Author: David Nargizian

                                        Tuesday, 

Armenian Lawmaker Fined Over Beach Party

        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia -- Parliament deputy Hayk Sargsian is seen sitting behind the bar at a 
beach club, July 26, 2020.

Armenian authorities have fined a pro-government parliamentarian and shut down a 
lakeside resort where he partied at the weekend in breach or coronavirus safety 
rules set by the government.

The late-night party featuring live music took place at a beach club located on 
the northern shore of Lake Sevan. Photographs and videos posted on social media 
showed Hayk Sargsian, a 27-year-old lawmaker affiliated with Armenia’s ruling My 
Step bloc, and dozens of other young people wearing no face masks and not 
observing social distancing there.

This caused a media uproar in the country which has had one of the highest 
coronavirus infection rates in the world. The Armenian government has for months 
been trying to curb the spread of the disease by enforcing strict anti-epidemic 
rules. Sargsian himself urged Armenians earlier this summer to comply with the 
rules requiring them wear masks in all public spaces.

The lawmaker, who is no stranger to controversy, said on Monday that police have 
fined him and the other revelers. He also apologized to the government for 
causing “such a big and unnecessary rumpus.”

Sargsian claimed that he only briefly failed to put on a mask. However, the 
widely publicized images suggest that he was not masked throughout the beach 
party.

A pop singer who performed at the event said he was told that it was allowed by 
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who coordinates the government’s response 
to the coronavirus outbreak. A spokesman for Avinian insisted, however, that his 
office did not issue such permission.

The office shut down the Spitak Shorzha beach club for two weeks on Tuesday, 
saying that it violated a government ban on live performances and mass 
gatherings and failed to enforce other coronavirus safety rules.

The club manager, Vartan Simonian, denounced the measure as disproportionate, 
saying that he will appeal against it. He said that the controversial party was 
organized by another private firm.

Some media outlets claimed that Spitak Shorzha is owned by Sargsian. They seized 
upon a Facebook photo of the young lawmaker sitting behind the club bar and 
using what looked like a computer cash register.

Sargsian, whose twin brother Nairi is an aide to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, 
denies fully or partly owning the resort.

The chief of the Armenian police, Vahe Ghazarian, has also faced media 
accusations of breaking the government rules. The “Hraparak” daily reported that 
Ghazarian and dozens of other police officers dined late last week at a 
restaurant outside Yerevan.

“It was a protocol event, not a restaurant party,” a police spokesman insisted 
on Tuesday.

Ghazarian’s predecessor was sacked by Pashinian less than two months ago for 
failing to properly enforce the coronavirus-related state of emergency in the 
country.

Thousands of Armenians have since been fined by the police for not wearing face 
masks. The authorities have also temporarily shut down scores of restaurants, 
manufacturing firms and other businesses not following the anti-epidemic rules.

In early June, Pashinian also fired Armenia’s top army general, Artak Davtian, 
one day after the latter hosted his son’s wedding party attended by dozens of 
guests.




Pashinian Rejects Harsh Criticism From Kremlin Media Chief

        • Heghine Buniatian

Russia -- President Vladimir Putin and Russia Today (RT) editor-in-chief 
Margarita Simonyan attend an exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of RT, 
December 10, 2015.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has rejected allegations by one of the most 
influential figures in Russia’s state-run media that he has been undermining 
Russian-Armenian relations and supporting Western-funded groups hostile to 
Moscow.

Margarita Simonyan, the ethnic Armenian chief editor of the television network 
RT and several other Kremlin-funded media outlets, accused Pashinian last week 
of turning Armenia into a “bridgehead of anti-Russian forces in the Caucasus.”

In a social media post, Simonyan pointed to Yerevan’s failure to formally 
recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and controversial coup charges brought 
against former Armenian President Robert Kocharian. She charged that Pashinian 
“spat in the face of your Russian friends” by having “Russia’s perennial ally” 
jailed two years ago.

Simonyan also claimed that Pashinian has “inundated” Armenia with 
non-governmental organizations that are “training young people how to overthrow 
the government in Russia.”

Pashinian rejected the accusations in an interview with RBC, a private Russian 
TV channel, aired on Tuesday.

The prime minister argued, in particular, that most Armenian NGOs funded by 
Western governments or private donors were set up when he Armenia was governed 
by Kocharian or his successor Serzh Sarkisian. “If [Kocharian and Sarkisian] 
were so pro-Russian why did they not shut down those organizations?” he asked.


Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is interviewed by Russian RBC TV, 
Yerevan, July 25, 2020.

Turning to the high-profile case against Kocharian, Pashinian said: “They should 
realize in Russia that Russia’s [main] ally in Armenia is not Pashinian, 
Petrosian, Poghosian, Kocharian or Sarkisian. Russia’s ally and partner is the 
Armenian people. This is a very importance nuance.”

Russia and Armenia, Pashinian went on, have long maintained close political, 
economic and military ties because of their “common strategic interests,” rather 
than certain individuals. He said that contrary to some gloomy Russian forecasts 
he has not changed his country’s geopolitical orientation since coming to power 
in the “Velvet Revolution” of April-May 2018.

Kocharian, who ruled the South Caucasus state from 1998-2008, was first arrested 
in July 2018 on coup charges strongly denied by him. The Russian Foreign 
Ministry denounced the criminal case as politically motivated at the time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly signaled support for Kocharian 
since then. During an October 2019 visit to Yerevan, Putin made a point of 
meeting with the ex-president’s wife Bella.


Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian speaks during his trial, Yerevan, 
.

Armenia’s Court of Appeals released Kocharian from custody on bail late last 
month. Prosecutors appealed against the ruling.

Speaking to the Russian broadcaster, Pashinian also praised Russia’s “absolutely 
constructive” role in international efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict. In that context, he implicitly urged Moscow to counter what he 
described as Turkey’s efforts to fan Armenian-Azerbaijani tensions and 
eventually “take control of the Caucasus.”

“If that becomes a reality, I think it is first and foremost clear to the 
Russians what geopolitical consequences that would have,” he said.

“Russia cannot stay away from these events [in the conflict zone] because at 
stake are vital interests of not only Armenia but also the Russian Federation,” 
added the Armenian leader.




Armenian Military To ‘Closely’ Watch Turkish-Azeri Drills

        • Sargis Harutyunyan
        • Aza Babayan

Armenia - An Armenian soldier stands guard on the border with Azerbaijan's 
Nakhichevan exclave, 14 May 2016.

The Armenian military said on Tuesday that it will closely watch joint 
Turkish-Azerbaijani war games that will start on Wednesday two weeks after 
deadly fighting on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan.

“Armenia’s Defense Ministry and Armed Forces will be very attentively monitoring 
the course of and trends in joint Azerbaijani-Turkish military exercises 
scheduled for July 29 to August 10,” the ministry spokeswoman, Shushan 
Stepanian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan told the Russian ambassador in Yerevan, Sergei 
Kopyrkin, later in the day that Armenian army units as well as a 
Russian-Armenian military contingent are “continuing to constantly monitor and 
analyze” Turkish-Azerbaijani military activities “with all reconnaissance means” 
at their disposal. They remain “prepared for any development of the situation,” 
Tonoyan said, according to his press office.

The exercises will reportedly involve heavy artillery, warplanes and helicopter 
gunships and take place in various parts of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani and 
Turkish militaries have not specified the number of participating troops.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Monday that ground forces of the two 
states will simulate joint operations in Baku and Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan 
exclave from August 1-5. It said separate drills involving the Turkish and 
Azerbaijani air forces will be held in these and three other locations from July 
29 through August 10.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the drills. A ministry 
spokeswoman said they are part of Baku’s “provocative actions” aimed at 
obstructing international mediators’ efforts to de-escalate the situation at the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and kick-start talks on resolving the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

At least 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including a general, and five Armenian 
soldiers were killed during several days of heavy fighting that broke out at a 
western section of the volatile frontier on July 12.


Azerbaijan -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, poses for photos 
with Azeri and Turkish army commanders during a summit of Turkic states in Baku, 
October 15, 2019.

Turkey has blamed Armenia for the flare-up and vowed to boost its military and 
diplomatic support for Azerbaijan. Yerevan has responded by accusing Ankara of 
trying to destabilize the region.

Hours after the announcement of the Turkish-Azerbaijani exercises, Turkish 
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin 
to discuss the Armenian-Azerbaijani border clashes. According to the Kremlin, 
Putin “stressed the importance of preventing any steps that could cause an 
escalation in tensions” in the Karabakh conflict zone.

Arkady Dubnov, an independent Russian political analyst, said on Tuesday that 
Russia continues to regard the region as its geopolitical backyard and would 
therefore not tolerate Turkish military intervention in the long-running 
conflict.

“Erdogan certainly realizes that this would be simply unacceptable to Moscow,” 
Dubnov told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

Dubnov suggested that Erdogan assured Putin on Monday that the upcoming 
exercises are not a prelude to Turkish military presence in Azerbaijan and will 
not degenerate into a Turkish-Azerbaijani offensive against Armenia. The war 
games are first and foremost a publicity stunt designed to cement Erdogan’s 
self-image as “the supreme Islamic leader of the world,” speculated the pundit.

Russia is allied to Armenia and has thousands of troops stationed in the South 
Caucasus state. The current and former Armenian governments have regarded the 
Russian military presence as a vital safeguard against possible Turkish 
aggression.

Turkey refused to establish diplomatic relations and open its border with 
Armenia at the start of the 1991-1994 war in Karabakh. Erdogan and his 
predecessors have made the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations 
conditional on a Karabakh settlement sought by Baku. Yerevan has always rejected 
this precondition.



Putin, Erdogan Discuss Armenian-Azeri Tensions


RUSSIA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan 
leave after their joint news conference following the talks in Moscow, March 5, 
2020

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned against attempts to further heighten 
tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone when he spoke with his Turkish 
counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan by telephone on Monday.

The two men discussed the recent deadly clashes on the border between Armenia 
and Azerbaijan during the phone conversation which the Kremlin said took place 
“at the initiative of the Turkish side.”

“Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of preventing any steps that could cause 
an escalation in tensions,” the Kremlin reported in a statement.

“Both presidents spoke in favor of resolving the conflict through peaceful 
means, through talks.They expressed their readiness to coordinate efforts to 
stabilize the region,” it said.

Erdogan’s office also said the two leaders talked about the “Armenia-Azerbaijan 
tension” but gave no details.

Turkey has blamed Armenia for the hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border 
which broke out on April 12 and continued for several days, leaving at least 17 
soldiers from both sides dead. It has pledged to continue to strongly support 
Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict, including with military assistance.

Meeting with senior Azerbaijani military officials on July 16, Turkish Defense 
Minister Hulusi Akar vowed that Armenia will be “brought to account” and “will 
be drowned under this plot.” Erdogan’s National Security Council said afterwards 
that Ankara “will support any decision by Azerbaijan.”

Armenia has condemned these unusually strongly-worded statements that raised the 
possibility of Turkish intervention in the Karabakh conflict. It has branded 
Turkey a “security threat to Armenia and the region.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Ankara to exercise restraint in its 
reaction to the Armenian-Azerbaijani skirmishes in a July 23 phone call with his 
Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Russia is allied to Armenia and has thousands of troops stationed in the South 
Caucasus state. By contrast, Turkey has close ties with Azerbaijan cemented by 
ethnic and cultural affinities between the two Turkic nations.

Erdogan phoned Putin hours after it was announced that the Azerbaijani and 
Turkish armies will begin on Wednesday joint military exercises in various parts 
of Azerbaijan. A short video released by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry showed 
a convoy of Turkish military trucks carrying soldiers and heavy weapons entering 
Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan region in advance of the drills.


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.

 

                                        Wednesday, 

Serbia Admits Arms Deals With Armenia

        • Gevorg Stamboltsian

SERBIA -- Armenian President Armen Sarkisian (L) inspects the guard of honor 
with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, October 4, 2019

Serbia’s government on Tuesday acknowledged that Serbian defense companies have 
supplied weapons to Armenia but did not confirm Azerbaijani claims that they 
included mortars.

A government-linked Azerbaijani news website, Haqqin.az, claimed on July 19 that 
Serbian-made mortars as well as ammunition for them were delivered to Armenia 
via Georgia recently and used in deadly clashes that broke out on the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 21.

Serbia’s ambassador in Baku, Danica Veinovic, was summoned to the Azerbaijani 
Foreign Ministry in connection with the report. Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf 
Khalafov was reported to tell her that the alleged arms supplies called into 
question Azerbaijan’s “friendly relations” with the Balkan state.

Serbia’s outgoing Trade Minister Rasim Ljajic said in this regard that private 
Serbian firms sold small quantities of light weapons to Armenia earlier this 
year.

“I cannot name those companies, but according to our information, they mainly 
supplied rifles and pistols to Armenia,” Serbian media quoted Ljajic as saying. 
“Their combined market value is less than 1 million euros. Those weapons were 
supplied in two batches, in May and June.”

Ljajic made no mention of mortars. He stressed that there are no international 
sanctions or agreements that bar his country from selling weapons to Armenia.

“It is therefore hard to turn down that country’s offers to buy our weapons,” 
added the Serbian minister.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry denied the alleged transit of 
Armenia-bound weapons through Georgian territory. It denounced the Haqqin.az 
claim as “disinformation” aimed at undermining “Georgian-Azerbaijani strategic 
partnership.”

Azerbaijan itself has purchased billions of dollars worth of heavy weapons from 
Russia, Israel, Turkey and other countries over the past decade in a bid to gain 
a military superiority over Armenia. Yerevan has repeatedly expressed concern 
over those arms deals.




Bill On Armenian Constitutional Court Takes Effect

        • Artak Khulian

Armenia -- The Constitutional Court building in Yerevan, December 27, 2019.

A government-backed bill meant to complete the controversial dismissal of three 
of the nine members of Armenia’s Constitutional Court came into force on 
Wednesday three weeks after being passed by the parliament.

President Armen Sarkissian has pointedly declined to sign the bill into law, 
leaving it to parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan to do that. Sarkissian has not 
explained his refusal to validate the legislation strongly condemned by the 
Armenian opposition.

Mirzoyan, who is a leading member of the ruling My Step bloc, signed it 
immediately after the end of a three-week period given by the Armenian 
constitution to the largely ceremonial head of state.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian swiftly announced Mirzoyan’s move on his Facebook 
page. “Three new Constitutional Court judges will be elected soon,” he wrote.

The National Assembly controlled by My Step passed the bill on June 30 one week 
after voting to amend the constitution. The amendments require the gradual 
resignation of seven members of the high court installed before April 2018.

Three of them are to resign with immediate effect. Also, Hrayr Tovmasian must 
quit as court chairman but remain a judge.

Tovmasian and the ousted judges have refused to step down, saying that their 
removal is illegal. They have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights 
(ECHR) to have them reinstated.

Tovmasian and six other court justices have been under strong government 
pressure to step down over the past year. Pashinian has accused them of 
maintaining close ties to Armenia’s former government and impeding his judicial 
reforms. Tovmasian and opposition figures have dismissed Pashinian’s claims and 
in turn accused the prime minister of seeking to take control of the country’s 
highest court.

Under Armenian law, the three new Constitutional Court members are to be 
nominated by Pashinian’s government, President Sarkissian and an assembly of the 
country’s judges and appointed by the parliament. The nine court justices will 
then pick their new chairperson.

Justice Minister Rustam Badasian told reporters that the government has yet to 
choose its candidate to fill one of the three vacancies. He said that in any 
case it will nominate an “apolitical individual who can guarantee judicial 
independence.”



Government Sees Greater Business Compliance With Coronavirus Safety Rules

        • Robert Zargarian

Armenia -- Officials from Armenia's Health and Labor Inspectorate inspect a 
supermarket in Yerevan to verify its compliance with coroanvirus safety rules, 
.

The Armenian government has reported a significant decrease in the number of 
local businesses failing to comply with its safety regulations aimed at 
minimizing coronavirus infections in the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who coordinates the government’s response 
to the pandemic, said on Tuesday that sanitary authorities fined and/or briefly 
shut down about 400 private entities for such violations during the first ten 
days of this month. This is sharply down from 1,339 firms sanctioned in the same 
period of June, he said.

Despite growing coronavirus cases, the government reopened virtually all sectors 
of the Armenian economy in early May. It at the same time set concrete 
operational rules designed to contain the spread of the virus. Shops, cafes, 
restaurants, manufacturing firms and other businesses are required, among other 
things, to enforce physical distancing among their employees and customers and 
to make sure that the latter wear face masks.

An RFE/RL correspondent witnessed on Wednesday numerous violations of these 
rules during a brief tour of small businesses across Yerevan. In particular, 
many vendors in the city’s food markets pulled masks under their chins or did 
not wear them at all.

“I took it off so I can talk to you,” claimed one of them.

“I put it on as soon as a customer approaches me,” said another woman selling 
agricultural produce.


Armenia - Customers at a cafe in downtown Yerevan, May 14, 2020

Wearing a mask or a cloth covering mouth and nose not only in enclosed spaces 
but also in the streets and all other public areas has been mandatory in Armenia 
since the beginning of June. Thousands of people have been fined for not 
complying with this requirement.

Almost 35,700 coronavirus cases have been registered in the country of about 3 
million to date. The Armenian health authorities detected 439 of those cases as 
a result of a smaller-than-usual number of coronavirus tests carried out on 
Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health also reported on Wednesday morning the deaths of 18 more 
people, including a 59-year-old doctor, infected with COVID-19. It said that the 
virus was the main cause of 16 of those fatalities, bringing the official death 
toll to 678.

According to the ministry, 217 other infected Armenians have died primarily 
because of other, pre-existing diseases.


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.