Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Israel's Netanyahu Sees Closer Ties With Armenia
. Emil Danielyan
Israel - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Jerusalem, 7Nov2017.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to improve Israel's
uneasy relationship with Armenia after holding talks with Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
The two men were reported to have discussed not only Armenian-Israeli
ties but also the situation in the Middle East and the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, with Netanyahu expressing concern over
Iran's "attempts to establish a military presence in the region."
"We'll strengthen relations between Israel and Armenia in tech,
cyberspace and agriculture," the Israeli leader, who is also his
country's foreign minister, tweeted after the talks.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise said Netanyahu told Nalbandian
that Israel is ready to "expand" its relations with Armenia and sees
"great potential for cooperation" between the two nations.
According to a ministry statement, Nalbandian expressed confidence,
for his part, that bilateral contacts will gain "new impetus." They
have already intensified of late, he said during what was apparently
his first-ever official visit to Israel.
The statement added that the two men explored ways of boosting modest
bilateral trade and cooperating in the areas of agriculture,
information technology, education and tourism.
Israel's Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi similarly
sought to "strengthen our relationship" when he visited Yerevan in
late July. Hanegbi and Nalbandian signed agreements on avoidance of
double taxation and mutual lifting of visa requirements for holders of
Armenian and Israeli diplomatic passports. The Israeli cabinet member,
who is affiliated with Netanyahu's Likud party, also met with Prime
Minister Karen Karapetian.
Armenia - Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian (R) and Israel's
Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi sign bilateral
agreements after talks in Yerevan, 25Jul2017.
Armenian-Israeli relations have been frosty until now, reflecting
differing geopolitical priorities of the two states. Armenia has
maintained a warm rapport with Iran to ease its geographic isolation,
while Israel has pursued strategic cooperation with Turkey and
Azerbaijan.
Armenia has been particularly worried about Israel's large-scale arms
deals with its arch-foe. In 2012, Israeli defense officials confirmed
a reported deal to provide the Azerbaijani military with more weapons
worth a combined $1.6 billion. The Azerbaijani army used some of these
Israeli-made weapons, notably sophisticated anti-tank rockets, during
April 2016 hostilities in Karabakh.
Just weeks after Hanegbi's trip to Yerevan, an Israeli Defense
Ministry agency halted exports to Azerbaijan of "suicide" drones
manufactured by an Israeli company accused of using them against an
Armenian army position in early July. The export control agency
launched an investigation into the alleged incident in August.
The Israeli daily "Maariv" reported at the time that representatives
of the company, Aeronautics Defense Systems (ADS), traveled to
Azerbaijan this summer to finalize a contract for the sale of Orbiter
drones to the Azerbaijani military. The paper claimed that two Israeli
drone operators working for the company rebuffed Azerbaijani
officials' demand to demonstrate the use of the deadly drone by
hitting the Armenian position with it. But other, more senior ADS
executives agreed on launch the deadly craft on the target, according
to "Maariv." ADS denied the report.
It was not clear whether Nalbandian discussed the alleged drone attack
with Netanyahu. The Armenian Foreign Ministry statement said only that
he briefed Netanyahu on Armenia's and international mediators' efforts
to achieve a "solely peaceful" solution to the Karabakh conflict.
The ministry added that the two men also "exchanged views on pressing
regional and international issues, developments in the Middle East."
A short statement by a spokesman for Netanyahu said: "The Prime
Minister raised the issue of Iran's attempts to establish a military
presence in the region and its negative influence." It did not
elaborate.
Students Protest Against New Law On Military Service
. Marine Khachatrian
Armenia - University students protest in Yerevan against government
plans to abolish military draft deferments, 7Nov2017.
At least a hundred university students in Yerevan boycotted classes on
Tuesday in protest against the Armenian government's plans to largely
abolish temporary exemptions from military service enjoyed by most of
them.
The protesters rallied outside the main building of Yerevan State
University (YSU), demanding a meeting with Education Minister Levon
Mkrtchian. They marched to other YSU buildings after Mkrtchian and
other Education Ministry officials declined to meet with their
representatives.
Male students of state-run Armenian university eligible for government
scholarships have until now been allowed to perform compulsory
military service after completing their undergraduate, graduate or
post-graduate studies.
Under a government bill passed by the Armenian parliament in the first
reading late last month, draft deferments would be granted only to
those students who would agree to undergo parallel military training
and serve in the army as officers for three years after
graduation. The Armenian Defense Ministry, which drafted the bill,
says that that this would close a key loophole for evading military
service and reduce "corruption risks" among military and university
officials.
Government officials also argue that more than 80 percent of
18-year-old Armenian men enrolled in state universities are already
drafted to the armed forces because they pay tuition fees. Letting the
other students continue their studies uninterrupted is unfair, they
say.
Critics say the measure would prevent many students from becoming
scientists or scholars. They say it would also not stop the sons of
many senior government officials, pro-government politicians and
wealthy businesspeople from dodging military service.
"Yes, we admit that there is corruption in the education system, but
we also think that problems existing within the education system must
be addressed within the system," said one of the protesting students.
The protesters, among them female students, tried to enter some YSU
departments in a bid to get more students to join their campaign. They
found the entrance doors of most of those departments locked from
inside, however. Students attending classes there were thus unable to
leave the buildings.
Marat Grigorian, the dean of the YSU's Geography and Geology
Department, criticized the protest and backed the controversial bill,
which is expected to be passed in the final reading next week. "That
bill won't hurt higher education," he told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatuyun.am).
Ruben Melkonian, who runs the YSU's Department of Oriental Studies,
was also critical of the boycott. Still, he said the students have a
legitimate right to voice their demands and concerns.
Another Solar Plant Built In Armenia
Armenia - A newly constructed solar power plant in Talin, 7Nov2017.
Armenia's second major solar power plant was inaugurated on Tuesday in
the presence of Prime Minister Karen Karapetian and other senior
officials.
The 1-megawatt plant was built in Talin, a town 70 kilometers
northwest of Yerevan, as part of a $1 million investment projected
co-funded by a group of Armenian entrepreneurs and the German
government.
One of the local investors, Hayk Chobanian, said the facility, already
connected to the national power grid, can meet the energy needs of
about 400 households. He described its launch as the start of "a
parade of solar plants" that will increasingly spring up in Armenia.
"Our country's [solar energy] potential is great and I think that in
the coming years we will introduce hundreds of megawatts of solar
power capacity," Chobanian told reporters.
Deputy Energy Minister Hayk Harutiunian, who also attended the opening
ceremony, reaffirmed the Armenian government's declared commitment to
greater use of renewable sources of energy in the country. He said
nine more small solar plants are now under construction.
Armenia's first major solar plant with a 0.5-megawatt capacity went on
stream in late September. It was built by a company controlled by
Samvel Karapetian, a Russian-Armenian billionaire businessman
increasingly investing in the Armenian energy sector. A company
representative said the "pilot project" could be a prelude to the
construction of a much bigger facility of its kind that would also be
financed by Karapetian.
In addition, the government is expected to call soon an international
tender for the construction of a separate 55-megawatt solar plant.
Solar and wind power currently make up only a tiny share of
electricity produced in Armenia.
Press Review
"Haykakan Zhamanak" says that local elections held in about 70
communities across Armenia over the weekend highlighted "the real
political situation" and explained why numerous street protests
organized by Armenian opposition groups have not brought about regime
change in the country. "One of the reasons for that is that the
opposition always rushed to occupy Liberty Square [in Yerevan,] while
the authorities occupied neighborhoods and courtyards in response,"
the paper says. "In the fight between t between Liberty Square and
neighborhoods the latter will always prevail because at the end of the
day people return from Liberty Square to their neighborhoods where the
[ruling] Republicans and elements loyal to them hold sway." Therefore,
it says, having "regional leaders is imperative for the Armenian
opposition.
"Zhamanak" notes that Armenia's state budget for next year has been
drafted by a government that has to resign in just five months from
now. "There is no guarantee that the prime minister and members of
that government will be reappointed to their positions [in April,]"
writes the paper. Also, it says, the budget will be executed under a
different, parliamentary system of government.
Interviewed by "168 Zham," a Russian military analyst, Pavel
Felgenhauer, comments on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
reported plans to present his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with
proposals on a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at their
upcoming meeting in Russia. "In all likelihood, Putin will gently
rebuff Erdogan," says Felgenhauer. "What is more, that will not affect
relations between the two countries. Even in case of Putin's consent,
Armenia will not agree to Turkey's intervention and involvement in the
Karabakh conflict."
"Hraparak" carries an editorial on the 100th anniversary of the
Bolshevik revolution in Russia. "Who could have predicted in Soviet
times that in 2017, 100 years after the revolution, we will be living
in the era of brutal capitalism, rather than Communism promised by
leaders of the Soviet Communist Party?" the paper says. "Who would
have thought that the omnipotent party will not only not govern the
country but also become a wretched group whose members cannot even
clear the 5 percent vote threshold [in parliamentary elections?]"
(Siranuysh Gevorgian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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