ITAR-TASS, Russia
July 20, 2017 Thursday 1:50 PM GMT
Germany reconsiders its policy towards Turkey amid worsened ties
BERLIN July 20
HIGHLIGHT: Germany will review its policy towards Turkey and may cut
investments to Ankara as bilateral relations have deteriorated, German
Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday.
BERLIN, July 20. /TASS/. Germany will review its policy towards Turkey
and may cut investments to Ankara as bilateral relations have
deteriorated, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday.
Turkish-German relations have been severely strained after Turkey
detained six human rights activists, including a German citizen Peter
Steudtner, earlier this week accusing them of assisting the activity
of terrorist groups.
"We need to review our policy towards Turkey," Gabriel said. "The
situation in Turkey is not transparent and we should call a spade a
spade," he said. "We expect that Ankara will return to European
values."
"We cannot advise investing in a country that lacks security and where
enterprises are equaled to terrorists," the minister said. "I don’t
see how the German government can guarantee safety of German
investments in Turkey when they may face measures taken due to
political motives."
Gabriel said it is impossible to continue talks between the European
Union and Turkey on setting up a customs union under the current
circumstances. "I cannot imagine talks on expanding the EU customs
union when Turkey detains EU citizens without any grounds," he said.
"We should discuss the future of framework investment contracts, loans
and providing German assistance," he said. In the coming days, Gabriel
plans to discuss relations with Turkey with his EU colleagues.
German authorities have also decided to toughen recommendations for
their citizens on trips to Turkey. "The situation around (human rights
activist Peter) Steudtner shows that German citizens in Turkey cannot
be protected from arbitrary detention," he stressed. "Any German
citizen may fall victim" to Turkey’s arbitrariness, he noted.
Gabriel called the detention of six human rights activists in Turkey
"well-planned steps," describing accusations against them as
"unfounded and far-fetched." He called on Turkey’s authorities to
resume dialogue "based on European values."
He said the detained German citizen attended a human rights seminar
and was not an expert on Turkey. Steudtner doesn’t have any
acquaintances among local politicians and he has never made any
publications in local media.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sided with the foreign minister.
"Chancellor Merkel considers that the measures announced by the
foreign minister on Turkey in the light of recent events are necessary
and inevitable," German Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on
Twitter.
Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the latest
statements of German politicians are linked to the current political
situation in the country, which is gearing up for parliamentary
elections in September. "We will not accept these statements and
expect that soon Germany will abandon them."
The spokesman stressed that Turkey wants to maintain relations with
Germany "which are at a good level now." He assured that "there is no
danger for German citizens traveling to Turkey."
Relations between Turkey and Germany started worsening last year when
the German parliament unanimously passed a resolution calling the
killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire "genocide." The Turkish
leadership demanded that Berlin should publicly distance itself from
the resolution. Besides, Ankara was angered by a satire show on
Germany’s TV insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
This spring, Turkish politicians planned to make a tour of European
countries and address their countrymen ahead of the referendum on a
constitutional reform boosting Erdogan’s powers. The German government
said their goal was to carry out propaganda in Germany and banned them
from holding these events, sparking criticism in Ankara, which accused
Berlin of using "Nazi methods" against Turks.
Germany is home to around 1.5 million natives of Turkey, who still
hold a Turkish passport. At the referendum, nearly two thirds of them
voted in support of Erdogan’s reforms, alarming local observers and
politicians.
Amid tensions between Ankara and Berlin, analysts voice concerns over
the fate of a deal on refugees reached between the EU and Turkey. At
the height of the migration crisis, hundreds of thousands of them
entered the EU through Turkey’s territory and moved to Germany, what
led to a drop in Merkel’s rating and strengening the positions of the
right-wing Alternative for Germany party.
ArmInfo. The fact that there is currently a tense situation at Karabakh conflict zone is completely unrelated to the previous presidential elections in Artsakh, such opinion was expressed at the press conference by the director of Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan.
According to him, this is only a continuation of the policy launched by Baku on the permanent escalation of the situation at the conflict zone. According to Iskandaryan, Azerbaijan, understanding the impossibility of a large-scale war, will maintain tension all the time at the conflict zone and in the near future no decision on the Karabakh issue is foreseen. "Similarly, Azerbaijan is trying to exert pressure on the Armenian society, but so far it has failed," the expert assured. As for the possibility of repeating the April events, Iskandaryan stated that the April escalation showed that the balance of power is equal. "The authorities of Azerbaijan, which were preparing for these military actions for 22 years, did not achieve a special result, they just spent billions of dollars in vain, and now it is obvious that to expect a repeat of the April events in the near future definitely is not worth it, especially since the balance of power for Recently changed in favor of the Artsakh Armed Forces, "the expert said.
According to Iskandaryan's statement, Artsakh authorities understand that now international community is unlikely to solve Karabakh issue. "Against the background of other serious problems in the world – the Syrian crisis, the Ukrainian problem, the Karabakh issue is not a priority for the international community now. Therefore, Artsakh, strengthening presidential power, is now trying to maximally stabilize the situation in the country and on the border. As practice shows, conflicts of this kind often last for decades, and at the moment, there is no way out of this deadlock, " Iskandaryan said.
The fourth trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan is being held in Baku July 19.
The agenda includes the issues of developing cooperation in the political, economic, energy, transport and humanitarian spheres and implementing of regional projects.
Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, addressing the meeting said that Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Turkey have a great desire to develop strong cooperation in a trilateral format.
Meredov noted that the parties express a desire to particularly develop cooperation in the political sphere, energy, trade and expand cultural ties.
He said that there is a strong intention of the three countries to hold a summit of the heads of the three countries in Turkmenistan until the end of 2017.
“Our main goal for today is the preparation for the summit of the heads of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Turkey,” noted Meredov.
The minister added that the issues of preparation for this summit were discussed during the Baku meeting, and he expressed hope that all the draft agreements prepared for today will be signed during the meeting.
Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, hosted the 4th meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan, Elmar Mammadyarov, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Rashid Meredov on July 19.
Speaking at a briefing on results of the trilateral meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan intend to bring the three countries’ economic relations to a new level.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway will be used to develop cooperation in the transport sector, noted Cavusoglu.
Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Cavusoglu noted that Turkey calls on the OSCE Minsk Group to strengthen its activity on the conflict’s settlement. Turkey supports the territorial integrity and fair position of Azerbaijan, said the Turkish minister.
Cavusoglu again emphasized that Turkey condemns the provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces against the civilians of the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district.
It should be recalled that on July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces again violated ceasefire and, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled Azerbaijani positions and territories where the civilian population lives, namely the Alkhanli village of the country’s Fuzuli district, thereby grossly violating the requirements of international law, the Azerbaijani defense ministry said earlier.
As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan’s FM Elmar Mammadyarov said that the FMs have agreed to develop a Road Map for Future Cooperation for 2017-2020.
“We had fruitful and interesting negotiations. The three countries are carrying out numerous regional projects and we have discussed the progress in their implementation,” said the Azerbaijani FM.
A declaration has been signed following the trilateral meeting.
The three FMs also discussed the issues of preparation for the summit of the presidents in Baku.
“The summit will be held in Ashgabat till late 2017," Cavusoglu told reporters.
The first tripartite meeting of the three countries’ foreign ministers was held in Baku on May 26, 2014, the second meeting – in Ashgabat on January 29, 2015 and the third meeting was held in Antalya on August 28,
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
July 13, 2017 Thursday
GeoProMining - ten years of work for the benefit of the country, at
the forefront of gold mining
Yerevan July 13
Emmanuil Mkrtchyan. One of the largest investors in Armenia, the
Russian group of mining companies GeoProMining celebrates its 10th
anniversary of work in our country. In 2007, the company acquired the
first major asset in Armenia, GPM GOLD, which is developing the Sotq
gold mine and managing the Ararat gold plant, and a little later
Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Combine. In connection with this date, the
general director - ArmInfo analyst Emmanuil Mkrtchyan spoke with the
president of the group Roman Khudoliy
GeoProMining - ten years of work for the benefit of the country, at
the forefront of gold mining
One of the largest investors in Armenia, the Russian group of mining
companies GeoProMining celebrates its 10th anniversary of work in our
country. In 2007, the company acquired the first major asset in
Armenia, GPM GOLD, which is developing the Sotq gold mine and managing
the Ararat gold plant, and a little later Agarak Copper-Molybdenum
Combine (AMMK). In connection with this date, the general director -
ArmInfo analyst Emmanuil Mkrtchyan spoke with the president of the
group Roman Khudoliy
Roman Nikolayevich, sum up the results of these 10 years of work in
our country. How effectively did the company manage to work, taking
into account the fact that soon after the acquisition of assets a
global financial and economic crisis broke out? Due to what you
managed not only to survive it, but also to practically reach the
level of profitability of production?
In 2007, the assets we acquired in Armenia were in a completely
horrible condition, the equipment were almost completely depreciated,
the organization and culture of production, to put it mildly, desired
the best. The efficiency of production was very low, our predecessors
accumulated huge debts and not only for payments to the budget,
suppliers, other contractors, but also for staff salaries. Arrears in
wages was 9 months, and employees were on forced vacations. But that's
not all, the former owners of the company developed all the oxide ores
at the Sotq deposit, leaving only persistent sulphides, for the
enrichment of which it was necessary to build a new plant, since the
old technology in Ararat was not for this purpose. Therefore, after
the acquisition of the asset, we have set a very serious task of
developing the project and constructing a plant for processing
sulphide resistant ores. Together with the engineering companies Cors
Resource and Extract Technologies, we have come a long way in
designing, building, implementing the most modern technology for
processing sulfide ores - Albion. To start the plant it was necessary
to prepare a mine. We conducted a global modernization, buying from
the Japanese company Komatso 22 units of equipment - dump trucks,
excavators, loaders ...
On Agarak copper-molybdenum combine was, actually, the same situation.
In total, for our assets in Armenia, taking into account their
acquisition and technological modernization, we spent about 500
million USD for this period. I think, despite the crisis risks, the
difficult technological and managerial decisions, we have passed this
way very dignifiedly.
What are the company's medium-term plans for the strategic development
of its two Armenian assets? We, of course, are not going to dwell on
this, although I can say that the investment return has just begun,
literally the last year. The return on investment (ROI) is still
minimal in terms of the amount invested, but, nevertheless, the
process has started. After all, when an investor decides to enter an
asset, he first of all thinks about how long he will be able to repay
the investment and what profit he can expect. After the acquisition of
the Sotq asset in 2008, GPM Gold extracted and processed only 136 kg
of gold in marketable products. In the current year, we will produce
about 4 tons. The difference, as you can see, is enormous, we managed
to make such a leap. Today we process about 1.3 million tons of ore at
the Ararat factory, in the medium term we intend to bring the volumes
up to 1.5 - 1.7 million tons and set a goal to produce gold up to 5-6
tons per year. This will require additional investment, which we now
carry out through our own and attracted funds.
Similar is about the Agarak. We are well aware that with such a low
content of ore base in copper deposits, in conditions of low world
prices, it is possible to bring production to an acceptable level of
profitability only through scaling. Strategically, we plan to increase
the productivity of the copper- molybdenum asset from 3.5 million tons
of ore processing to 6 million tons at the initial stage. These
actions will make it possible, even at low prices, to work without
interruption. This is a serious task, requiring significant additional
investment. Only this year GeoProMining sent over $ 3 million to
further technical re-equipment of Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Combine.
You work in Russia, other countries, once worked in Georgia. What
makes Armenia different, does our country have its own strengths that
make it attractive for foreign investors?
You know, Armenia has become for us a native, because 10 years - a
considerable time. Yes, in relation to other countries, here there are
advantages, the main of which are historical mining competencies,
hardworking and professional workers.
One must have a big risk appetite to invest such significant
investments in the crisis period of uncertainty.
Yes, these 10 years were quite difficult for us, as for many. We
invested our own money, borrowed money, invested in technology,
production and all this in the crisis of 2008, then in 2012 a new
crisis broke out, which has not ended yet. That is, we, figuratively
speaking, "caught" all the crises, and when they ask me how I work in
such conditions - I answer that, frankly speaking, in other conditions
we almost did not work. Management and the team have coped with this
task, we are developing steadily, unlike many companies.
It is interesting to know your expert opinion on the issue of the
transition of the country's mining industry to the deeper processing
of raw materials through the construction of its own smelting
production, the project of which was already developed in Zangezur
before the crisis of 2008-2009 and the possibility of creating a small
refinery?
The theme of the construction of a smelting plant for the processing
of copper, molybdenum concentrates periodically appeared during these
10 years. I know that the Chinese have made an offer to build a copper
smelter and it is now being studied. But in order for the smelter for
copper to be effective, it is necessary to process not less than
80-100 thousand tons of copper in concentrates. Probably, such a
volume, taking into account the commissioning of new capacities, can
be achieved in Armenia, and this will be beneficial for extractive
companies with high logistics costs. However, nevertheless, it is
necessary to weigh all the pros and cons again, because we are all in
the market and the local auditor should not yield to existing
processors.
As for the refinery, the alloy Dore, to date, only GPM Gold produces
in Armenia. For the construction of the refining factory, resource
capacities are needed. Even if we increase production to 6 tons of
gold, this plant will be unprofitable. When other fields are put into
operation, and in general gold production will reach 30 tons and
higher in bars Dore, this issue is worth considering. But we must take
into account that there are a large number of refining industries in
the world, only 11 plants in Russia - and almost all of them are
under-loaded. If it is difficult to build a plant in Armenia to reach
a competitive cost, I do not see such opportunities in the near
future. Some have already gone bankrupt, for example, the Kolyma plant
in Russia. This topic is quite subtle, Dore's producers, unlike
concentrates producers, do not have logistics problems, transportation
costs are minimal.
And the last question. "Resources for good" is the motto, apparently
chosen by your company for the purpose of implementing its social
policy, taking into account the fact that the enterprises in Vardenis,
Ararat and Agarak, in fact, are city-forming, providing jobs for up to
70% of the local able-bodied population?
Realizing that our enterprises have a city-forming nature, in 2011 the
company moved from disparate projects to a system approach to
corporate social responsibility and launched a comprehensive program
covering all aspects of social life, from attentive attitude towards
employees and ending with minimizing the impact of production on the
environment. We constantly interact with state authorities and local
administrations, which allows us to react as sensitively as possible
to the needs of the inhabitants of the regions, to send charitable
funds to those projects that are most relevant to the local
population.
We are long-term and honest investors, when we bought GPMGold, there
worked 550 people, now the team consists of 1050 people, an increase
of almost 2 times. Over $ 170 million was paid to the budget of the
Republic of Armenia. As for wages, at our enterprises it is one of the
highest in the industry.
So, we invest in social projects: development of infrastructure, in
the areas of fire safety and security, energy supply, water supply,
repair hospitals, schools, kindergartens. Support for socially
vulnerable groups of the population is also traditionally one of the
priorities of the social work of GPM. We also render all possible
assistance to local authorities in carrying out various environmental
measures, improvement and creating comfortable conditions for the
residents of Vardenis, Ararat and Agarak. In total, for these 10 years
we have invested about $ 8 million in the implementation of various
social programs and charity.
Deputy Minister of Diaspora of Armenia Vahagn Melikyan addressed the participants:
“You are our future. Keep and protect our country, our language and traditions. I hope you had happy and saturated days here and strengthened your bonds with homeland. You will become ambassadors of Armenia for diaspora, when you return home. I encourage you to keep in touch with each other, create a network, involve other friends and be united together.”
The third stage of Ari Tun involved 172 Armenian boys and girls from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, USA, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Czech Republic and Sweden.
Turkey will find it "comforting" if the EU says it cannot be accepted as a member, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the BBC.
Speaking to HARDtalk's Zeinab Badawi, he said Turkey was "able to stand on its own two feet".
He also denied the country had jailed 150 journalists, saying only two people with press cards were in prison.
Meanwhile, Turkey extended the detention of the local director of Amnesty International and nine others.
Idil Eser was detained on 5 July during a digital security and information management workshop, along with seven other rights activists and two foreign trainers.
The 10 are accused of being members of an "armed terrorist organisation" – although Amnesty says it is unclear which one.
Their detention has raised alarm internationally, increasing fears that freedom of _expression_ is being suppressed under President Erdogan.
"If the EU, bluntly says, 'We will not be able to accept Turkey into the EU' this will be comforting for us…" Mr Erdogan told the BBC.
"The European Union is not indispensable for us… We are relaxed."
Image copyrightEPAImage captionMr Erdogan, pictured with European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, told the BBC most Turks did not want the EU
Mr Erdogan said the majority of Turks did not "want the EU anymore" and believed its approach to Turkey was "insincere".
"Despite all this we will continue being sincere with the EU for a little more time," he added.
The president was speaking almost a year to the day since the 15 July attempted military coup. At least 260 people died when rogue soldiers bombed government buildings and drove tanks into civilians.
In the 12 months since then, a state of emergency has been in place across the country. More than 50,000 people have been arrested, and 140,000 dismissed or suspended on suspicion of being linked to US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The 79-year-old cleric denies Turkey's accusation that he orchestrated the failed coup. However, President Erdogan is seeking his extradition from the US.
Mr Gulen, whose movement is seen by the Turkish government as a terrorist organisation, has told Reuters news agency that "if the United States sees it appropriate to extradite me, I would leave (for Turkey)". He rejected Turkish claims that he was seeking to flee to Canada.
Some 160 media outlets have been closed down in Turkey, and 2,500 journalists or media workers have been sacked from their jobs. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Turkey is the biggest jailer of journalists in the world.
President Erdogan disputed this figure, however, telling the BBC: "No-one is jailed because of journalism here."
"Just two actual journalists are in jail right now," he said.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionMembers of the Journalists' Union of Turkey shout slogans at a protest in Istanbul. The placard reads: "Enough!"
Who was behind the attempted coup?
Inside Erdogan's Turkey
Purged: The officers who cannot go home
Why did Turkey hold a referendum?
The 63-year-old said his opponents had "infiltrated the judiciary, military, police and the media".
Asked about his strong backing for Qatar, which is under blockade from some of its powerful Arab neighbours over its alleged support for terrorism, Mr Erdogan said Turkey wanted to promote "dialogue and peace" in the Gulf region.
"Turkey is never in favour of Muslim killing Muslim in this region," he added.
One of the conditions the Saudi-led group gave for lifting sanctions was the closure of a Turkish military base in Qatar but Mr Erdogan responded by sending more military personnel.
Qatar crisis: What's it all about?
The deep diplomatic tensions behind the row
Qatar stand-off threatens food and flights
The full interview with President Erdogan will be broadcast on BBC World News on Friday 14 July, at 0330, 0830, 1430 and 1930 GMT; and on the News Channel in the UK at 0430 and 2130 BST.
CSTO Secretary General Khachaturov to address at Russia State Duma
13:15, 12.07.2017
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov on Thursday will deliver an address at the Russian State Duma committee for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the CSTO official website informed on Wednesday.
In his remarks, Khachaturov will speak about the priorities of this organization, and the preparations for the upcoming meeting of its parliamentary assembly.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
Newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iceland to the Republic of Armenia Sigríður Bergling Ásgeirsdottir (residence in Moscow) handed today her credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan, the press service of the President’s Office reports.
Congratulating the Ambassador on assuming office, the President of Armenia wished her every success in her diplomatic mission in our country. Noting that despite the fact that the Armenian-Icelandic interstate relations had been on the rise for the past 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the President underscored that the cooperation potential was not fully used during that period. In this context, he said Armenia ready to deepen the interstate relations with Iceland, looking forth to the newly-appointed Ambassador’s active stance in this matter.
Ambassador Sigríður Bergling Ásgeirsdottir assured that she would do her best to build on the Armenian-Icelandic bilateral ties. She said to have already held several meetings and discussions in Yerevan to this end, which convinced her that there is specific potential for successful cooperation in trade, economy and the humanitarian sphere, and efforts need to be made to tap the existing potentialities. According to the Ambassador, prospective cooperation may be developed between the universities of Iceland and Armenia, along with the exchange of experience in the IT sector and tourism.
The interlocutors concurred in that Armenia and Iceland can also develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of energy, especially in renewable energy, since Iceland boasts long experience and considerable achievements in this field.
The President of Armenia and Ambassador Sigríður Bergling Ásgeirsdottir attached importance to the strengthening of inter-parliamentary ties, which may go a long way towards promoting interstate relationship.
The parties took the opportunity to look at regional issues and challenges, including the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The Czech Foreign Ministry has refuted Armenian media reports regarding anti-Azerbaijan statements allegedly made by Czech Republic’s ambassador to Armenia Petr Mikyska.
Deputy Spokeswoman of the Czech Foreign Ministry Irena Valentová told Trend that Mikyska had participated in a press conference organized by The National Press Club in Yerevan.
“The press conference output was not authorized by the ambassador and it contains messages that were not delivered by Ambassador Mikyska,” she said.
the deputy spokeswoman went on to add that following this event, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador in Prague was received at the Czech Foreign Ministry.
“With the above stated clarification, both sides consider this issue as resolved,” she said.
Earlier, Armenian media reported that the Czech Republic’s ambassador to Yerevan allegedly made anti-Azerbaijan statements in connection with Azerbaijan’s declaring several MEPs, including a Czech politician, internationally wanted for their illegal visits to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend that if the Czech ambassador had made such statements, this contradicts the law, the norms and principles of international law.
For about three decades Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a state of war following Yerevan’s aggression, ethnic cleansing policy and illegal territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia keeps under control over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions in a brutal war in the early 1990s.
Despite a fragile ceasefire agreement signed in 1994, Armenia keeps violating armistice with Azerbaijan.
Friday,
Dissenters Defy Armenian Opposition Party
. Anush Muradian
Armenia - Zaruhi Postanjian, an opposition mayoral candidate,
campaigns in Yerevan, 8May2017.
Two members of Yerevan's municipal assembly representing a radical
opposition party made clear on Wednesday that they will not resign
their seats after being accused by the party leadership of "treason."
The Yerkir Tsirani party headed by Zaurhi Postanjian, an outspoken
opposition politician, won 5 seats in the 65-member city elected on
May 14. It decided to take up those seats despite accusing the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) of rigging the municipal elections.
Postanjian and two other Yerkir Tsirani councilors clashed with
Yerevan's Republican Mayor Taron Markarian and his allies at a June 16
session of the council. The two other councilors, Hayk Petrosian and
Mnatsakan Parakshiev, kept a low profile during the heated debate.
The party's leadership accused the two men of "treason" and demanded
that they give up their council seats the following day. In a
statement, it charged that Petrosian and Parakshiev "deviated from the
party line, failed to fulfill their obligations, undermined teamwork,
and betrayed the party and the people of Yerevan."
Another Yerkir Tsirani statement released on Friday condemned their
"inactivity" during the June 16 meeting of the council.
The dissenters rejected the accusations at a news conference held
earlier in the day. They said they simply favor a different style of
political activity.
Armenia - Mnatsakan Parakshiev and Hayk Petrosian, members of
Yerevan's municipal council at a news conference, .
"We fight against vicious phenomena such as cynicism, arrogance,
intolerance and complete absence of a sense of realism," said
Petrosian. "It's very important that we ourselves do not become like
that and that we stay open to pluralism and healthy criticism."
"Our primary task should have been the implementation of Yerevan's
[development] program," he added. "But our colleagues sought to add
emotional elements to every issue, something which we believe is not
productive."
"In my view, work in the municipality must not be turned into a
theatrical performance," Parakshiev said for his part, referring to
his colleagues' behavior at the council session.
Accordingly, both men said that they will continue to serve in the
municipal council as independent members. They also said they have no
plans to join another faction or set up their own party.
The ruling HHK holds 46 seats in the council. The remaining 15 seats
are controlled by the mainstream opposition Yelk alliance.
Postanjian lambasted Yelk last week, saying that it was created by the
Armenian authorities to weaken their genuine political
opponents. Davit Khazhakian, the young leader of the Yelk faction in
the Yerevan council, shrugged off the allegation.
Minister Claims Rising Investments In Armenia
. Nane Sahakian
Armenia - Prime Minister Karen Karapetian (C) and Economic Development
Minister Suren Karayan (R) visit a textile factory in Yerevan, 19
June, 2017.
The Armenian government has already secured more than a third of
around $850 million in investments which it promised to attract into
the domestic economy this year, Minister for Economic Development
Suren Karayan claimed on Friday.
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian repeatedly gave such promises during
campaigning for last April's parliamentary elections. He said the sum
equivalent to over 7 percent of Armenia's Gross Domestic Product will
come from foreign and local private investors as well as the state
budget and foreign loans extended to his government.
Karayan insisted that "approximately 37-40 percent" of the promised
investments are already in progress. But he declined to specify their
sources.
"We can't publicize names, it's a commercial secret," he told
reporters. "I can only specify the sectors where those investments
have been made."
The minister stated earlier that at least 10,000 new jobs will be
created in Armenia, mostly in the manufacturing sector, in the course
of this year.
The government's political opponents and other critics are skeptical
about these pledges.Speaking in the Armenian parliament earlier this
week, Edmon Marukian, a leader of the opposition Yelk alliance,
pointed out that Karapetian has not visited any western European
country since he became prime minister in September.
"What is being done to attract those investments?" Marukian
asked. "Who is supposed to go [to Europe,] meet those people and bring
the investments?"
Karayan dismissed that argument, saying that "many" potential European
investors have visited Armenia in recent months. "Just a few days ago,
French partners were visiting," he said. "They are going to invest in
our light industry and place production orders. And on Monday our
partners from Denmark will arrive."
The Armenian economy was essentially stagnant last year amid a
continuing recession in Russia, Armenia's leading trading
partner. Karapetian's cabinet expects that it will grow by at least
3.2 percent in 2017. The World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund have forecast slightly lower growth rates.
Hovannisian Seeks Opposition Consolidation
. Astghik Bedevian
Armenia -- Opposition leaders Raffi Hovannisian (C), Vartan Oskanian
(L) and Seyran Ohanian lead a pre-election march in Yerevan,
28Mar2017.
Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian will again call on Armenia's
opposition groups to join forces during Sunday's congress of his
Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, which is no longer represented in the
national parliament.
A senior Zharangutyun member, Susanna Muradian, said on Friday that
the appeal will be addressed to both "parliamentary and
extraparliamentary" forces opposed to President Serzh
Sarkisian. Hovannisian's party is already negotiating with some of
them, she said.
"Zharangutyun does not expect them to rally around it," Muradian told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "If it turns out as a result
of discussions that it's better to rally around someone else # we will
be ready to rally around someone else who will come up with a better
action plan."
Zharangutyun already teamed up with former Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian and former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian's Consolidation
party to run in the April 2 parliamentary elections. Their ORO
alliance polled only 2 percent of the vote, falling well short of a 7
percent threshold for having seats in Armenia's new parliament.
The ORO leaders rejected the official vote results as fraudulent but
refrained from staging post-election street protests. But they have
kept a low profile since then.
So far Hovannisian's proposal has not met with a positive response
from other opposition forces, including those that won seats in the
National Assembly.
Earlier this month, Ohanian did not rule out the possibility of ORO's
transformation into a single political party. He also said that the
Armenian opposition must be prepared for "a force majeure situation"
that would require anti-government protests.
Zharangutyun's Muradian similarly said that street protests could be
the only realistic way for the opposition to challenge the
government. "If the so-called constitutional reforms [enacted in 2015]
were supposed to lead to such `elections' then we will have to opt for
other methods and ways of struggle," he said.
In a separate development, Hovannisian met on Friday with the
U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Richard Mills. "Mills and Hovannisian
discussed a broad array of matters relating to American-Armenian
relations, regional security, and pressing global developments," read
a short statement released by the U.S.-born opposition leader's
office.
Press Review
"The Republicans no longer deny that Serzh Sarkisian will remain at
the helm of power after his presidential term expires in April 2018,"
writes "Zhoghovurd." "They hinted at that during the parliamentary
debates on the government program." The paper speculates that senior
representatives of the ruling HHK thus responded to Prime Minister
Karen Karapetian's latest statement that he is "prepared" to retain
his post next year.
"Aravot" disapproves of the fact that the government formulated its
policies for the next five years. "Five governments may change within
the next five years," argues the paper. "And given that every new
government is not held answerable for what the previous one did or did
not do, we won't know what to demand from whom. For example, the
former government promised to raise the minimum national wage to
65,000 drams ($135) by 2017, which did not happen. The current
government is promising to do the same by 2022. A new government that
may be installed tomorrow will give a different number or won't give
any numbers at all. All this does not contribute to the emergence of
an atmosphere of public trust, to say the least."
"Armenia badly needs this government to succeed because we have
reached the final point of a bad situation," writes "Azg." "There is
no longer room for any deterioration. On top of that, there is an
unfavorable regional environment # We need to get out of this vicious
circle more than ever before: to break up the state of economic gloom,
inject blood into the economy and, by extension, the Armenian state
and statehood. Everyone -- and the government in particular --
realizes this."
"Haykakan Zhamanak" reports that the Russian ruble is again
depreciating due to falling oil prices, threatening to slash the value
of dollar-denominated remittances from Armenian migrant workers in
Russia. "A large part of Armenia's population lives off the
remittances," the paper says.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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