Author: Lilit Nahapetian

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has avoided uttering the term “genocide” to define mass killing of ethnic Armenians at the hands of Ottomans in 1915, emulating his predecessor in describing the killings as “Meds Yeghern” — the Great Tragedy.

“Today, we remember and honor the memory of those who suffered during the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.

“Beginning in 1915, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. I join the Armenian community in America and around the world in mourning the loss of innocent lives and the suffering endured by so many,” the statement released on Monday said.

Calling the 1915 killings as the “dark chapter of human history,” Mr. Trump said “we also recognize the resilience of the Armenian people,” as many of them built new lives in the United States.

“We must remember atrocities to prevent them from occurring again. We welcome the efforts of Turks and Armenians to acknowledge and reckon with the painful history, which is a critical step toward building a foundation for a more just and tolerant future,” the president concluded.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Hossein Samiei visited Yerevan during March 29–April 12 to conduct discussions for the Fifth and Final Review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement and the 2017 Article IV consultation.

At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Samiei issued the following statement:

“Armenia continues to be affected by external shocks. Since late 2014, the significant decline in remittances and copper prices have weighed heavily on growth, adversely impacting the fiscal position. GDP growth in 2016 was only 0.2 percent, deflationary pressures persisted, the fiscal deficit rose to 5.6 percent of GDP, while the current account deficit remained below 3 percent of GDP and reserve buffers were rebuilt. In the financial sector, banks completed the process of meeting higher minimum capital. In early 2017, economic activity has shown signs of recovery, with robust private sector credit growth supported by monetary policy easing. We project GDP growth and end-year inflation to reach around 3 percent and 1.75 percent, respectively, in 2017. There are risks to the outlook: the recovery in remittances and copper prices may not endure, and growth in key trading partners could be weaker than expected.

“The IMF-supported program is on track. All end-December performance criteria and structural benchmarks have been met. The team discussed a policy framework for 2017 as a basis for the completion of the final review. Additional growth-friendly foreign-financed capital spending is appropriate given strong evidence that revenue collection will surpass the budget projection. However, the fragility of the recovery and risks to revenues require contingency plans, including potential cuts in non-priority current spending in the event of a revenue shortfall. The team supports the authorities’ plans to amend the existing pro-cyclical fiscal rule to enhance the credibility of the fiscal framework, while protecting growth. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) should remain open to further policy easing, consistent with the inflation targeting framework. The IMF Executive Board is scheduled to consider the review in late June 2017. Upon approval, the IMF will disburse SDR 15.69 million, bringing total disbursements under the EFF arrangement to SDR 82.21 million.

“Looking ahead, Armenia continues to face significant challenges: growth remains volatile and narrowly based; the export sector is relatively undiversified; unemployment and poverty remain high; and public and external debt are on the increase. This warrants decisive action to promote sustainable and inclusive growth, including reforms to attract foreign direct investment, improve infrastructure and education, tackle corruption, and enhance the business climate. The authorities should also remain committed to a fiscal path that ensures debt sustainability, supported by a rigorous implementation of the new tax code and prioritization of foreign-financed capital spending. The CBA should strengthen the monetary policy transmission mechanism to better support the inflation targeting framework and maintain exchange rate flexibility as a key shock absorber.

“The team met with Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielyan, Minister of Finance Vardan Aramyan, Central Bank Governor Arthur Javadyan, Minister of Energy Ashot Manukyan, Minister of Agriculture Ignati Arakelyan, SRC Chairman Vardan Harutyunyan, as well as other senior government officials, and representatives of civil society, the business sector, and the international community. The mission thanks the authorities and other interlocutors for their cooperation and hospitality.”

President Serzh Sargsyan today offered condolences to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over the deadly blasts at St. George’s Church and St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, which claimed the lives of dozens of innocent people.

“The Republic of Armenia strongly condemns these inhumane acts and reaffirms its solidarity to fight against international terrorism.

At this difficult time for Egypt I express my deepest condolences to you, to the friendly people of Egypt and to families of the victims, wishing them fortitude and a speedy recovery to the injured,” President Sargsyan said in a letter.

 

 

 

A 14-member group of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has already arrived in Armenia to carry out an observation mission at the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 2.

Another 28 long-term observers are expected to arrive in Armenia next week, Ambassador Jan Petersen, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, told reporters in Yerevan.

Amb. Petersen said 250 short-term observers will follow the voting on election day.

The mission’s deployment follows an invitation from the Armenian authorities.

The OSCE/ODIHR EOM will assess the elections for compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. Observers will closely monitor voter registration, candidate registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant governmental bodies, election-related legislation and its implementation, the media environment and the resolution of election-related disputes. As part of the observation, the mission will also monitor the media coverage of the campaign.

In the course of its observation, the mission will meet with representatives of relevant authorities and of political parties, as well as with representatives of civil society, the media and the international community.

On election day, observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots and the tabulation of results. For election day, the mission will join efforts with delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

A statement of preliminary findings and conclusions will be issued on the day after the election. A final report on the observation of the entire election process, including recommendations, will be published approximately two months after the completion of the election process.

“It’s up to the Armenian authorities, government and political parties to decide whether or not to take note of the proposals included in the report,” Jan Petersen said.

Photo: AP

 

US President Donald Trump has named Lt Gen HR McMaster as his national security adviser, the BBC reports.

He will replace Lt Gen Michael Flynn who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job.

A lieutenant general with the US Army, HR McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive.

Mr Trump’s first choice, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, turned down the role, citing “personal reasons”.

Armenia will celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the Armed Forces on January 28. The Public Radio of Armenia has prepared a special gift on this occasion.

Atıf Çiçekli, the trustee appointed to Van’s Edremit district has ordered to remove the signs in Armenian, reports.

Van’s Edremit District Municipality used signs in Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian and English in busy parts of the district as part of efforts for a multilingual life. These efforts were especially prominent in Edremit as it is a touristic district. The second trustee Atış Çiçekli made a name for himself first with firing the workers and implementing bans, and now he had the signs in Armenian removed.

The Edremit district is by the Van Lake and has a high potential for nature and tourism. The district is also the closest to the Akhtamar Island where Armenian ceremonies are held every September. Edremit is filled with remnants of Armenian legacy. There is a fountain in the district made by the Armenian artist Arshile Gorky, which had been restored by the DBP municipality.

Armenians hold ceremonies on Akhtamar Island in Van Lake on the first week of every September. As a service to Armenians coming to the island for the ceremony, the Edremit Municipality had put up signs in Armenian in various places in the district as per a decree by the municipal council. But the trustee Atıf Çiçekli removed these signs, without citing a reason.

Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has talked to Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova about Hrachya Harutyunyan after mass media raised concerns about the jailed Armenian driver’s health and living conditions.

According to a press release from the Ombudsman’s Office, the parties reached an agreement to arrange a visit of the Commissioner’s representatives to Hrachya Harutyunyan’s place of detention.

Armenia’s Justioce Minister Arpien Hovhannisyan announced earlier that there were problems connected with Hrachya Harutyunyan’s extradition.

The welcome ceremony for Iran’s President was held at the Presidential Palace today.

The Presidents of Armenia and Iran Serzh Sargsyan and Hassan Rouhani held a private meeting, after which they were joined by the delegations of the two countries.

Armenia’s President welcomed his Iranian counterpart and voiced hope that the latter’s first-ever official visit to Armenia will give new spirit and breathe to the cooperation between the two countries.

“The Armenian-Iranian friendship dates back to the depth of centuries and based on that solid ground we established interstate relations on 1992. Twenty-five years on, we can state that no circumstance has ever cast shadow on our relations,” President Sargsyan said. He expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the attention towards relations with Armenia.

“We’ve always been frank and sincere in our relations and are willing to continue the same way,” he added. The Armenian President also asked to convey his respect and good wishes to Iran’s religious leader Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei.

Hassan Rouhani, in turn, expressed his delight for being in “the beautiful country of Armenia and its capital Yerevan.

“We see Armenia as a friendly country and wish to further deepen and develop our bilateral relations. Our countries belong to the same culture and civilization. The relations between the two nations have always been warm and friendly,” Iran’s President said.