Author: Hovik Karapetian

Ara Saghatelyan to Pashinyan: ‘There is no forgiveness for you’

Hovik Karapetian
Panorama, Armenia
March 9 2021

The former chief of staff of the Armenian parliament, Ara Saghatelyan, who was set free on Saturday pending trial, thanked people for the “struggle against the dictatorship and for his freedom” at an opposition rally on Yerevan’s Baghramyan Avenue on Tuesday.

“You won and I am standing here today. We won. We will achieve another victory soon. Thank you. They [PM Nikol Pashinyan and his cabinet] have broken all the written and unwritten rules and crossed all the red lines,” Saghatelyan said in his speech.

He noted that instead of reporting on 5,000 war casualties, prisoners of war, missing persons and all losses of the country, the authorities think that resorting to repressive measures, imprisoning people and discrediting them will help them retain hold on power.

"It won’t work. Today I declare from here that all the slaves of the regime, all the servants will answer before the law, generations and God,” Saghatelyan said, blaming Nikol Pashinyan and his cabinet for the large number of war victims and territorial losses.

Saghatelyan said he was in Artsakh almost throughout the whole period of the recent war and witnessed the “mess” created there.

“The current authorities of infantile idiots even turned the war into a show. Bayraktar drones and cluster munitions were being used against us, while they were assuring people here that we were winning. Then he [Pashinyan] says, “I am sorry”. Seriously? Do you understand what you have done? Do you give yourself an account of what you have done, the lights of how many homes you have extinguished? Do you realize that you have deprived a whole nation of their homeland and honor? Do you realize that you have left tens of thousands of people homeless and thousands of children orphans? There is and will be no forgiveness for you for the simple reason that everyone who will share that responsibility will become an accomplice, and no sane person will go for it,” Saghatelyan emphasized.

As reported earlier, Ara Saghatelyan had been arrested for two months as part of a criminal probe into a case concerning a fake Facebook account opened in the name of “Gagik Soghomonyan”. The page continued to be updated while the former senior parliament staffer was remanded in custody. 

Armenian parliament majority bloc: Opposition Bright Armenia Party leader’s statements not even subject to discussion

Hovik Karapetian
News.am, Armenia
March 1 2021
Armenian parliament majority bloc: Opposition Bright Armenia Party leader's statements not even subject to discussion
14:25, 01.03.2021

The statements by Bright Armenia Party and leader of the homonymous parliamentary faction Edmon Marukyan aren’t subject to discussion. Armenia has a Constitution, and we, as deputies, must be responsible for implementation of the Constitution. This is what leader of the ruling My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Lilit Makunts told reporters today, touching upon Edmon Marukyan’s proposal according to which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had to take back the proposal sent to the President for dismissal of the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

Commenting on Marukyan’s proposal according to which Bright Armenia Party is ready to sign a memorandum, based on which the political party won’t nominate its candidate for Prime Minister in parliament so that the National Assembly is dissolved, Makunts assured that the ruling party is ready to take practical steps with regard to Marukyan’s proposal.

Armenia improves ranking in 2021 Index of Economic Freedom

Hovik Karapetian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 5 2021

Armenia’s economic freedom score is 71.9, making its economy the 32nd (up from 34th last year) freest in the world, according to the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation.

Armenia’s overall score has increased by 1.3 points, primarily because of an improvement in fiscal health. Armenia is ranked 18th among 45 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is above the regional and world averages.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Georgia 12th, Turkey – 76th, Azerbaijan 38th, Iran – 168th.

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Kazakhstan are ranked 92nd and 34th respectively, Belarus is 95th, Kyrgyzstan is 78th.

Singapore tops the list, followed by New Zealand and Australia.

Economic freedom in Armenia has hovered between moderately free and mostly free for many years. GDP growth during the reporting period has continued to be strong. To institutionalize higher levels of economic freedom more firmly, the government needs to maintain its focus on improving judicial effectiveness and government integrity. Stronger rule of law would also have a positive impact on investment freedom.

IMPACT OF COVID-19: As of December 1, 2020, 2,193 deaths had been attributed to the pandemic in Armenia, and the economy was forecast to contract by 4.5 percent for the year.

Court records absence of substantiated suspicion in charges against Ara Saghatelyan

Hovik Karapetian
Aysor, Armenia
March 5 2021

Total unlawfulness took place in Armenia with Ara Saghatelyan spending 14 days in custody simply due to some caprices of some people, attorney Mihran Poghosyan told the reporters in court yard today.

“I do not view this as victory, I view this as beginning of fight, because the person who has not committed any wrongdoing was taken from his environment and completely illegally kept in custody,” he said.

He said they will record victory only in case when all people connected with this case including president of court, other person giving orders will appear in jail.

The attorney said the Criminal Court of Appeal recorded the absence of substantiated suspicion in charges against Saghatelyan.

The European Commission deplores the Azerbaijani attacks on Shushi Cathedral during the 2020 war

Hovik Karapetian
Panorama, Armenia
March 4 2021

The High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell has deplored on behalf of the European Commission the damages caused to the Shushi Ghazanchetsots Cathedral by the Azerbaijani armed forces. As European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy reports, the Commission's statement came 

in the response to the urgent written question sent to the by the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Loucas Fourlas (Cyprus, EPP), 

In the urgent written question addressed by MEP Fourlas, it is mentioned that the Azerbaijani armed forces targeted and attacked Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral on 8 October 2020, in violation of international rules of war. The MEP asks the European Commission whether the latter is planning to take steps “to protect both the civilian population and places of worship” in Artsakh/ Nagorno Karabakh that are currently under the Azerbaijani control.

Responding the MEP, the European Commission states that it deplores the destruction of religious and historic monuments in Nagorno Karabakh and underlines the importance of preserving and restoring the cultural and religious heritage.

Furthermore, in his answer the High Representative refers to the of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347 (2017), which gives the definition of the war crimes, targeting of the religious, educational and cultural centers.

The European Commission also welcomes the mission initiated by UNESCO to the regions of Nagorno Karabakh currently under the Azerbaijani control aimed at establishing a first factural assessment of the Armenian cultural heritage. It will also contribute to supporting the preservation and restoration of the cultural sites.

Commenting on the response of the written question, the EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian stated: “Azerbaijan has to bear full responsibility for the gruesome war crimes committed during and after the 2020 war in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh, including targeting civilian settlements as well as religious sites i.a. the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. Shushi has undeniably been a historical Armenian city, an important center for culture and education, and the symbol of the Armenian revival of Artsakh. The international community and the relevant organizations must closely follow and monitor the preservation of the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the region. We should not allow yet another act of cultural genocide, such as the destruction of thousands of Armenian medieval cross-stones in Nakhijevan by the Azerbaijani authorities in 2006. Any attempt of demolition of historic Armenian presence in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh must be prevented and strongly condemned”.

Political scientist: Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement agencies of Armenia must take action

Hovik Karapetian
Panorama, Armenia
March 4 2021

Political scientist Andranik Tevanyan, who heads the Political Economy Research Institute, urged the Prosecutor's Office of Armenia and law enforcement agencies to take action following former President Robert Kocharyan’s remarks at a press conference on Thursday.

“At a news conference for the Russian media, Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan raised very specific questions concerning Nikol Pashinyan's guilt and betrayal in the Artsakh war,” he wrote on Facebook.

“The Armenian Prosecutor's Office and law enforcement agencies are obliged to take appropriate measures. Otherwise, they may become accomplices,” Tevanyan said. 

Turkey’s president says coup attempt in Armenia unacceptable

Hovik Karapetian
The Independent, Uganda
Feb 27 2021

Istanbul, Turkey | THE INDEPENDENT |  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described on Friday the attempted military takeover in Armenia as “unacceptable,” noting that Turkey is against all types of coups.

“We are against all kinds of coups. It is not possible for us to accept coups,” Erdogan said after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

“If there will be a change in administration, the Armenian people will do that. It should be left to the will of the Armenian people,” he added.

On Thursday, the Armenian military called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his cabinet.

Newspaper: When did Armenia army general staff chief Gasparyan first oppose PM Pashinyan?

Hovik Karapetian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 27 2021
10:03, 27.02.2021

YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: The statement of the Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan and other members of the staff demanding the resignation of the RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the government continues to be a subject of broad discussion.

Until now, however, it is not officially known why the relations between the once mutually-trusted officials became tense.

One thing is a fact: it is not the first time that Onik Gasparyan opposes Nikol Pashinyan; their relations are strained for a very long time. Zhoghovurd daily had written back on November 26, 2020 that Onik Gasparyan submitted a resignation from the post of Chief of GS [i.e., General Staff], but both the government and the MOD generals asked him not to leave, and Gasparyan agreed.

Before that, Onik Gasparyan told Nikol Pashinyan on several occasions that the latter should resign and go if he wanted stability and development in the country, but Pashinyan did not listen to him. He also did not listen when Gasparyan said that there is no need to talk about the [Russian-made] Iskander [ballistic missile system] at all.

Pashinyan's statement about the defective Iskander was the point that forced Gasparyan and his colleagues to disseminate a public statement and demand his [Pashinyan’s] resignation.

Putin discusses situation around Nagorno Karabakh with Security Council

Hovik Karapetian

Tweet

 15:54,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a consultation with the permanent members of the Security Council to discuss the situation around Nagorno Karabakh, the Kremlin press service reported.

“Today we will discuss with you the situation around the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I would like to listen to your assessments on the operation of our peacekeepers, the emergency situations ministry forces, the border troops and on how the cooperation with the international organizations, our foreign partners is going on in this direction”, the Russian leader said.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan