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Author: Talar Tumanian

Armenian government approves draft strategy of public administration system reform

Talar Tumanian



  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Public Administration Reform Strategy

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that this document is one of the five most important documents of our state, even [the second-most important] after the constitution”, said Armenian Justice Minister Karen Andreasyan.

The government has approved a draft strategy for reforming public administration. As a result of this reform, an increase in the efficiency of public administration is expected – due to the modernization of the work of the entire system.

The ultimate goal of this project is the formation of a system of progressive democratic governance and the creation of a state system of the fourth generation.

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The Public Administration Reform Strategy is a document that outlines new approaches to

  • policy development and coordination,
  • providing quality services to the citizens of the country,
  • human resource management,
  • modernization of state institutions.

The government assures that for the first time after the collapse of the USSR and the declaration of independence, a document has been developed for the full reform of the entire state system.

The rationale for the project states that the adoption and implementation of a reform strategy is a priority for ensuring the security and stable development of the country.

The key problems that are supposed to be solved with the new strategy are low management efficiency, insufficient institutional capacity, low quality of services provided by government agencies, and imperfection of the public services system.

Salary increases after certification for teachers in Armenia: salaries of teachers who voluntarily pass certification will be doubled

According to Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan, the strategy developed by the government aims to solve many conceptual problems:

“Problems of the entire management system were diagnosed very objectively – at all levels. Together with the diagnostics, all possible solutions are prescribed – in several stages”.

He stressed that reforms had already been carried out in the sphere of public services in the country, which led to a partial improvement in the situation, but serious problems remained. In particular, the current system of civil service, in his opinion, most of all needs institutional modernization. He says that often the system not only does not help but also interferes with the work. In addition, it does not sufficiently encourage its best staff members:

“This strategy clearly outlines solutions to this – how to reward, how to encourage those really deserving, how to make the civil service attractive – in comparison and competition with the private sector”.

Armenia to use the Black Sea as an alternative to the Upper Lars checkpoint, as the only land road connecting Armenia with Russia is often closed due to poor weather conditions or landslides

According to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the problems were identified during a three-year rigorous study of the public administration system, which he compared to a car that is inconvenient for everyone who uses it:

“We discovered (although we already knew) that this ‘car’ has extra parts and missing parts, that this ‘car’ does not meet modern requirements, is inconvenient for both drivers and passengers, sometimes it consumes more gasoline without gaining sufficient speed, sometimes its brakes fail, sometimes it skids on corners”.

The prime minister is confident that in the process of implementing the strategy, society will stop criticizing his government for the fact that employees of state institutions are regularly given high bonuses. According to him, in order to attract highly qualified specialists, it is necessary to give a decent salary:

“But in order for proper remuneration not to be an unbearable burden for the state budget, this service must be optimal in size. We keep saying that our state system is extremely overloaded, but there are links where there are not enough people to do some work”.

NGOs as well as war participants discuss the issue of employment of veterans, who got wounded or even disabled as a result of the Karabakh war

The authors of the project assure that the new strategy will lead to the formation of a system of progressive democratic government.

To achieve this strategic goal, a sequence of steps has been developed:

  • creating a realistic, efficient, predictable reporting system for strategic planning and policy implementation,
  • provision of public services to citizens based on modern, technological platforms,
  • the formation of professional civil service, independent of changes in the balance of political forces, with awareness of public interests, as well as with a decent salary,
  • creation of effective state institutions on the principle of “maximum ratio of price and quality” of the work performed,
  • formation and preservation of high-quality human capital in the state system,
  • formation of a technological and innovative system of public administration,
  • resource-efficient and sustainable public administration.

Gambling and fight against it in Armenia: gambling stakes made in Armenia last year doubled the revenues of the country’s budget. A story of one family’s struggle with gambling addiction

The reforms are planned to be completed by 2030, consistently implementing three pre-planned stages:

  1. “Institutional and functional modernization” (2022-2024) – elimination of systemic shortcomings in all areas, the formation of effective structures.
  2. “Systemic transformation” (2025-2027) in all strategic areas is a prerequisite for the formation of the fourth generation state system.
  3. “Government 4.0 and the digital state” (2028-2030) provides for the completion of all reforms and reaching the level of the fourth generation state system.

Laguna Beach doctor receives national award for humanitarian work in Armenia

Talar Tumanian
By

 LB Indy Staff

 -

Dr. Roger Ohanesian, a 47-year resident of Laguna Beach, was recently honored for 30 years of humanitarian work in Armenia to eliminate preventable blindness by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

In 1992, the Orange County-based ophthalmologist made his first trip to Armenia, his ancestral homeland. Countless residents were injured in a deadly earthquake, including many with eye injuries who needed treatment quickly.

Soon after this trip, Ohanesian founded the nonprofit Armenian Eye Care Project. On April 24, he received the coveted Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award in Washington, D.C.

“You have no idea when you start something what it’s going to turn out to be,” Ohanesian said in a statement. “It has truly, though, for me, been the honor of a lifetime.”

Over 100 physicians have voluntarily visited Armenia to train local physicians and work on complicated cases with coordination by the Armenian Eye Care Project. Armenian ophthalmologists received advanced education and training through U.S. fellowships. The nonprofit has also created a mobile eye hospital.

“For 30 years, Roger has dedicated his life to helping people rise above blindness half a world away. He’s been passionate, he’s been persistent, and he’s been extremely efficient in gathering resources and recruiting like-minded volunteers through his contagious enthusiasm and folksy charm,” said Dr. John Hovanesian, a fellow Orange County ophthalmologist.

The ASCRS Foundation’s Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award is endowed by a $50,000 gift from Dr. David Chang and Victoria Chang, which Ohanesian has gifted to the Armenian EyeCare Project.

Baku responds to Pashinyan`s statements about POWs and accuses Yerevan of insincerity

Talar Tumanian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Baku reacted to the statements of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan about the prisoners of war.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that they consider the  accusations voiced by Pashinyan during his visit to the Netherlands  "unfounded and calling into question the sincerity of Yerevan in the  issue of normalizing relations with Baku and achieving peace in the  region."

"The baseless accusations made by the Prime Minister of Armenia  against Azerbaijan, including far from reality claims on humanitarian  issues, show that the Armenian leadership is not at all sincere in  the issue of normalizing relations between the two countries.  Providing maps of minefields by Armenia is not a "humanitarian  gesture", it is was Yerevan's commitment in the framework of the  tripartite statement dated November 10, 2020. After the signing of  this document, 219 people became victims of mines in Azerbaijan, and  these are mostly civilians, said Abdullayeva. As for the accusations  of not returning the detained Armenians, Baku considers them  saboteurs, sent to the territory of Azerbaijan after the end of the  war. Unfounded accusations against Azerbaijan cast doubt on Armenia's  readiness to act in the name of peace," said Leyla Abdullayeva,  spokeswoman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Thus, from the logic of Abdullayeva, it turns out that only Yerevan  has obligations under the agreement, and they are not obligatory for  Baku. It is also worth noting that in the tripartite statement there  is not a word about the transfer of maps of minefields, however,  paragraph 8 of the statement of November 9, 2020 states the need for  an exchange of prisoners of war and detainees on the principle of  "all for all".

It should be noted that on May 11 in the Netherlands, Pashinyan  touched upon the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners held by  Baku. He expressed regret that, despite the statement of November 9,  2020, in response to the calls of many international organizations,  the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, taken prisoner during the  44-day war, have not yet been returned. "This is the practice of  using people for political purposes and turning them into an object  of trade, which is very reprehensible," Nikol Pashinyan said,  stressing that it was in order to avoid such bargaining that he once  decided to transfer to Azerbaijan all the maps of minefields at his  disposal. The Armenian side hoped that this humanitarian step would  be followed by another humanitarian step.  "Nevertheless, today at  least 38 of our prisoners of war remain in Azerbaijan (according to  unofficial data, there are many more – ed. note). Attempts are  constantly being made to make this process the subject of bidding on  a variety of topics. By the way, for the last time in the presence of  the President of the European Council, the President of Azerbaijan  promised to release another group of prisoners, but this has not  happened yet. I think it is impossible to talk about peace, ignoring  the humanitarian side of the issue, we have shown this in practice,"  Nikol Pashinyan said. 

Armenia ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents and the Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism

Talar Tumanian
May 4 2022
STRASBOURG 04/05/2022

On 4 May 2022, Ambassador Arman KHACHATRYAN, Permanent Representative of Armenia, in the presence of the Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge, deposited the instruments of ratification of the:   

  • Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (CETS 205), also known as Tromsø Convention 
  • Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS 217). 

Both treaties will enter into force for Armenia on 1 September 2022.  

Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (CETS No. 205)  

This Convention is the first binding international legal instrument to recognise a general right of access to official documents held by public authorities. Transparency of public authorities is a key feature of good governance and an indicator of whether or not a society is genuinely democratic and pluralist. The right of access to official documents is also essential to the self-development of people and to the exercise of fundamental human rights. It also strengthens public authorities’ legitimacy in the eyes of the public, and its confidence in them.  

This Convention lays down a right of access to official documents. Limitations on this right are only permitted in order to protect certain interests like national security, defence or privacy.  

The Convention sets forth the minimum standards to be applied in the processing of requests for access to official documents (forms of and charges for access to official documents), review procedure and complementary measures and it has the flexibility required to allow national laws to build on this foundation and provide even greater access to official documents.  

Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No. 217)  

The Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No. 196) makes a number of acts, including taking part in an association or group for the purpose of terrorism, receiving terrorist training, travelling abroad for the purposes of terrorism and financing or organising travel for this purpose, a criminal offence. The Protocol also provides for a network of 24-hour-a-day national contact points facilitating the rapid exchange of information.  

The Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No. 196) aims to strengthen member States’ efforts to prevent terrorism in two different ways: 

  • by establishing as criminal offences certain acts that may lead to the commission of terrorist offences, namely: public provocation, recruitment and training 
  • by reinforcing co-operation on prevention both internally (national prevention policies), and internationally (modification of existing extradition and mutual assistance arrangements and additional means). 

The Convention contains a provision on the protection and compensation of victims of terrorism. A consultation process is planned to ensure effective implementation and follow up. 

  

More information:  

  • Tromsø Convention
  • Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT)  
https://www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-rule-of-law/-/armenia-ratifies-the-council-of-europe-convention-on-access-to-official-documents-and-the-additional-protocol-to-the-convention-on-the-prevention-of-t


Armenian-founded DISQO company acquires Feedback Loop

Talar Tumanian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 6 2022

Armenian-founded customer experience platform DISQO today announced the acquisition of Feedback Loop, Inc. Feedback Loop’s SaaS technology empowers fast and easy consumer feedback for product and marketing professionals, from early-stage discovery to ideation and design. The acquisition accelerates DISQO’s mission to build the most trusted platform that fuels brand growth by connecting consumers’ sentiments to their online behaviors. With the addition of Feedback Loop, DISQO facilitates aq comprehensive understanding of brand, product, and customer experiences for any organization, from SMBs to enterprises.  

Rob Holland, CEO of Feedback Loop and former GVP of Oracle Data Cloud, has been named EVP, General Manager of Feedback Loop at DISQO. Approximately 50 new team members will join DISQO, bringing the global headcount to more than 500 people.

The acquisition follows DISQO’s recent Series B funding round which it closed as part of its plan to further scale the capabilities and reach of its customer experience (CX) platform. With digital transformation, brands large and small have been disconnected from their customers, forcing them to make decisions based on ambiguous signals. DISQO is solving this by giving brands direct access to their customers, so they can not only understand what customers think, but also what they do online.

With the addition of new agile customer feedback and analytics capabilities, any client can now validate products, features, and marketing before bringing them to market. Tens of thousands of new SMB and mid-market clients can now access DISQO’s platform, expanding upon its current hyper-growth enterprise business.

“Organizations often lack the access and tools needed to make the right data-driven decisions for their customers, especially medium-sized and small businesses,” said Armen Adjemian, Co-Founder & CEO, DISQO. “Traditional CX platforms have limited users within organizations and only enable customer experience feedback from existing customers. DISQO is expanding the power of CX by empowering all decision-makers, from SMBs to large enterprises, to understand customer experiences, everywhere, with existing and prospective customers.”

Some of Feedback Loop’s current clients who will benefit from the acquisition include the Ad Council, Comcast, Experian, Farmers Insurance, Humana, NBCUniversal, Utz, Caribou Coffee, and Uber. These companies and others will be able to gather faster, more accurate feedback via access to DISQO’s platform and by leveraging DISQO’s multidimensional customer profiles and measured digital behaviors.

“One of the biggest pain points in business is the inability to get immediate customer feedback when decisions have to be made,” said Rob Holland, EVP, General Manager of Feedback Loop. “With our agile feedback technology, DISQO is amplifying the voice of the customer in all decisions, from product innovation to advertising and everything in between.”

DISQO’s platform currently fuels customer understanding for more than 300 blue-chip brands, 125 of the world’s largest market research firms, 35 leading advertising agencies, and more than 20 media platforms. Utilizing applications for market research, advertising measurement, and customer feedback, these clients create a breakthrough understanding of consumers’ lifestyles, preferences, beliefs, and habits.

Ucom provides Ijevan College and Nerkin Karmiraghbyur Secondary School with internet

Talar Tumanian

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 13:40, 6 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. Ucom has provided Ijevan College and Nerkin Karmiraghbyur Secondary School, the beneficiaries of “Seroond Schools” program by “Teach For Armenia” educational foundation, with SIM-cards with mobile internet access as well as modems, to promote the use of modern online resources in the classrooms. 

“Ucom supports the innovative methods applied by our long-term partner, “Teach For Armenia” in the border schools, and which require high-quality internet access for the smoother organization of their work, and the availability of which we provided with great readiness, this time to Ijevan College and Nerkin Karmiraghbyur secondary school”, said Ara Khachatryan, Director General at Ucom. 

Recently, within the framework of the regular community visit carried out by "Teach For Armenia", Ucom had the opportunity to get acquainted with the activities of Nerkin Karmiraghbyur secondary school on the spot. 

During the visit, we spoke with Mariam Aleksanyan, Leadership Development Manager at Seroond Schools, who also works at this school. 

“Seroond Schools should be that safe environment in which the comprehensive development of the child takes place. In other words, it is not only about academic performance (which is also very important), but far more about socio-emotional learning. If you have ever been in contact with the soil, you know that when you sow seeds in a good soil, you are sure to get a good harvest, and when the soil is not good, any effort may even be in vain. The Nerkin Karmiraghbyur school is that exact good soil", mentioned Mariam in a conversation with us. 

Nara Papyan, principal of the school, emphasizing the accessibility of the internet in the territory, emphasized that both the provided Ucom SIM cards with mobile internet access and the modems will allow children, living in close proximity to the border, to “enjoy the wide range of opportunities that the world has to offer”. 

We also talked to 8th graders who, along with their math teacher, developed a game that facilitates learning a multiplication table. The children even received a small grant for this game. They told us that the game enables children to "learn the multiplication table instantly, and the adults – to recall that from their memory". Students also told us that the school has various sections: mathematics, robotics, military training, football, art and others. In addition, one of them said that he loves biology and chemistry, as they learn to apply their theoretical knowledge right on the spot, in special labs, where they have all the necessary equipment to conduct experiments.

The children also expressed hope that via the internet provided by Ucom, they will no longer have connection failures and slow internet to do internet research during their classes. 

Previously, within the framework of assistance to the Seroond Schools program of the “Teach For Armenia” educational foundation, Ucom provided the pupils of the basic school No. 2 in Dilijan, located in the Takhta district, both with Ucom SIM cards with mobile internet access and modems to support the educational process.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/03/2022

Talar Tumanian 
                                        Tuesday, May 3, 2022


Turkish, Armenian Officials Meet Again


-Ruben Rubinian (left) and Serdar Kilic.


Special envoys of Turkey and Armenia met in Vienna on Tuesday for the third 
round of negotiations on normalizing relations between the two neighboring 
states.

In identical statements, the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministries gave few 
details of the talks held by veteran Turkish diplomat Serdar Kilic and Ruben 
Rubinian, a deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament.

“The Special Representatives reaffirmed the declared goal of achieving full 
normalization between their respective countries through this process,” read the 
statements. “In this sense, they had sincere and productive exchange of concrete 
views and discussed possible steps that can be undertaken for tangible progress 
in this direction.”

“They reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions,” 
added the statement.

Kilic and Rubinian held their first meeting in Moscow on January 14. Armenia’s 
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan afterwards voiced cautious optimism over the 
success of the dialogue welcomed by Russia, the United States and the European 
Union.

Mirzoyan traveled to Turkey and met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut 
Cavusoglu in March. Cavusoglu described the talks as “very productive.”

Ankara has for decades linked the establishment of diplomatic relations with 
Yerevan and the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border to a resolution of the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan. Cavusoglu has repeatedly 
said that his government coordinates the Turkish-Armenian normalization talks 
with Baku.



Anti-Government Protests Continue In Armenia

        • Narine Ghalechian
        • Karine Simonian
        • Artak Khulian

Armenia - Opposition supporters demonstrate in France Square, Yerevan, May 3, 
2022.


Major anti-government protests continued in Armenia for the third consecutive 
day on Tuesday, with opposition leaders vowing that there will be no letup in 
their efforts to oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Groups of opposition activists again briefly blocked streets across Yerevan in 
the morning and thousands of other people rallied in the evening in the city’s 
France Square where opposition forces set up a tent camp on Sunday. Protests 
also erupted in other parts of the country.

One of the opposition leaders, Ishkhan Saghatelian, said that the campaign is 
gaining momentum. “Our struggle is unstoppable,” he said at the evening rally.

As was the case on Monday, riot police were quick to forcibly end the street 
blockades in the Armenian capital, detaining more than 200 protesters in the 
process.

As security forces clashed with protesters disrupting traffic, a larger number 
of other demonstrators led by several opposition lawmakers marched through the 
city center to try to drum up greater support for their campaign. They entered 
one of the buildings of Yerevan State University to urge more students to 
boycott classes and demand Pashinian’s resignation.

“We have one goal: to stop this spate of defeats so that our country doesn’t 
fall apart,” said Artur Vanetsian, an opposition leader who headed Armenia’s 
National Security Service from 2018-2019.

Armenia - Police arrest an opposition protester in Yerevan, May 3, 2022.
The country’s two main opposition alliances, which organized the protests, 
accuse Pashinian of planning to let Azerbaijan take full control over 
Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinian’s political allies deny this.

Some of the citizens who stood by and watched the morning protests were not 
convinced by the opposition push for regime change.

“In democratic countries governments are formed through elections. Period,” one 
man told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

“They didn’t get [a majority of] votes ten months ago. What do they want now?” 
he said, referring to snap parliamentary elections won by the ruling Civil 
Contract party.

“I’m not a big fan of Mr. Pashinian, but these guys must specify their first, 
second and third steps [after regime change,]” said another Yerevan resident.

The opposition took its campaign to other parts of the country on Tuesday. The 
Armenian police reported 14 arrests there.

News reports said that protesters blocked several regional highways. An RFE/RL 
reporter witnessed one such blockage outside Armenia’s third largest city of 
Vanadzor.

Armenia - An opposition rally in Vanadzor, May 3, 2022

Despite a lack of police intervention, the protesters reopened the 
Vanadzor-Yerevan highway to traffic shortly afterwards. As one of them 
explained: “We would have kept it blocked for five hours if we had wanted to, 
but we don’t need that because it’s Vanadzor residents who suffer from such 
inconvenience.”

Other opposition supporters marched through Vanadzor’s central avenue to voice 
support for the opposition demands. They repeatedly jostled with police officers 
escorting the crowd.

Meanwhile, the Armenian parliament speaker, Alen Simonian, insisted that the 
ongoing protests have not plunged the country into another political crisis.

“I respect the activities of our [opposition] colleagues, even though they 
frequently resort to insults and aggression,” Simonian said during a session of 
the National Assembly boycotted by opposition deputies.

Other pro-government parliamentarians again accused the opposition of exploiting 
the Karabakh issue in a bid to seize power. They reiterated that Pashinian’s 
political foes do not enjoy popular support.



Top Security Official Accused Of Attacking Journalists

        • Artak Khulian
        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia - Security forces disperse opposition protesters blocking a street in 
Yerevan, May 2, 2022.


Armenian press freedom groups have condemned the head of a security agency that 
provides bodyguards to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and other senior officials 
for reportedly assaulting two journalists during an opposition demonstration in 
Yerevan.

Sargis Hovannisian of the State Protection Service (SPS) was approached by a 
cameraman and a reporter for the news website Mediahub.am on Monday as he 
apparently issued orders to security forces confronting opposition protesters at 
a major street intersection.

Videos circulated online showed Hovannisian shouting at the female reporter, 
Nare Gnuni, before hitting her microphone. Gnuni said he also kicked the 
cameraman, Arman Gharajian.

“He said quite angrily, ‘Turn away the camera, don’t film me.’ At that point the 
cameraman simply replied, ‘I will film,’” Gnuni told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

The Mediahub.am crew was also threatened and shoved by another SPS officer who 
accompanied Hovannisian at the scene.

The incident was witnessed by an official from human rights ombudswoman Kristine 
Grigorian’s staff. Grigorian called the SPS chief’s actions unacceptable.

Eight media associations strongly condemned them in a joint statement release 
late on Monday. They said that Hovannisian, whose agency is primarily in charge 
of Pashinian’s personal security, must be investigated and held accountable.

Hovannisian was already caught on camera kicking an opposition protester in 
Yerevan last year.

Responding to the latest outcry, the Office of the Prosecutor-General instructed 
another law-enforcement body to look into a video of the incident and determine 
whether the high-ranking officer broke the law.

The prosecutors also ordered a separate inquiry into a police officer who 
repeatedly punched a protester as the latter was arrested in the city center on 
Monday.

Ombudswoman Grigorian criticized the policeman as well. She said the police also 
used disproportionate force against other participants of anti-government 
protests detained in recent days.



Blinken Lauds Pashinian’s ‘Flexible’ Karabakh Policy


U.S. - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Armenia's Foreign 
MInister Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington, May 2, 2022.


U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s 
conciliatory position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after holding talks with 
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington on Monday.

He also said that the United States and Armenia are now working to “strengthen 
and deepen” their relations through a “strategic dialogue” that was launched in 
2019 but subsequently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Blinken and Mirzoyan signed after their meeting a memorandum of understanding on 
“strategic civil nuclear cooperation” between their countries.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Blinken welcomed “democratic reforms” 
implemented by the Armenian government as well as its ongoing dialogue with 
Azerbaijan. In that regard, he expressed “real appreciation for the vision and 
the courage and the flexibility that the prime minister and Armenia have been 
showing in this process.”

Addressing the Armenian parliament on April 13, Pashinian said said the 
international community is pressing Armenia to scale back its demands on the 
status of Nagorno-Karabakh and recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He 
signaled Yerevan’s intention to make such concessions to Baku.

Belgium - European Council President Charles Michel, Armenian Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev begin a trilateral 
meeting in Brussels, April 6, 2022.

The European Union praised the “forward-looking” speech delivered by Pashinian 
one week after he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels for 
talks hosted by the EU’s top official, Charles Michel. Blinken spoke with the 
Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders by phone on the eve of the talks.

Pashinian’s discourse stoked Armenian opposition allegations that he has agreed 
to restore Azerbaijani control over Karabakh. Armenia’s leading opposition 
groups launched late last week daily street protests aimed at toppling the prime 
minister.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Mirzoyan and Blinken discussed, 
among other things, planned negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty 
and the upcoming creation of a commission tasked with demarcating the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

These issues were also on the agenda of Mirzoyan’s separate meeting with U.S. 
Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held in Washington earlier on Monday.

ARMENIA - Police officers restrain participants of an anti-government 
demonstration in Yerevan, May 3, 2022.

“In this context, the Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed the importance of 
resuming the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship,” read a statement 
released by Mirozyan’s press office.

The group dealing with the Karabakh conflict has long been led by the United 
States, Russia and France. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on April 
8 that Washington and Paris stopped cooperating with Moscow in that format 
following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. U.S. and French officials have not 
denied that.

Lavrov also accused the West of trying to hijack Russian efforts to broker peace 
between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of the ongoing geopolitical standoff over 
Ukraine.

Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s key role in 
the peace process in a joint declaration issued after their face-to-face talks 
held on April 19.

In a further sign that Moscow wants to wrest back the initiative in that 
process, Lavrov has reportedly offered to hold a trilateral meeting with his 
Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts next week. Mirzoyan accepted the proposal 
in an April 29 phone call with Russia’s top diplomat.



Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Japanese researcher Karen Hamada writes book on Armenian Apostolic Church and Nerses the Gracious

Talar Tumanian

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 10:48, 26 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Japanese researcher Karen Hamada wrote a book about the Armenian Apostolic Church and the 12th century Catholicos Nerses the Gracious (Nerses Shnorhali).

The Armenian Embassy in Japan said that Ambassador Areg Hovhannisyan held a meeting with Hamada, who is researching Armenian Studies.

Hamada’s book is the first Japanese book on Nerses the Gracious and Armenian Christianity. Hamada translated part of the book from Shnorhali’s work in Classical Armenian (Grabar). Before writing the book Hamada also published several articles on the history of Christianity in Armenia.

Stepanakert: We have only one point; we will not be part of Azerbaijan and henceforth will remain a de facto independent state

Talar Tumanian
ARMINFO
Armenia – May 2 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Speaking about the proposals submitted by Azerbaijan, I want to once again emphasize the following: no matter how many points there are – 5, 7 or 17, we have  only one point, we will not be part of Azerbaijan and henceforth will  remain a de facto independent state. 

This is stated in the statement of Artsakh Foreign Minister David  Babayan.  "All Armenians decide the fate of Artsakh, especially  Artsakh. We will pursue this line to the end, because the fate of all  Armenians really depends on the fate of Artsakh, and somewhere the  further course of world politics," summed up Babayan.

Earlier, Baku sent 5 proposals to Yerevan on the normalization of  bilateral relations. The Armenian authorities called them acceptable.  On March 14, the Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, in  which, in particular, it stated that "Yerevan responded to the  proposals submitted by Baku and turned to the OSCE Minsk Group  Co-Chairmanship to organize negotiations on the conclusion of a peace  treaty between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan  on the basis of the Charter UN, the International Covenant on Civil  and Political Rights and the Helsinki Final Act.  

After this statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the  Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry published proposals of 5 points sent to  Yerevan. This, in particular, refers to the following proposals:  "Mutual recognition by states of sovereignty, territorial integrity,  inviolability of state borders and political independence of each  other; mutual confirmation by states of the absence of territorial  claims against each other and their acceptance of a legal obligation  not to make such claims in the future; refrain from threatening each  other's security in international relations, using threats and force  against political independence and territorial integrity, as well as  other circumstances that do not correspond to the purposes of the UN  Charter; delimitation and demarcation of the state border,  establishment of diplomatic relations; opening transport links and  communications, establishing other relevant communications and  cooperation in other areas of mutual interest".  

The opposition criticized these actions of the Armenian Foreign  Ministry, recalling that the OSCE Minsk Group does not have a mandate  to negotiate the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani bilateral  relations.  The parties are now actively preparing to launch the  process of border delimitation and ensuring border security.

Maria Zakharova commented on threats of President of Azerbaijan against Armenia

Talar Tumanian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.As part of the process of normalizing Armenian- Azerbaijani relations, it is  extremely important to adhere to the letter and spirit of the  trilateral agreements at the level of the leaders of Armenia,  Azerbaijan and Russia.

Official representative of the Russian Foreign  Ministry, Maria Zakharova stated this during a weekly briefing on  April 28, when asked to assess the threats of Azerbaijani President  Ilham Aliyev against Yerevan if the Armenian side refuses to sign a  peace treaty on Azerbaijani terms.

The diplomat recalled that everything is spelled out in the document,  including relations with each other.  "And it is also important to  refrain from confrontational rhetoric and resolve all issues by  political and diplomatic means. This is our traditional approach and  thesis. We are acting in this vein and we urge everyone to do so,"  she said.

Speaking in general about the process of preparing a peace treaty,  Zakharova recalled that consultations were held by the special  representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the normalization  of Armenian- Azerbaijani relations, Igor Khovayev, in Yerevan (March  28) and Baku (April 25). " The readiness of the two sides to move  towards each other, we consider as a positive sign. Trilateral  contacts on this topic are being worked out at a high level. We will  also separately inform about this," the representative of the Russian  Foreign Ministry said.

It should be noted that Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the V World  Congress of World Azerbaijanis in Shushi, once again threatened  Armenia. He noted that the agreement can be concluded only on the  basis of the five principles proposed by Azerbaijan. "Revanchist  forces periodically raising their heads in Armenia should know that  this [a peace treaty with Azerbaijan – ed. note] is their only way  out and even their last chance. If they refuse it, then we will  refuse to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia and declare  it officially" Aliyev said.

He also threatened countries providing military support to Armenia  and helping to restore and modernize the army.

Earlier, Baku sent 5 proposals to Yerevan on the normalization of  bilateral relations. Yerevan called them acceptable. The parties are  now actively preparing to launch the process of border delimitation  and ensuring border security.