer in any terms to the Armenian genocide, even if just using the proper name for something.
 
Update: The Turks are indeed pushing back, while allowing that perhaps McEnany just misspoke.
“We believe that the statement by the press secretary was an unfortunate slip of the tongue,” the Turkish Embassy in Washington told Business Insider’s John Haltiwanger. “In any case, these expressions cannot be accepted.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

85% of respondents approve PM Pashinyan’s activity – poll

Arpi Talalian

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 13:54, 3 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. 85% of the respondents in Armenia approve Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s activity, according to a survey conducted by MPG LLC, a full member of the GALLUP International Association in Armenia.

“We asked the citizens to answer to the question on how they assess the activity of the aforementioned institutions – the opposition (22.7%), the Parliament (54.7%), the government (67.9%), the President (79.3%) and the Prime Minister (85%)”, Director of MPG LLC Aram Navasardyan said.

The survey was conducted by phone. A total of 1,002 citizens participated in the survey. Alternative research error – 3%. The selection is representative according to the age-sex and place of residence of Armenian citizens. The survey was conducted from June 10 to 27.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/01/2020

Arpi Talalian 
                                        Wednesday, July 1, 2020


Pashinian Concerned By Armenia’s Coronavirus Crisis

        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia -- A healthcare worker in protective gear tends to a COVID-19 patient at 
the Surp Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, Yerevan, June 5, 2020.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Wednesday that the novel coronavirus is 
continuing to spread in Armenia despite his government’s efforts to get people 
to follow its anti-epidemic rules.

Pashinian reported a nearly 30 percent year-on-year surge in the total number of 
deaths registered in the country in June.

“Of course changes in these mortality statistics are not fully connected with 
the coronavirus, but the coronavirus situation definitely has a significant 
impact on them,” he told a daily news briefing in Yerevan.

The Armenian Ministry of Health reported earlier in the day that 10 more people 
died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 453.

The figure does not include the deaths of 149 other people who were also 
infected with the virus. The ministry says that these deaths were primarily 
caused by other, pre-existing diseases.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country of about 3 million rose 
by 523 to 26,065. Ministry data shows that almost 29 percent of coronavirus 
tests carried out on Tuesday came back positive.

“Unfortunately, we are still not succeeding in achieving our main strategic goal 
in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic,” said Pashinian. “Our main 
strategic goal is to learn to live with the coronavirus.”

The prime minister again complained that many Armenians still do not practice 
social distancing or wear face masks in public areas despite his and other 
officials’ persistent appeals. He said that on Tuesday alone police fined almost 
2,700 citizens for not complying with these requirements.


Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian at a news conference in Yerevan, July 
1, 2020.

Opposition politicians and other critics of Pashinian blame his government for 
the continuing coronavirus crisis. Some of them say that the government never 
properly enforced a nationwide lockdown imposed in late March and lifted it too 
soon.

Pashinian indicated his continuing opposition to renewed lockdown restrictions 
in the country. “We are continuing to put the emphasis on changing the personal 
behavior of each of us because this is how we are going to overcome the 
coronavirus epidemic with minimum economic losses,” he said.

Meanwhile, the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO) donated 
10,000 test kits to Armenia on Wednesday. In a joint statement, they said that 
the donation “will allow wider testing for COVID-19 across the country free of 
charge.”

The Armenian health authorities carry out an average of over 2,000 coronavirus 
tests on a daily basis. They are expected to start using soon coronavirus tests 
manufactured by the Yerevan-based Institute of Molecular Biology.

The director of the state-run institute, Arsen Arakelian, announced that it will 
produce at least 2,000 tests a day. Armenia will not have to import them 
anymore, he said.



Armenia's Central Bank Sees Economy Contracting 4% In 2020


Armenia - Workers at a commercial greenhouse in Ararat province, 19Apr2017.

(Reuters) - Armenia’s economy will contract by 4 percent in 2020 due to the 
negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but is expected to recover and grow 
5.5 percent next year, Martin Galstian, the country’s Central Bank head, said on 
Tuesday.

The Central Bank had previously forecast a contraction of 0.7 percent this year 
after growth of 7.6 percent in 2019. The worst-affected sectors of the economy 
are services and construction as well as international tourism, Galstian said 
while presenting the bank’s quarterly inflation report.

Inflation is expected to be around 1.9 percent in 2020. Armenia’s consumer price 
index declined 0.1 percent in May month-on-month, but rose 1.2 percent 
year-on-year.

In the report, the bank said the amount of private remittances would decline by 
22-25 percent this year due to the drop in oil prices in Russia, Armenia’s main 
trade partner, and Moscow’s ban on migrant workers during the pandemic.

However, it said that would not have a significant impact on GDP.

The Central Bank cut its key refinancing rate to 4.5 percent from 5 percent last 
month, citing weakening external and internal demand as well as a slow pace of 
recovery.

The country of around 3 million people had reported 25,542 cases of the 
coronavirus as of Tuesday, and 443 deaths. It is the worst-affected country in 
the South Caucasus region.



Armenian President Objects To Property Tax Hikes


Armenia -- President Armen Sarkissian addresses an international online seminar 
on the coronavirus pandemic, Yerevan, June 24, 2020.

President Armen Sarkissian has voiced serious objections to a government bill 
that will sharply increase property taxes in Armenia while agreeing to sign it 
into law.

In a statement released late on Tuesday, the presidential press office said 
Sarkissian believes the bill passed by the Armenian parliament last week is 
“untimely” given the continuing coronavirus crisis in the country and its dire 
socioeconomic consequences.

“Even if the law is not going to be immediately enforced [in full,] the 
moral-psychological consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and resulting 
financial and economic problems will be felt for a long time,” it said.

The statement added that Sarkissian signed the bill only because it does not 
seem to contradict the Armenian constitution. It noted that “unfortunately” the 
constitution does not allow the largely ceremonial head of state to veto bills 
or send them back to the National Assembly for further discussion.

The two parliamentary opposition parties as well as other critics of the 
Armenian government have also spoken out against property tax hikes, saying that 
they will put a heavy financial burden on low-income families.

The government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step bloc dismiss the 
criticism. They say that the measure will lead to a more fair income 
distribution and significantly boost local community budgets.

Government officials have also argued that proceeds from the property tax are 
currently equivalent to just 0.2 percent of Armenia’s Gross Domestic Product, 
compared with 1.1 percent in neighboring Georgia and 1.2 percent in Russia.

The controversial bill will gradually introduce a complex progressive scale of 
property taxation over the next four years. For example, the owners of small 
apartments worth an estimated 23 million drams ($48,000) will pay 18,000 drams, 
while ownership of larger properties that cost 58 million drams will translate 
into 108,000 drams ($224) in annual taxes.

Tax authorities will levy at least 326,000 drams from apartments worth 100 
million drams or more. The owners of large and expensive houses will have to pay 
even more.

The expensive properties include Soviet-built apartments located in the center 
of Yerevan. Many of their owners inherited them from their parents and are not 
necessarily affluent. Critics say that they will be hit hardest by the higher 
taxes and could even be forced to sell their homes. Some of these homeowners 
circulated late last week a petition urging the government to reconsider the 
measure.



Japan Donates Medical Equipment To Armenia


Japan -- Ambulance workers in protective gear prepare to transfer coronavirus 
patients from the cruise ship Diamond Princess at in Yokohama, February 12, 2020.

Armenia has received a $3.7 million grant from Japan to buy sophisticated 
medical equipment that could be used in its fight against the coronavirus.

An agreement on the release of the Japanese government grant was signed on 
Tuesday by Armenian Finance Minister Atom Janjughazian and Japan’s Ambassador to 
Armenia Jun Yamada.

The Armenian Finance Ministry said the money will be spent on the purchase of 
Japanese-made magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and other medical 
equipment. It said some of that equipment will be installed in four ambulance 
vehicles catering for residents of the country’s remote communities.

“This project aims to assist Armenia in its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic 
by strengthening its mid- to long-term healthcare and medical system,” read a 
statement released by the Japanese Embassy in Yerevan.

“I sincerely hope that the new equipment from Japan will contribute to 
significantly upgrading the capacity of healthcare and medical institutions in 
the country,” it quoted Yamada as saying.

Health Minister Arsen Torosian thanked the Japanese government for the donation, 
according to the statement.

Since the start of the coronavirus epidemic, Armenia has also received medical 
equipment and other supplies from the United States, the European Union, Russia 
and China.

U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy told RFE/RL’s Armenian service on June 4 that 
Washington has allocated $5.4 million in fresh coronavirus-related aid to 
Armenia. She said much of that aid will be channeled into Armenian laboratories 
and healthcare services dealing with “the most severe cases” of COVID-19.

Japan is also the main foreign donor of the Armenian Rescue Service (ARS), 
having provided it with several dozen fire engines and other firefighting 
equipment, worth a combined $22 million, over the past decade.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

President of Artsakh to donate his monthly salary to charity

Arpi Talalian

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 14:20,

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan will donate his monthly salary to a charity, the President said on Facebook.

“Today I made a decision to regularly provide 150,000 AMD from my monthly salary to the educational foundation named after Ivan Atayan by the end of the year for granting scholarships to distinguished students in natural science subjects, and I will donate the rest of my salary to the Artsakh war volunteers union fund, where I also serve as member of the Board and fully trust the transparency of the activity of the structure. The money will be spent for solving various social problems of first-degree military disabled”, the Artsakh President said.

The President reminded that in the past as well when he was serving as prime minister and later as state minister of Artsakh he has regularly provided his monthly salary for various charity programs.

“As my family has other sources of income, and I have talked about this for many times, I have never received a salary or used state resources for my business trips”, he said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Turkish Presidential Board Denies Armenian Genocide

Arpi Talalian
Persecution.org – International Christian Concern

06/19/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – On Tuesday, the High Advisory Board of the Turkish Presidency held a closed-door meeting to develop a response to so-called “groundless and anti-Turkey allegations” regarding the 1915 genocide against Christians.

President Erdogan and his communications director called the genocide a distorted historical event. The board accused the Armenian community of exploiting Ottoman pain and of slander for speaking about the genocide. This genocide is internationally recognized as a historically proven fact; one which Turkey has never apologized for. Instead Turkey has perpetuated and maintained those policies which led to the genocide.

Failure to acknowledge the genocide and Turkey’s intense efforts to deny it have led to significant persecution for the Christian communities who remain in Turkey. These issues cannot be understood without the historical context of the genocide, and the government actively discourages Christians from explaining this perspective. Turkey’s propaganda efforts regarding the genocide often includes language which justifies the mass murder of Christians, thus encouraging social hostilities towards Christians that have at times been expressed through deadly violence.

Turkey purports to safeguard religious freedom. But until the genocide is recognized, healing cannot occur within Turkish society.

Ex-President Kocharyan to be released on bail

Arpi Talalian

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 17:39,

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The Criminal Court of Appeal approved the appeal of attorneys of 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan on changing the precautionary measure selected against the ex-President.

Kocharyan will be released on bail in the amount of 2 billion drams.

Robert Kocharyan has been remanded into custody on June 25, 2019. Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing the Constitutional Order during the 2008 March protests in Yerevan.