Author: Nyrie Kalashian

                                        Friday, 

Russian Gas Cheaper Than Iranian, Says Armenian Minister


 . Astghik Bedevian


A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is
seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Gulf

Armenia imports the bulk of its natural gas from Russia because it is
cheaper than gas supplied by neighboring Iran, Energy Infrastructures
Minister Ashot Manukian insisted on Friday.

Russia gas, which currently costs Armenia $150 per thousand cubic
meters, meets more than 80 percent of the country's annual demand. The
remaining gas imports come from Iran under a swap arrangement
involving supplies of Armenian electricity to the Islamic Republic.

"If a lower price is offered to us, we will definitely buy [more
Iranian gas,]" Manukian told a news conference.

Manukian said Prime Minister Karen Karapetian made this clear during
an official visit to Tehran last week. In his words, Karapetian told
Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh: "If you can give us gas at a lower
price, we are ready to directly buy gas from you and partly abandon
this [swap] deal."


Iran - Iran's First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri (R) meets with
Armenian Minister for Energy Infrastructures Ashot Manukian in Tehran,
5Dec2016.

The gas-for-electricity exchange is due to be significantly expanded
after the ongoing construction of a third power transmission line that
will connect Armenia to Iran.

A senior executive of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) claimed
in August that Armenia would like to more than double Iranian gas
imports even before the high-voltage line goes on stream in 2019. He
made clear that the Armenian side would have to pay for extra supplies
in cash and that they would cost Yerevan more than Russian gas does.

Iranian media last week quoted the country's Deputy Oil Minister
Amir-Hossein Zamaninia as saying that Karapetian also discussed in
Tehran the possibility of Armenian imports of gas from Turkmenistan
via Iran. Yerevan is interested in Turkmen gas because it would
presumably be cheaper for Armenian than Iranian gas.

Karapetian, who managed Armenia's Russian-owned gas distribution
network from 2001-2010, declined to elaborate on his gas talks with
Iranian leaders when he spoke to reporters in Gyumri on Wednesday. He
said only that he returned from Iran with "very good and very
promising projects."



Yerevan `Still Committed' To Karabakh Talks Despite Truce Violation


 . Hovannes Movsisian


Armenia - Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian (R) and his Polish
counterpart Witold Waszczykowski at a joint news briefing in Yerevan,
20Oct2017

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said on Friday that Armenia will
not avoid further peace talks with Azerbaijan despite continuing
ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh that left an Armenian soldier
dead.

The 19-year-old soldier, Tigran Khachatrian, was reportedly killed by
Azerbaijani sniper fire on Thursday just three days after the latest
meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents held in Geneva.

Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev pledged to intensify the peace
process and bolster the ceasefire regime in the Karabakh conflict
zone. "We agreed to take measures to further ease tensions so that we
have no casualties on the frontlines," the Armenian president said
after the talks.

The U.S., Russian and French mediators said in that regard that they
will soon hold follow-up "working sessions" with Nalbandian and
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Reacting to the Armenian soldier's death later on Thursday,
Sarkisian's Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) accused Baku of "trying
to walk away" from the Geneva understandings. Nalbandian also deplored
the Azerbaijani truce violation when he spoke after talks in Yerevan
with Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski.

"Unfortunately, after the summit held in Geneva there have been
various speculations by Baku, and ceasefire violations in the conflict
zone are continuing, as a result of which an [Armenian] soldier was
killed yesterday," Nalbandian told a joint news briefing.

"My Polish counterpart and I agree that there is no alternative to a
solely peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict based on
principles of international law," he added.

Nalbandian did not say when he and Mammadyarov will hold the planned
meetings with the three mediators leading the Minsk Group of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.



Karapetian Again Discusses Anti-Graft Measures With U.S. Envoy


Armenia - Prime Minister Karen Karapetian (L) and U.S. Ambassador
Richard Mills attend a celebration organized by the USAID mission in
Yerevan, 12Oct2017.

The U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, Richard Mills, met with Prime Minister
Karen Karapetian on Friday for further discussions on the Armenian
government's stated efforts to combat endemic corruption in Armenia.

Karapetian was reported to brief Mills on the government's "consistent
policy" of reducing "corruption risks" through the enactment of
relevant legislation and the "active work" of its Anti-Corruption
Council. A government statement also cited him as calling for
U.S. assistance to the council and his broader reform agenda.

According to the statement, Mills praised the Armenia government's
efforts to strengthen the rule of law and improve the business
environment, saying that they have already increased U.S. investors'
interests in Armenia. "He said that over the past 8-10 months he has
received positive signals from American companies operating in Armenia
especially with regard to ongoing reforms in the customs sector,"
added the statement.

Mills urged the authorities in Yerevan to tackle corruption in earnest
in a speech delivered in February. He said they should send a "clear
message from on high that corruption will not be tolerated and that no
one # is above the law." In that regard, the envoy suggested that the
government set up a "fully independent anti-corruption body that can
both investigate and prosecute cases."

The authorities decided instead to form a different anti-graft body
that will start functioning early next year. The Commission on
Preventing Corruption is to scrutinize income and asset declarations
to be submitted by over 2,000 senior state officials and investigate
possible conflicts of interest among them. Under a government bill
passed by the Armenian parliament in June, it will be empowered to ask
law-enforcement bodies to prosecute officials suspected of graft.

The separate Anti-Corruption Council was previously overseen by
Karapetian's predecessor, Hovik Abrahamian. It approved in 2015 a
three-year plan of actions against various corrupt practices.

Despite skepticism voiced by many Armenian civil society members, the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged in February
2016 to support the program's implementation with a $750,000
grant. Mills said in February that the USAID has since allocated less
than 2.5 percent of that money because of a lack of "concrete
progress" in the work of that body.

The USAID's current country director for Armenia, Deborah Grieser, was
also present at Mills' latest meeting with Karapetian.

Armenia ranked, together with Bolivia and Vietnam, 113th out of 176
countries evaluated in Transparency International's most recent
Corruption Perceptions Index released in January.



Press Review



"Zhoghovurd" notes that an Armenian soldier was shot and killed by
Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh on Thursday just three days
after the Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meeting in Geneva. The
paper says that Baku continues to violate the ceasefire despite
President Ilham Aliyev's reported pledge to ease tensions on the
frontlines. "The incident must first and foremost be a cause for
concern for the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group," it says. "They
must explicitly demand that Azerbaijan put an end to its
unconstructive actions and attempts to torpedo the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement process."

"Zhamanak" urges Armenia and the European Union to issue "clear
statements" to the effect that they will sign their Comprehensive and
Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) next month. "In case of its
non-signing, it won't matter at all by how much it will be delayed and
who is to blame for that," writes the paper.

"Haykakan Zhamanak" scoffs at Prime Minister Karen Karapetian's remark
that Armenians should "treat with patience" the latest rise in the
prices of some foodstuffs and gasoline. The paper is unconvinced by
Karapetian's and other officials' assurances that the price hikes were
caused by external market factors. It argues that in September the
price of sugar plummeted by more than 30 percent year on year in the
international markets but rose by 3.4 percent in Armenia. Sugar
imports to the country are controlled by Samvel Aleksanian, a
pro-government wealthy businessman.

"Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" comments on the resignation of Portugal's
interior minister which followed a series of deadly wildfires in the
country. The paper suggests with sarcasm that he should have "followed
his Armenian counterparts' example" and listed the quantity of
equipment used for extinguishing the fires.

(Tigran Avetisian)


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

                                        Tuesday, September 3, 2017

Meat, Butter Prices Soar In Armenia


 . Anush Mkrtchian


Armenia - Meat sold in a food market in Yerevan, 3Oct2017.

Retail prices of meat and butter in Armenia have risen by more than 20
percent in the last ten days, making these foodstuffs even less
affordable for a large part of the country's population.

Particularly drastic has been a surge in the price of pork. It stood
at roughly 2,600 drams ($5.4) in grocery stores and markets in Yerevan
on Tuesday, up from 1,600-1,800 drams in August. Beef and lamb prices
soared by 20-30 percent to 2,100 and 2,200 drams per kilogram
respectively.

Butter, which is mostly imported to Armenia from New Zealand and other
countries, was sold for about 4,000 drams per kilo, up from 2,800
drams less than two weeks ago.

Traders in a Yerevan food market, where prices are lower than in
supermarkets and smaller stores, said their sales have fallen
significantly because of the price hikes.

"We are embarrassed to tell the price to pensioners," one butter
trader told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "Butter is now
more expensive than meat," complained his wife.

Armenia's state anti-trust regulator, the State Commission for the
Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC), blamed the increased cost
of butter on external factors. "Butter prices have risen in virtually
all countries of the world," said Gnel Alaverdian, head of the SCPEC's
analytical department.

"According to the main companies exporting butter from New Zealand,
international butter prices rose by over 130 percent between May 2016
and September 2017." he added. "This is an unprecedented price
hike. In the same period, retail prices of butter in our country rose
by only 44-50 percent."

Armenia is far less dependent on imports of meat. The SCPEC could not
explain the sharp rise in the prices of this foodstuff, saying that it
is not monitoring the domestic meat market.

According to the National Statistical Service (NSS), year-on-year
consumer price inflation in the country averaged less than 1 percent
in January-August 2017.




Opposition Bloc Insists On Armenia's Exit From Eurasian Union


 . Tatevik Lazarian


Armenia - Nikol Pashinian (L) and other deputies from the opposition
Yelk alliance attend a parliament session in Yerevan, 3Oct2017.

The opposition Yelk alliance forced the Armenian parliament on Tuesday
to debate its calls for Armenia to leave the Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU) which are opposed by the three other political groups
represented in the National Assembly.

The 90-minute debate came just days after the parliament committee on
foreign relations rejected a Yelk proposal to set up an ad hoc
commission that would look into consequences of the country's
membership in the Russian-led bloc. The pro-Western bloc responded by
taking the matter to the parliament floor.

Earlier in September Yelk drafted a parliamentary declaration saying
that the Armenian authorities must embark on a "process" of
invalidating their accession treaty with the EEU. It said that EEU
membership, effective from January 2015, has hurt the country's
economy and security. Yelk's leaders decided to postpone parliamentary
discussions on the document for now and focus instead on the idea of
the special commission.

One of them, Nikol Pashinian, said during Tuesday's debate that the
proposed parliamentary inquiry is aimed at "protecting Armenia's
sovereignty" which has been dealt "very serious blows" by the
EEU. Armenia must not only leave the EEU but also seek an Association
Agreement with the European Union, he said.

Parliamentary leaders of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK)
again dismissed the initiative. One of them, deputy speaker Eduard
Sharmazanov, insisted that most Armenian parties and ordinary citizens
oppose an exit from the EEU.

"This is one of the few issues on which both the authorities and the
majority of the opposition agree," Sharmazanov told fellow
lawmakers. "Secondly # what we should discuss first is not the
question of what the EEU has given us but the damage that would occur
in case of our exit."

Another senior HHK figure, Armen Ashotian, said that it is the
Armenian government, rather than the EEU, that is primarily
responsible for the country's economic woes. "Why aren't you demanding
the government's resignation and are seeking an exit from the EEU
instead?" he said.

Representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun), the HHK's junior coalition partner, and businessman
Gagik Tsarukian's bloc, which claims to be in opposition to the
government, also made clear that they will vote against the Yelk
motion.

Yelk holds 9 seats in the 105-member parliament.



Armenian Businessman Sentenced For Fraud


 . Ruzanna Gishian


Armenia - Businessman Ashot Sukiasian stands trial in Yerevan,
5May2016.

An Armenian businessman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for
defrauding another entrepreneur who has implicated former Prime
Minister Tigran Sarkisian in the high-profile case.

A district court in Yerevan convicted Ashot Sukiasian late on Monday
of having misappropriated most of a $10.7 million loan which his
former business partner, Paylak Hayrapetian, borrowed from an Armenian
commercial bank in 2012. Sukiasian had pledged to invest that money in
diamond mining in Sierra Leone. He never did that, according to
prosecutors.

Sukiasian was arrested in Georgia, extradited to Armenia and charged
with fraud, money laundering and tax evasion in 2014. The Armenian
police issued an international arrest warrant for him in 2013 after a
series of reports published by Hetq.am.

The investigative publication discovered that Hayrapetian's money was
transferred to the offshore bank accounts of several Cyprus-registered
companies. It disclosed a document purportedly certifying that one of
those firms is co-owned by Sukiasian, then Prime Minister Sarkisian
and Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Both Sarkisian, who resigned as prime minister in April 2014, and
Kchoyan strongly denied having any stakes in the company, saying that
it was registered in their names in Cyprus without their
knowledge. Sukiasian claimed to have forged their signatures shortly
after his arrest.

Hayrapetian, a formerly wealthy man now living in a modest Yerevan
apartment, continued to implicate Sarkisian in the alleged scam,
however. The former premier, who now heads the Moscow-based executive
body of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, filed a libel suit
against him in 2015.

During his trial, Sukiasian denied not only the ex-premier's and
Archbishop Kchoyan's links to the offshore firm but also the charges
levelled against him. His lawyer, Yuri Khachatrian, told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that he will appeal against the
verdict.

Khachatrian said earlier that Sukiasian himself is a victim of
fraud. He claimed that his client lost control over a diamond mine in
Sierra Leone because he was cheated by a Belarusian partner. The
lawyer also dismissed Hayrapetian's complaints, saying that the latter
was always aware that doing business in the war-ravaged African state
is very risky.

In addition to the lengthy prison sentence, a district court in
Yerevan also ordered the arrested businessman to pay Hayrapetian
almost 9 billion drams ($19 million) in damages.



Press Review



"Zhamanak" disagrees with assertions that recent independence
referendums in Iraqi Kurdistan, Spain's Catalonia region and other
parts of the world bode well for a pro-Armenian solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "Catalonia and Iraqi Kurdistan cannot be a
precedent for Karabakh," the paper says. "Neither can, from the
Azerbaijani perspective, Crimea, Abkhazia or South Ossetia, which are
cases rejected by the international community. We won't discuss
motives and evaluations. At any rate, they are extremely subjective."

"Our strength probably lies in the notion that [ethnic] conflicts
around the world are not identical and therefore cannot serve as an
example to each other," continues "Zhamanak." "That approach ensures a
much less vulnerable and a much easier, in terms of room for foreign
policy maneuver, situation for Armenia because Armenia does not have
to side any parties to other conflicts."

"Zhoghovurd" claims that the Armenian authorities expect to receive
large-scale economic assistance from the European Union after signing
the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the
EU in November. "For that purpose they have started flattering
European officials, expressing their gratitude for the assistance
provided to date. That assistance includes cooperation with the EU
during the [April 2017 Armenian] parliamentary elections # The
authorities are used to asking for money for the implementation of one
or another program but that funding does not always serve its
purpose. And when donors demand reports on the use of their money the
authorities immediately go on a counteroffensive."

"Haykakan Zhamanak" says that socioeconomic factors are the main
reason for a continuing out-migration of people from Armenia. "In
essence, the key to Armenia's development lies in cutting off the
direct link between [migrant] remittances, economic growth and
out-migration," writes the paper. "All we have to do is to ensure a
qualitative change in the economy. That in turns means radical reforms
of management of the economy, a de-monopolization [of the economy,] a
separation of business and politics, a reduction in the scale of
corruption, and greater efficiency of the judicial system."

(Tigran Avetisian)


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani Opposition
 Tuesday


Elimination of All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress in Russia Unfriendly
Step Towards Azerbaijan - MFA



Baku / 19.09.17 / Turan: Elimination of the All-Russian Azerbaijani
Congress (ARAC) in Russia is an unfriendly step towards Azerbaijan.
This was stated by the official representative of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev, commenting on the
decision of the Appeals Board of the Supreme Court of Russia to
approve the first instance court's verdict on the liquidation of ARAC.

"In general, we regard the decision to eliminate ARAC, which played an
important role in the development of humanitarian relations between
Azerbaijan and Russia, as an unfriendly step from the political point
of view, which severely impacts the development of the strategic
partnership of the two countries at a high level," Hajiyev said to the
state news agency AzerTaj.

The reasons for such an unfriendly decision of the Russian Federation
on the liquidation of ARAC are not clear. Moreover, Russia is one of
the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, and this status
requires demonstration of a balanced approach towards the sides of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. "At the time when an unfair approach to
the representatives of the Azerbaijani community living in Russia is
being applied with the elimination of ARAC, the Russian Union of
Armenians is fully supported and continues its activities," Hajiyev
continued.

In general, the Russian Federation's policy regarding the liquidation
of ARAC is surprising and causes serious questions and deep regret,
Hajiyev summarized. -06D--

AZ Laundromat.png
PNG image

`                                       Monday, September 4, 2017

Armenia Skips U.S.-Led Military Exercises In Georgia


 . Anush Muradian


Georgia -- U.S. soldiers take part in the joint NATO-Georgia military
exercise 'Agile Spirit 2015' at the military base of Vaziani, outside
Tbilisi, July 21, 2015.

Just weeks after participating in U.S.-led military exercises in
neighboring Georgia, Armenia avoided sending troops to similar
multinational wargames that began there on Sunday.

The annual "Agile Spirit" exercises taking place near the Georgian
town of Akhaltsikhe involve around 500 troops from the U.S. Marine
Corps and some 1,000 soldiers from Georgia, Azerbaijan and four other
countries. Both the U.S. and Georgian militaries said last week that
Armenia will also take part in the two-week drills.

"Armenia was due to participate in the military exercises, but
unfortunately it abandoned that intention a few days before their
start," a spokesman for the Georgian Defense Ministry said on
Sunday. "I don't know what the reason for that is." The official added
that the Armenian military was due to send three medics to the drills.

Armenia's Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakarian acknowledged on
Monday that Yerevan planned to take part in the Akhaltsikhe drills. He
insisted, however, that "Armenia never officially stated that it will
definitely participate."

"In any activity, certain revisions are always possible," Zakarian
told reporters. "You should not see anything extraordinary in that."

Zakarian would not be drawn on reasons for the change of plans, saying
only that they are not "political." He specifically denied that
Armenia dropped out of the U.S.-led drills under pressure from Russia,
its key military ally.

Yerevan has long maintained very close military ties with Moscow both
through bilateral arrangements and membership in the Russian-led
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Nevertheless, it has
deepened defense cooperation with the U.S. and other NATO member
states since the early 2000s.


Georgia -- The flags of countries taking part in the Noble Partner
2017 military exercise, 30Jul2017

Some 30 Armenian soldiers took part in larger U.S.-led exercises that
were held near Tbilisi as recently as in the first half of
August. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited the 2,800 troops
participating in the drills codenamed "Noble Partner" during an August
1 trip to Georgia.

According to the U.S. military, the latest maneuvers are designed to
enhance "U.S., Georgian, and regional partner interoperability and
strengthen understanding of each nation's tactics, techniques and
procedures."

In July, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin criticized
exercises frequently organized by NATO in Georgia, saying that they
undermine regional security.

Incidentally, Armenia's arch-foe Azerbaijan dropped out of the "Noble
Partner" drills but chose to participate in the "Agile Spirit"
wargames.



Armenian Website Rejects `Russian Demand'


 . Artak Hambardzumian


Russia -- Businessman Ruben Tatulian, 8Apr2014.

An Armenian civil society group said on Monday that Russia's state
media regulator wants it remove from one of its websites a story on
the alleged arrest in the Czech Republic of a controversial
Russian-Armenian businessman.

Like several Armenian media outlets, the Union of Informed Citizens
(UIC) reported that the businessman, Ruben Tatulian, and three other
men were detained in the Czech resort of Karlovy Vary in May during a
gathering of crime figures from the former Soviet Union.

Tatulian strongly denied the information, however. He circulated a
purported letter by the Czech police certifying that he was not taken
into custody or placed under investigation.

The UIC leader, Daniel Ioannisian, said his watchdog has received a
letter from Roskomnadzor, the Russian government agency that monitors
and regulates the Internet, demanding the removal of the story on
Tatulian's alleged arrest from the UIC's Russian-language website,
Armrus.info. He said Roskomnadzor cited a Russian law on protection of
personal data.

Ioannisian made clear that the UIC will reject the demand. "The
Russian Federation's laws are not valid in Armenia," he told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Roskomonadzor's decisions therefore
cannot be binding for Armenian entities, he said

"That report does not contradict Armenia's laws or journalistic ethics
... and we have decided that we will not remove it," stressed
Iovannisian.

Armrus.info and other Yerevan-based publications described Tatulian as
a crime figure nicknamed "Robson" who entered the Czech Republic with
an Armenian diplomatic passport.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed at the time that Tatulian, who
is not known to have been involved in any diplomatic activity on
behalf of Armenia, holds such a passport. But the ministry declined to
clarify why and how he had received it.

According to Russian media, Tatulian is based in the Black Sea city of
Sochi and has extensive business interests as well as strong
government connections in southern Russia. He was among three dozen
ethnic Armenian entrepreneurs who set up in January an investment fund
to finance various business projects in Armenia. In a joint statement,
they also voiced support for Prime Minister Karen Karapetian.



Armenian Defense Chief Visits China


China - Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and his Armenian
counterpart Vigen Sargsian inspect an honor guard at a welcoming
ceremony in Beijing, 4Sep2017.

China's Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and his visiting Armenian
counterpart Vigen Sargsian reportedly agreed to deepen military ties
between their countries when they met in Beijing on Monday.

"The sides concurred that it is necessary to step up efforts to deepen
Chinese-Armenian cooperation in the area of defense, especially given
the existence of potential for that," the Armenian Defense Ministry
said in a statement on their talks. "They reached an agreement to
intensify mutual contacts."

The two ministers signed after the talks an agreement on the release
of 10 million yuans ($1.5 million) in fresh Chinese military aid to
Armenia.

Earlier in the day, Sargsian visited the Beijing headquarters of the
China Poly Group, a state-owned business conglomerate engaged, among
other things, in exports of Chinese-made weapons. The Defense Ministry
said he and top Poly Group executives "expressed readiness to continue
active discussions on prospects for mutually beneficial bilateral
defense cooperation." No details were reported.


China - Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and his Armenian
counterpart Vigen Sargsian sign an agreement in Beijing, 4Sep2017.

Chinese-Armenian military ties appear to have already deepened in the
last several years. A top Chinese military official, Rear Admiral Guan
Youfei, visited Yerevan in April for talks with Sargsian as well as
the chief of the Armenian army staff, Lieutenant General Movses
Hakobian, and Deputy Defense Minister Davit Pakhchanian. The latter
oversees the Armenian defense industry.

"Agreements were reached on expanding cooperation and implementing a
number of mutually beneficial projects in the area of defense," the
Armenian Defense Ministry said at the time.

Sargsian's predecessor, Seyran Ohanian, paid an official visit to
Beijing in December 2013 less than two years after two states signed
an agreement on "military and military-technical cooperation."

News reports said in 2011 Armenia has acquired Chinese AR1A
multiple-launch rocket systems with a firing range of more than 100
kilometers. Yerevan did not officially confirm that, though. So far
the Armenian military has demonstrated only WM-80 rockets systems that
were supplied by China in the late 1990s.

China's President Xi Jinping and his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sarkisian apparently discussed defense issues at their March 2015
talks in Beijing. A 5-page joint communique released by them after the
talks said the two nations will "continue their practical partnership
in areas such as mutual visits by military delegations, training of
military personnel, and provision of military aid."

The declaration also said Xi and Sarkisian noted "mutual understanding
on issues relating to pivotal interests and concerns of the two
countries."

Defense Minister Sargsian was cited by his press office as telling
Chang that Armenia supports China's increased role in "confronting
contemporary global challenges."



Press Review


(Saturday, September 2)

Citing official data on the numbers of children who were born in
Armenia in 2011 and went to school for the first time on September 1,
"Haykakan Zhamanak" estimates at that least 2,500 young families have
left the country in the last six years. "Through simple mathematical
calculations, it is not hard to imagine the real scale of emigration
from Armenia," the paper says.

"September 1 has become a real race among our parents over who will
buy more expensive clothes for their children, who will drive their
children to school in a more luxurious car, and who will give a more
spectacular bouquet [of flowers] to the teacher," writes "Hraparak."
"Outside the schools, there is commotion, a multitude of filming
parents, a parade of principals and teachers who have just come from
hair salons. But should this academic holiday be really marked in this
way? Was it really impossible to think of rituals or traditions that
would give their participants a sense of spiritual satisfaction?"

"Hayots Ashkhar" notes that Armenian opposition groups have
traditionally predicted heated political autumns in the country but
have made no such forecasts this time around. "One of the reasons for
that is the absence of an opposition field," Artur Ghazarian, a
political analyst, tells the paper. "General elections [held in April]
have caused defeated political forces left out of the new parliament
to die down # I therefore expect no political storms on our political
arena. Instead, there is a different danger. Certain geopolitical
processes are now unfolding from the East to the West, and that
tension could result in a storm at some point."

"In recent months Armenia has been rocked by a spate of criminal
stories and accidents," writes Lragir.am. "There have been a number of
high-profile murders, including a mass shooting. There are practically
daily news reports about incidents involving the use of firearms #
What is going on? Does this mean the entry of practices of the
globalized world into Armenia or just a series of coincidences?"

(Tigran Avetisian)


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org