Author: Markos Nalchajian
Armenpress: Pashinyan congratulates Georgia on National Holiday
Pashinyan congratulates Georgia on National Holiday
11:05,
YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated his Georgian counterpart Mamuka Bakhtadze on the Georgian National Holiday.
“I cordially congratulate you and the good people of Georgia on the national holiday of Georgia, the State Independence Reinstatement Day”, Pashinyan said in a message sent to Bakhtadze.
“The centuries-old Armenian-Georgian ties of friendship have always been distinguished by mutual respect and trust, which is a solid basis for the furtherance and expansion of our multifaceted agenda.
On this occasion, I would like to express my appreciation of our regular meetings and discussions, which add new quality and content to our cooperation. I am confident that the high-level Armenian-Georgian relations will continue to strengthen in the best interest of our peoples.
I wish you all the best and every success, as well as happiness, prosperity and progress to the brotherly people of Georgia.”
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Turkish-Pakistani relations: A burgeoning alliance?
In the run-up to Turkey’s April 2017 election, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ran a big-budget commercial that fantasized about Turkey’s popularity in the Sunni world. It features idealized scenes of Muslims around the world extolling Turkey for its contributions both ancient and modern — including shots of Kazakh children staring in wonder as a village elder tells them of the vast conquests of the Turks, Palestinian children being taught about Saladin’s victories in the madrassa, and Bosnians celebrating a win by the Turkish national soccer team. The scene in Pakistan goes furthest of all. In it, a Turkish couple are sitting in a café. They ask for the check, and when it comes, the receipt simply says, “Erdoğan has paid the bill.”
Incredulity aside, the Pakistani segment of the commercial was meant to pay tribute to the strong relationship that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has forged between Turkey and Pakistan — a relationship that Pakistan has eagerly reciprocated. While Erdoğan has always enjoyed relatively warm relations with Pakistan, it was during the failed July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey that Pakistan displayed its unequivocal support for Erdoğan. In a show of solidarity, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called the embattled Turkish president in the midst of the coup and visited the Turkish parliament shortly after it was put down. Since then, eager for foreign support, particularly from the Sunni world, Erdoğan has doubled down on his efforts to establish closer ties with Pakistan.
Political and economic relations
By 2017, Turkish investment in Pakistan surpassed $1 billion, and Turkey has continued to pursue projects there, such as the export of its Metrobus rapid transit system. A proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries — still in the works — projects that bilateral trade will increase from $900 million to $10 billion by 2022. With the continued expansion of Turkish Airlines and the growth of Istanbul as a regional aviation hub, Pakistanis are increasingly flying on the airline and stopping in Turkey en route to the West. Although Pakistanis currently need a visa to enter Turkey, an FTA would also facilitate freedom of movement between the two countries, and Turkey, looking to boost tourism from Islamic countries to make up for a loss in Western European tourists in recent years, has much to gain from potential mass tourism from Pakistan.
Turkey has long been considered an economic and political model for Pakistan, albeit in ways that have changed over time. General Pervez Musharraf, a former Pakistani military leader and president, admired Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish republic, for his secular reforms and strong-handed rule. Musharraf, who spent part of his childhood in Turkey, made clear his hopes that Pakistan would follow a Turkish path to modernity. However, Musharraf’s admiration for Atatürk came at a time when the era of military tutelage in Turkey was being challenged by the relatively democratic first decade of Erdoğan’s rule. Pakistan’s current prime minister, Imran Khan, has called Erdoğan one of his “political heroes” due to his besting of the 2016 military coup. For both Erdoğan and Khan, the justified fear of military coups is a significant source of solidarity.
Military and security relations
On the international stage, Turkish-Pakistani solidarity has been strong for decades, and both countries have supported each other on internal matters as well as problems with their respective neighbors. Pakistan’s relationship with Turkey is also tied in with Azerbaijan, another significant ally, and this axis comes at the expense of Armenia — to the extent that Pakistan is the only country in the world that does not recognize its existence. Unsurprisingly, Pakistan also recognizes Azerbaijan’s claims over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, a position which it shares with Turkey.
In return, Turkey has recently taken steps to more definitively assert its support for Kashmiri independence or a bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan regarding its status. During the recent skirmishes between the two countries in 2019, Khan and Erdoğan held frequent discussions on how to peacefully diffuse the situation, and Erdoğan praised Khan’s decision to release an Indian pilot who was shot down over Pakistani territory. Part of Erdoğan’s increasingly vocal support for Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue is due to his broader effort to style himself as the defender of Muslims worldwide, which is meant to shore up support at home just as much as abroad.
Turkey and Pakistan share similar problems with internal separatism and terrorism and have often offered assistance to each other to address these issues. Pakistan supports Turkey in its conflict with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), voicing strong backing for Turkey and Erdoğan when hostilities between Ankara and the PKK resumed in the summer of 2015 following the collapse of the peace process. Taking note of Pakistan’s experience in its struggle against internal insurgents, the Turkish military even requested Pakistani intelligence and material support as it ramped up its campaign against the PKK in the latter half of 2015.
One of the most pressing issues that has faced Pakistani-Turkish relations was that of PakTurk schools. Set up as part of a global network by Fetullah Gülen, an influential cleric and one-time ally of Erdoğan, PakTurk schools were dedicated to promoting Turkish culture as well as educating young Pakistanis about Gülen’s religious and political ideas. Following the 2016 coup attempt, for which Erdoğan blamed Gülen and his Hizmet movement, the Turkish leader began to demand that other countries follow his lead by branding Gülen and his supporters as terrorists and shutting down their schools.
The government of Pakistan first responded by refusing to renew the work and residence visas of the PakTurk schools’ Turkish staff, forcing many of them to leave; some were refused entry to other countries as asylum and subsequently returned to Turkey to face indefinite imprisonment. In early 2019, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared the Gülenists to be a terrorist organization and ordered that PakTurk schools be handed over to the Maarif Foundation – an Islamic school organization established by the Turkish government to counter Gülenist influence — a clear nod of support to Erdoğan.
On Pakistan’s terrorism problem, which is deeply entangled with Afghanistan, Turkey’s support has been less straightforward and more tethered to realpolitik and ideological concerns, largely due to its own complex web of alliances in the region. While Turkey and Pakistan both supported the mujahedeen during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan — due to their alliances with the United States and their natural preference for the Islamic actors in the conflict — their interests began to diverge with the ascendency of the Taliban, a movement which had its origins in Pakistan itself.
By the late 1990s, the Northern Alliance, largely composed of ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks, cemented its territory and its resistance to Taliban rule. Turkey was seen as a natural ally for the Northern Alliance, particularly its Uzbek members, due to their shared Turkic heritage. At a time when Turkey was reaching out to Central Asia following nearly a century of Soviet dominance, support for the Northern Alliance was seen as a safe bet — much to Pakistan’s chagrin.
While the American invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 would force Pakistan to reluctantly side with the international community on the issue of the Taliban, certain Turkish-backed Afghan rebels continue to harbor deep distrust and outright hostility toward Pakistan. This was most notable with Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek with close ties to Turkey. Upon becoming one of Afghanistan’s two vice presidents under Ashraf Ghani’s government, Dostum took a strongly anti-Pakistani stance, declaring in 2015, “If Pakistan is playing with us for many years, we must also cut our diplomatic relations with them.” While Dostum’s threats have not come to much, he continues to remain a thorn in Pakistan’s side, and Turkey has shown no sign of giving up its support for him — even sheltering him when he was exiled on several occasions.
Nonetheless, Ankara’s support for anti-Pakistani figures in Afghanistan has not reduced its diplomatic clout in the region, and recent developments show that Erdoğan’s close relationship with Khan has only enhanced Turkey’s role as a potential peacemaker in the conflict with the Taliban. In a joint conference with Khan, Erdoğan announced that following local elections in Turkey on March 31, Istanbul would host peace talks with the Taliban and the governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is unclear if and when those talks will take place, but were they to yield results, it would be a major victory for Erdoğan and enhance his much-desired reputation as a leading figure in the Islamic world.
Conclusion
Until recently, the close relationship between Pakistan and Turkey has largely been ceremonial in nature and has yielded little in the way of significant, concrete results. Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Turkey has actively worked to cultivate closer ties with the Sunni world, long neglected by his predecessors. While Erdoğan’s successes and failures with the Arab world have been much documented, his budding relationship with Pakistan could help make up for his losses elsewhere. With similar security concerns regarding foreign enemies and domestic insurgencies and a shared insecurity regarding military coups, Pakistan and Turkey are well placed to build closer ties in areas ranging from trade to culture. Should the proposed Istanbul peace talks or the FTA come to fruition, the Pakistani-Turkish relationship could take on even greater significance for both countries.
Philip Kowalski is a freelance writer and a research assistant intern at the Middle East Institute. He previously lived in Turkey from 2012 to 2016. The views he expresses are strictly his own.
Sports: Judoka Susanna Stepanyan named European Cup winner
The Armenia judo cadet team has taken part in the Cadet European Judo Cup held in Romania, the National Olympic Committee reported.
Susanna Stepanyan (40 kg) became a gold medalist. It was the second participation and win of the Gyumrian athlete in an international tournament.
The Armenia team had left for Romania led by head coach Hovhannes Davtyan. The tournament brought together 563 athletes from 28 countries, the source said.
Another wounded soldier starts working at Armenian Presidential Office on Citizen’s Day
Another wounded soldier starts working at Armenian Presidential Office on Citizen’s Day
12:16,
YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. On the Day of the Citizen in Armenia, the Presidential Office hired another citizen, Liparit Melkonyan, who was wounded and became disabled while defending the Homeland, reports Armenpress.
“A year ago President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has made a call to assist the defenders of the homeland. The talk was about providing soldiers, who were wounded and became disabled while defending the homeland, with jobs.
As an example, as a moral duty, the President’s Office made this step months before by hiring soldier Gor Darmanyan who receives treatment in the Rehabilitation Center for the Defender of the Homeland and has professional skills.
President Sarkissian also stated that this process will be continuous. And today, on the Citizen’s Day in Armenia, another defender, Liparit Melkonyan, starts working at the Presidential Office. Another citizen of Armenia is provided with job.
Let’s continue assisting our soldiers, who sacrificed their health for the peace and security of our country and all of us, by providing them with jobs”, the Presidential office said in a statement on Facebook.
Citizen’s Day is being celebrated in Armenia for the first time on the last Saturday of April.
A number of events are scheduled on this Day across the Republic.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/26/2019
Friday, Corruption Charges Against Senior Armenian Official ‘Well-Founded’ Armenia - Davit Sanasarian (L), head of the State Oversight Service, and Artur Vanetsian (R), director of the Natonal Security Service, at a cabinet meeting in Yerevan, February 21, 2019. Corruption charges brought against a senior government official who actively participated in last year’s “velvet revolution” are “completely substantiated,” the head of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), Artur Vanetsian, insisted on Friday. The NSS indicted Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Oversight Service (SOS), last week as part of a criminal investigation into alleged corruption practices within the anti-corruption government agency. It arrested two other senior SOS officials in late February, saying that they attempted to cash in on government-funded supplies of medical equipment to three hospitals. Sanasarian is accused of helping them enrich themselves and a private company linked to them. He has rejected the accusations as “fabricated.” “There have been no fabricated [criminal] cases since the well-known events of April 2018,” countered Vanetsian. “We all are building a rule-of-law state and the National Security Service is playing a key role in that effort.” “The accusation brought against Davit Sanasarian has been completely substantiated by testimony given by various persons and face-to-face interrogations,” he told reporters. “But not wanting to breach the presumption of Mr. Sanasarian’s innocence, I am calling on everyone to wait a little, until the case is sent to court.” Earlier this week, Petrosian’s lawyer asked Armenian prosecutors to order another law-enforcement body, the Special Investigative Service (SIS), to take over the high-profile probe. Vanetsian said that he has “no problem with such a transfer.” “I have no doubts whatsoever that our investigators [from the NSS] are working within the bounds of the law,” he explained. Sanasarian’s supporters, among them leaders of some Western-funded non-governmental organizations, have strongly defended him, denouncing the NSS and Vanetsian in particular. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian hit back at the critics last week. He said that they place their personal relationships with Sanasarian above the rule of law. Armenian Police Chief’s Nephew Charged With Assault • Sargis Harutyunyan Armenia - The chief of the Armenian police, Valeri Osipian, speaks to journalists in Yerevan, December 20, 2018. A nephew of Valeri Osipian, the chief of the Armenian police, has been indicted in a renewed criminal investigation into a stabbing incident that occurred in Yerevan five years ago. Osipian insisted on Friday that the 27-year-old Sedrak Osipian did not stab and seriously wound another young man during the June 2014 dispute in the city’s southern Nubarashen suburb. A local resident, Smbul Hovannisian, said shortly after the incident that Valeri Osipian, who was then a deputy chief of Yerevan’s police department, asked her to have her son Sargis confess to the crime and thus save Sedrak from imprisonment. Armenia’s Special Investigative Service (SIS) investigated the allegation which was strongly denied by Osipian. It cleared the latter of any wrongdoing later in 2014. Another law-enforcement agency, the Investigative Committee announced this week that it has reopened the inquiry into the stabbing and charged Sedrak, Smbul Hovannisian’s son Sargis and two other men in connection with it. Sargis’s elder brother, Samvel Hovannisian, told RFE/RL Armenian service on Thursday that he has been arrested in Russia. He said he fears that Sargis will be unfairly blamed for the violent attack. He also claimed that Osipian meddled in the investigation in 2014. Osipian flatly denied any influence on the probe. “If I did have such influence, I would have made sure that the case is not reopened in the first place,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “Please stop linking me with that case,” he said. “I have nothing to do with it. I’m busy doing my job.” The police chief also insisted on his nephew’s innocence. “I’m sure that it wasn’t my brother’s son [who stabbed the Nubarashen resident.] I’m sure that the investigators will prove that.” Osipian used to be in charge of police units dealing with rallies and other public gatherings held in Yerevan. He was a fixture at virtually all major street protests staged against Armenia’s former government. Those included last spring’s mass protests led by Nikol Pashinian. Pashinian unexpectedly appointed Osipian as chief of the national police service immediately after becoming prime minister in May 2018. Pashinian Again Touts New Jobs Numbers • Ruzanna Stepanian Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (second from left) visits a new cheese factory opened by the Spayka company in Yerevan, March 26, 2019. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian reiterated on Friday that the number of officially employed people in Armenia has increased by more than 50,000 since last spring’s “velvet revolution” that brought him to power. In a recent speech delivered at the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), Pashinian spoke of 51,000 new jobs created in the country after the dramatic regime change. Critics accused him of misdealing the domestic public and the international community. They said that some Armenian companies have simply stopped underreporting the number of their employees for tax evasion purposes, rather than hired new workers. Pashinian did not deny this when he insisted on the credibility of the jobs numbers in a live Facebook broadcast. “Yes, the first theory is that these jobs were in the shadow economy and were simply brought out of the shadow after the revolution,” he said. “But of course this figure also includes newly created jobs. We need a more in-depth analysis to differentiate between these numbers.” “These nuances are not important at this point,” he went on. “What matters is that the number of jobs registered in Armenia in January 2019 was up by 50,141 from January 2018.” Pashinian vowed a tough crack down on widespread tax evasion when he was elected prime minister in May last year. The Armenian government’s tax revenues rose by over 14 percent in 2018. Armenia - Labor and Social Affairs Minister Mane Tandilian speaks at a cabinet meeting in Yerevan, 21 June 2018. Mane Tandilian, a senior lawmaker representing the opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK), welcomed the major rise in the number of registered workers but downplayed its impact on economic growth or even the government’s overall tax revenues. Tandilian, who served as labor minister in Pashinian’s cabinet from May through November, argued that greater proceeds from employee income tax collected by the government will be offset by less profit tax paid by private firms. “In essence, they cannot be considered new jobs,” she said, commenting on the employment data touted by Pashinian. “They are having no impact on economic activity because [workers newly registered with tax authorities] receive their wages and spend them in the country like they did before.” Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Tandilian also claimed that despite its anti-corruption efforts the government has yet to create a more favorable investment climate in Armenia. In particular, she pointed to repeated delays in the introduction of major tax cuts promised by Pashinian. The Armenian economy grew by 5.2 percent last year, down from 7.5 percent reported by the country’s Statistical Committee in 2017. The government has forecast a similar growth rate for 2019. Dashnaktsutyun Leaders Meet Russian Envoy Armenia - Russian Ambassador Sergey Kopyrkin at a news conference in Yerevan, December 18, 2018. Two leaders of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) met with Russia’s ambassador in Yerevan on Thursday to discuss Russian-Armenian relations and regional security. In a statement released on Friday, Dashnaktsutyun said Hagop Der Khatchadurian and Armen Rustamian also discussed with Ambassador Sergey Kopyrkin “other issues of mutual interest.” It did not give any details. Dashnaktsutyun has traditionally supported Armenia’s close ties with Russia. The pan-Armenian party reaffirmed its foreign policy orientation at a January congress in Nagorno-Karabakh which elected the new head and members of its decision-making Bureau. The Bureau is headed by Der Khatchadurian, a Canadian Armenian, and also comprises 12 other members, including Rustamian. The latter has long been one of the party’s top figures in Armenia. Dashnaktsutyun was part of Armenia’s former government ousted during last spring’s “velvet revolution.” It received two ministerial posts in a new government formed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in May. Pashinian sacked his Dashnaktsutyun-affiliated ministers in October, accusing their party of secretly collaborating with former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party. Dashnaktsutyun has since been increasingly critical of Pashinian’s government. It failed to win any seats in the Armenian parliament in snap general elections held in December. Press Review For “Aravot,” it is obvious that Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukian’s political activities are based on his business interests. “This would be a totally normal approach if he was not a National Assembly member and did not formally act like a politician,” writes the paper. It says Tsarukian’s and the BHK’s position on the thorny issue of taxing cement imported to Armenia is a vivid of example of such a conflict of interest. They want significant tariffs on cement imports because the country’s largest cement plant, Ararat Tsement, is owned by Tsarukian, and that is “not a normal phenomenon,” it says. “Parliament deputies cannot simultaneously represent the interests of their voters and one person’s business interests,” concludes “Aravot.” “Haykakan Zhamanak” says that Mihran Poghosian, a former senior official facing corruption charges in Armenia, requested political asylum in Russia after being detained there late last week. The pro-government paper dismisses Poghosian’s claims that he is prosecuted for political reasons. It also notes growing suspicions among ordinary people that the Armenian authorities allowed indicted former officials like Poghosian to flee the country in return for hefty payments. While sharing these concerns, the paper says that the authorities would break the law if they banned every ex-official from travelling abroad. “Zhoghovurd” comments on questions surrounding significant assets that have been declared by Argishti Kyaramian, one of the deputies of Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Oversight Service (SOS) prosecuted on corruption charges. The paper wonders how Kyaramian, who previously worked as a tax inspector and law-enforcement official, acquired them. The official is expected to run the SOS pending the outcome of the ongoing corruption case against Sanasarian. (Lilit Harutiunian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
President Bako Sahakyan meets with Artsakh champions of European Sambo Championship among Youth and Juniors
President Bako Sahakyan meets with Artsakh champions of European Sambo Championship among Youth and Juniors
10:53,
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan on April 25 met with Artsakh champions and prizewinners of the European Sambo Championship among Youth and Juniors, the President’s Office told Armenpress.
The President congratulated the attendees and highlighted that success of Artsakh athletes and coaches was a significant event in the republic's sports life.
“I would like to note with satisfaction that Artsakh has already become a sporting country and ensured a worthy appearance in the international arena in various sports. It is both inspiring and binding. It is inspiring, because every victory gives a powerful impetus to the athletes, coaches and the public. It is also binding as after each victory it is necessary not only maintain the achieved heights, but also develop and multiply them”, Bako Sahakyan said in his speech.
The Head of the State stressed that the state would further on keep in the spotlight the issues of developing sports and physical culture in our country.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Armenian community of Boston raises $150,000 for Anna Hakobyan’s City of Smile charitable foundation
Armenian community of Boston raises $150,000 for Anna Hakobyan’s City of Smile charitable foundation
10:42, 8 April, 2019
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Nearly $150,000 was raised by the Armenian community of Boston, USA during a sold-out gala Friday night for Anna Hakobyan’s City of Smile charitable foundation at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, the Boston Globe reported.
Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, was in attendance of the event as part of her visit to the United States.
Hakobyan is Chairman of the Board of City of Smile, the Yerevan-based charitable organization that helps children with cancer in Armenia.
“In wealthy and developed countries, cancer is just a disease, but in many less-developed countries, it is equal to a death sentence,” Boston Globe quoted Hakobyan as saying in her remarks.
Around 450 guests attended the event, including Ambassador of Armenia to the United States Varuzhan Nersesyan, Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, designer Michael Aram, artist Arpi Krikorian and others.
“I dream to establish . . . a hospital in Armenia which has all of the necessary drugs and techniques so no parent has to take their child to Europe, Russia, or the United States. My dream is that our children stay at home in Armenia and receive treatment in close proximity of their houses”, she continued.
Burlington resident and event co-chair Cynthia Kazanjian — who said City of Smile hopes to appropriate the St. Jude Children’s Hospital model in that it wants to ensure children in Armenia receive treatment regardless of family income — likened Hakobyan’s stature in Armenia and with the Armenian Diaspora to that of former US First Lady Michelle Obama.
“She and her husband, who was elected in December, are trying to build a new Armenia and for the first time, the people there have hope. For a long time, people were either very poor or very rich, with no middle class,” Kazanjian said. “With new leadership, that is changing. It’s very exciting.”
Boston is one of five cities Hakobyan is visiting on a 17-day trip to the United States. While in Boston, she also met with medical professionals and students at Harvard and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, visited the Armenian Heritage Park on the Greenway, and met with Armenian dignitaries for lunch at Union Oyster House. She also visited the Armenian Museum of America and St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School, both in Watertown.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan