Author: Toneyan Mark

Pashinyan presents the terms of his resignation and the procedures following it

 18:28,

YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan announced that he plans to resign in the last 10 days of April, so as June 20 early parliamentary elections can take place, ARMENPRESS reports PM Pashinyan said during parliament-Cabinet Q&A session, answering the question of independent MP Arman Babajanyan.

‘’I plan to resign in the last 10 days of April, after which on the 7^th day election of Prime Minister will take place in line with the standard procedure. I will be nominated candidate for Prime Minister by ‘’My step’’ bloc, since the Constitution says there must be a candidate. The other parties will not nominate any candidate. ‘’My step’’ bloc will not elect me Prime Minister. I will be nominated candidate for Prime Minister’s position for the second time by 1/3 of the faction and again there will be no other candidate and again I will not be elected. The National Assembly will be considered dissolved legally, after which early elections will be called on June 20’’, the PM said.

He added that if anyone will try to maneuver from their political agreements assumed in front of the people, that will be a political suicide.

''My step bloc will elect me Prime Minister, putting an end to any speculation'', the PM said.

 14:30, 5 April, 2021

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The authorities do not see any problem for making changes to other provisions of the Electoral Code as well after getting the opinion of the Venice Commission before the elections, if there is consensus over it, Head of the ruling My Step faction of the Armenian Parliament Lilit Makunts told reporters today, asked whether other changes to the Electoral Code are expected after getting the opinion of the Venice Commission.

“In fact, we have divided the new changes to the Electoral Code into two parts. We have already adopted the part relating to the proportional system at the plenary session of the Parliament. At this moment it has been submitted for the President’s signing, we will soon see what is taking place over the proportional system mainly. As for the second part, we will discuss the issue when we get the official notification of the Venice Commission, which provisions will be adopted for the coming early parliamentary elections and which ones will be delayed. It will be discussed in the Parliament and we will decide”, she said.

He stated that in this context it’s important to take into account to what extent it’s realistic to make those changes also by the Central Electoral Commission. If there are provisions which will facilitate the procedures, they will be adopted, if not, the issue will be put up for the future.

Lilit Makunts also informed that during this period they have had quite intense discussions with the President of the Central Electoral Commission who has presented his views not only over making amendments to the package, but also some approaches which can be a problem in terms of time for the CEC itself.

As for the whole composition of the pre-election list of the Civil Contract party, Makunts said maybe there will be new names in the list.

Armenia will hold early parliamentary elections on June 20.

 18:23, 2 April, 2021

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan visited Abovyan community on April 2 to get acquainted with the projects of constructing a free industrial zone and sustainable community in the sidelines of ‘’Build Armenia’’ program, as well as to discuss cooperation opportunities.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Ministry of Economy, Minister Kerobyan and Director of "Hayprospect" CJSC, "Build Armenia" program coordinator Sevak Artsruni signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of Kotayk Governor Mesrop Mesropyan and Abovyan Mayor Vahagn Gevorgyan. The Memorandum is about encouraging the implementation of the "Build Armenia "program and sustainable community building in Armenia.

Vahan Kerobyan noted that according to the Memorandum, the Ministry of Economy is obliged to assist "Hayprospect" CJSC in constructing a huge industrial and residential complex, where numerous businesses and educational facilities will operate. The Minister of Economy assessed the program very progressive and asked Sevak Artsruni to briefly present it.

Sevak Artsruni informed that the program is in the initial stage. Most part of the land has already been acquired, nearly 70 hectares.

‘’It’s expected that the infrastructures of the industrial zone will be ready by the end of the year. By now 6 million USD has been invested. By the end of the year they will increase up to 20-30 million USD. The total program is estimated at up to 1 billion USD’’, he said.

Sevak Artsruni noted that two months ago their company signed a memorandum with Abovyan Municipality and now a memorandum has been signed with the Ministry of Economy and they are very happy for that, since they greatly highlight the cooperation with the Government and the community.

‘’Naturally, this is a business and there is the logic of pursuing profits, but we also assess this something important also for the country, because our final goal is also about repatriation and we know that we can make our country powerful with the help of 10 million Armenians, if we organize everything correctly’’, Artsruni said.

Sevak Artsruni accompanied the Minister of Economy, Kotayk Governor and Abovyan Mayor to the construction site and presented the ongoing works.

"Hayprospect" CJSC has set a task to give priority to the participants of the war, servicemen with disabilities, as well as to the wives of the soldiers killed during the war during staff hiring. The hiring process will start from May.  

"Hayprospect" community will be the first community environmentally and energy sustainable with cost-effective recourses in the region. The residential part of the community will have 10 thousand residents.

 18:17,

YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. The French delegation of parliamentarians headed by France-Artsakh Friendship Circle President Guy Tessier will pay a visit to Armenia and Artsakh soon. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the National Assembly of Artsakh, Guy Tessier said in a letter addressed to President of the National Assembly of Artsakh Artur Tovmasyan, where he thanked the letter for the congratulation over the International Francophonie Day.

‘’I will soon lead a delegation of French parliamentarians to Armenia and Artsakh in the sidelines of my position as the head of France-Artsakh Friendship Circle. I hope we will have the opportunity and pleasure to meet and talk with you during that period’’, Tessier said in his letter.

 15:13, 11 March, 2021

LONDON, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. Four months ago, on 10 November 2020 at midnight, the military aggression against Artsakh was terminated after the Russian-brokered Ceasefire Statement. On the same day, civilians Maral Najarian and Vicken Euljekjian, travelling from Yerevan to Shushi via Berzor were captured by the Azeri militaries. Both, originally from Lebanon, both holding Armenian citizenship since several years, were on their way from Yerevan to Arstakh in Vicken’s vehicle, to collect Maral’s luggage from her hotel in Berzor, and Vicken’s luggage from his flat in Shushi before the handover. Regrettably, they were captured in their vehicle, between Berzor and Shushi by the Azerbaijani militaries before the Russian peacekeepers’ arrival to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Following the economic collapse and the political turmoil in Lebanon, many Lebanese Armenians have been looking to move to homeland responding to the Armenian government’s settlement scheme in Artsakh. Maral had applied for the Armenian citizenship five years ago, and was travelling regularly between Yerevan and Beirut, anticipating to start a business, and to bring her two grown-up children afterwards.

Lastly, after Beirut explosion of 4 August 2020, sisters Maral and Annie Najarian arrived to Armenia on 25 August, and applied to settle in Artsakh in early September. With several other Lebanese-Armenian families, Annie and Maral reached Shushi by mid-September, soon to realize that the high altitude of the town-citadel was not favourable for their health. So instead, they opted to settle in Berzor on 26 September 2020, intending to start a small business, a hairdressing salon or a small restaurant. “Maral has golden hands, she can do anything, and we were so much looking forward to our new life in our homeland’.  But the war decided otherwise…The sisters had to leave their belonging behind and return to Yerevan, to their auntie’s house until the end of the war.

Since the capture of Maral, her sister Annie in Yerevan and the family back in Beirut have been calling, and writing to Lebanese MPs, Embassies, and the Red Cross to provide information about Maral’s health and detention conditions. The British-Armenian humanitarian group launched a campaign including a Petition addressed to the UN, Council of Europe, Human Rights organisations and OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for the release of Maral and Armenian POWs on 28 January 2021, reaching around 20.000 signatures and worldwide support. 

Following the intervention of Lebanese officials, including a well-known Armenian public figure and Lebanese MP Hagop Pakradouni, the Red Cross was finally authorized to visit Maral and Vicken in prison near Baku. Their health was reportedly satisfactory, meanwhile brief, handwritten letters from both hostages were passed on to their families via the Red Cross officials, simply stating they were well but did not know when they would be released. No further information has been released about the two hostages to the families until 10 March 2021.

In the morning of 10 March 2021, the International Red Cross in Beirut (ICRC) called the daughter of Maral Najarian in Beirut informing that Maral was leaving her Baku prison and would be arriving to Beirut the same day. It was likewise confirmed that Maral does not need to be hospitalised.

‘I could not believe the news, when they called’, told Annie Najarian in Yerevan,  ‘I could not sleep all night, and I will only rest when my sister arrives safely home’.

Maral boarded Turkish Airlines flight at 08.30 on 10 November from Baku to Istanbul. Her connecting flights to Beirut was 10 long hours later to Beirut at 21.35. While the entire operation has been confidential, LBC reporters were among those waiting for Maral at the Beirut International airport alongside her two children, her siblings with their extended families. Upon her arrival, tearful Maral hugged her elder sister Sossi, a nurse at the local hospital. ‘I was working when I got the phonecall this morning, and instantly dropped to the floor. I still cannot believe what has just happened today’.

In her interview, Maral confirmed that she was treated well, but was kept separate from others, and never allowed to get out of her cell. However, the family said that Maral looked exhausted and had aged in the past four months. Ostensibly, Maral had no contact with Vicken since their imprisonment, and had no idea about his whereabouts.

Maral was one of at least two hundred Armenian POWs still held illegally by the Azerbaijani regime. Among them are several women, and Maral’s friend Vicken, Lebanese-Armenian, who holds Armenian citizenship since five years, and had settled in Armenia since 2019, dreaming to start a new life in Shushi, just days before the devastating war of 27 September started. 

By Hasmik J. Seymour

British Armenian