Thursday,
Russia `Not Acting Separately' In Karabakh Settlement
. Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian, 16Nov, 2017
The Russian foreign minister's upcoming Karabakh-related discussions
in Yerevan and Baku will be "within the format" of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation's Minsk Group co-chairmanship, a senior
Armenian official said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters following a government session, Deputy Foreign
Minister Shavarsh Kocharian acknowledged some recent activity in the
Karabakh talks that included the announcement earlier this week that
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will tour the region early next
week and his meetings in the Armenian and Azerbaijani capitals will
also focus on the Karabakh conflict settlement.
When asked by reporters whether Lavrov's planned trips mean that he
will bring with him some fresh Russian settlement proposals, Kocharian
said: "The Russian foreign minister is not acting separately. He is
acting within the format of the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairmanship. In
this sense, it is a bit strange when constant attempts are being made
to separate [Lavrov's activities]. Moreover, he [Lavrov] himself
publicly denied it on several occasions."
This week has brought some diplomatic activity to the issue of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement as regional issues were, in
particular, discussed at the November 13 meeting in Sochi between
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. The following day, on November 14, Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian met in Moscow with the Russian, American
and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. And on Wednesday
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian held a meeting with Putin. The
Armenian president's press office said the parties also addressed the
Karabakh issue during their meeting, but gave no details. Finally, an
upcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to the region was
announced.
"You know, on the one hand, the visits that you mention are scheduled
ones# The same is true about Lavrov's visit, which is connected with
the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between our countries. On the other hand, it is obvious that there is
certain activity on the part of the co-chairs connected with the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Armenia's Deputy Foreign
Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said. "It is natural that during such
meetings foreign ministers are always free to discuss issues that are
important."
According to Russian state-run TASS news agency, Lavrov said on
Tuesday that during his meetings in Yerevan and Baku "we will try to
understand at what stage our efforts on the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement are after the meeting of the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in Geneva."
During their talks in the Swiss city on October 16, Armenian President
Sarkisian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev pledged to
intensify the peace process and bolster the cease-fire regime in the
region's conflict zone.
In a statement issued today on the results of their November 14 and
November 16 meetings with the foreign ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, of Russia, Stephane
Visconti, of France, and Andrew Schofer, of the United States, said
that Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov have agreed to hold a
meeting on the sidelines of an OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Vienna,
Austria, in December.
Eastern Partnership Summit Declaration Again Stymied Over Karabakh Wording
. Heghine Buniatian
EU, Eastern Partnership logo
The final declaration of the Eastern Partnership summit, which is due
to be held in Brussels next week, has again reached a deadlock because
of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. While the rest of the document is fully
agreed, official Yerevan and Baku have yet to come to terms on the
conflict-related wording, RFE/RL correspondent Rikard Jozwiak reports
from Brussels.
On Wednesday, the ambassadors of all 28 European Union member states
agreed on a declaration apart from one paragraph, which has to do with
regional conflicts. The ambassadors left this paragraph open as
Armenia and Azerbaijan want to include language on Nagorno-Karabakh
that is obviously very conflicting. The declaration is basically now
ready, but Armenia and Azerbaijan are still fighting over wording on
Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to RFE/RL's correspondent, officials in Brussels are now
quite worried. Differences over Karabakh-related wording nearly
derailed the adoption of a similar declaration at the Eastern
Partnership summit two years ago. After failing to achieve a desired
wording, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refused to attend the
summit, and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov for hours would not
sign the declaration and even left the session hall, leaving EU
leaders in uncertainty.
"The reason why the EU is very afraid now is that in 2015 at the Riga
summit there were fights about this throughout the whole
summit. Aliyev even threatened not to sign the declaration and it was
delayed by lots of time. So this is something that can lead to a drama
on the actual day. It might happen again that [Armenian President
Serzh] Sarkisian and Aliyev will refuse to sign this document because
of Nagorno-Karabakh wording or non-wording," RFE/RL's correspondent
reports from Brussels.
European diplomats talking to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity said
that this time in order to avoid a similar scenario Brussels has
decided not to separate the existing conflicts by name and limit
itself to a general wording. The preliminary version of the
Declaration that has become available to RFE/RL, in particular,
without addressing one issue or another, calls for "renewed efforts to
promote the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region on the
basis of the principles and norms of international law."
"The resolution of conflicts, building trust and good neighborly
relations are essential to economic and social development and
cooperation," the document reads, in particular. It is not clear what
specific wording Azerbaijan and Armenia oppose or what they are
seeking to add.
Responding to RFE/RL's inquiry, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Tigran Balayan said that "negotiations on this issue are still
ongoing, so I cannot give details."
Two years ago, after the summit in Riga, the Armenian foreign minister
did give some details to RFE/RL. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL
Armenian Service Director Harry Tamrazian Edward Nalbandian, in
particular, insisted that Baku opposed the European Union's referring
in the joint declaration to the statements of the leaders of the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairing countries -- Russia, the United States and
France -- that the conflict should be resolved on the basis of non-use
of force, territorial integrity and the right to self-determination.
Opposition Criticizes Government Over 2018 Draft Budget
. Astghik Bedevian
MP Naira Zohrabian (Tsarukian Alliance)
Members of the opposition factions in parliament leveled harsh
criticism at the government over the draft budget for next year,
claiming that it falls short of the ruling party's promise of
increased pensions and salaries in 2018.
Lawmaker Lena Nazarian from the opposition Yelk faction said: "The
public must know that the Republican Party of Armenia and the
government have failed to live up to their promise of raising pensions
and the minimal salary."
The opposition lawmaker reminded that while speaking in a television
show ahead of the April parliamentary elections Prime Minister Karen
Karapetian said that pensions and the minimal salary will be raised in
2018 "if everything continues at the same rate."
Naira Zohrabian representing the Tsarukian Alliance's parliamentary
faction also mentioned the failture to raise pensions and salaries
among the reasons for not voting against the government-drafted
budget. "Besides, this budget does not curb disgraceful inflation, it
cuts more than 5,500 jobs in the public sector, reduces spending for
education and health," she said.
The oppositionist also described the country's demographic situation
as "catastrophic". She disagreed with Prime Minister Karapetian's
statement that how people feel economic growth is an immeasurable
factor. "No, Mr. prime minister, this is quite a measurable factor. If
you and your team felt at least for one day what an ordinary Armenian
citizen feels, then you would surely not say that economic growth is
an immeasurable factor," Zohrabian charged.
The government promises to ensure a 4.5-percent growth of the Gross
Domestic Product in 2018. It expects the industrial and services
sectors to provide the bulk of this growth.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, who represents the
ruling Republican Party of Armenia, responded to the opposition's
criticism. "Instead of giving fish to our people we should teach them
how to fish. With our contribution we should enable people to create
conditions for themselves to catch that fish," he said.
Press Review
"168 Zham" talked to Polish analyst Konrad Zasztowt on the November 15
visit of Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to Moscow. According to
the analyst, now it is quite a hard time for Russia as despite the
desire to restore full relations with Turkey, the Russian president
does not want Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to participate in
the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, since it is Russia's
monopoly. "Russia already considers it a concession that in this issue
it takes into account the positions of the United States and France,"
the paper quotes the Polish analyst as saying.
"Zhamanak" notes a sharp rise in military spending proposed in the
2018 draft budget: "The government explains this rise very easily as
it plays on society's patriotism as well as fear. The thing is that
during the 10 years of President Serzh Sarkisian's rule not only the
army's funding has increased, but the funding of police and other
silovik structures has also increased# We have all grounds to assume
that what motivated the authorities to increase that spending was not
the desire to raise the country's security and defense capabilities,
but to strengthen their own support base."
"Zhoghovurd" comments on the decision by students protesting against a
controversial law restricting the right to draft deferments to suspend
their protests pending a roundtable discussion with government
representatives and other stakeholders. "The government took advantage
of the fact that the protesting students are inexperienced and
convinced them to at least temporarily halt their struggle. Even if
this struggle is resumed after a pause it will hardly gain momentum,"
the daily suggests.
(Anush Mkrtchian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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