Monday,
Armenia Marks 20th Anniversary Of Parliament Killings
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- People lay flowers at a memorial to the victims of the October 1999
deadly attack on the Armenian parliament, Yerevan, .
Armenia’s top government officials and politicians attended on Sunday an
official ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of an armed attack on the
Armenian parliament which left its popular speaker Karen Demirchian, Prime
Minister Vazgen Sarkisian and six other officials dead.
They were killed by five gunmen who burst into the National Assembly and
sprayed it with bullets on October 27, 1999, six months after parliamentary
elections won by Demirchian’s and Sarkisian’s Miasnutyun (Unity) alliance. The
gunmen led by an obscure former journalist, Nairi Hunanian, accused the
government of corruption and misrule and demanded regime change.
They surrendered to police after overnight negotiations with then President
Robert Kocharian. They were subsequently tried and sentenced to life
imprisonment.
Throughout their marathon trial Hunanian insisted that he himself had decided
to seize the parliament without anybody's orders. But many in Armenia still
believe that he and his henchmen had powerful sponsors outside the parliament
building.
Some relatives and supporters of the assassinated officials still suspect
Kocharian and his successor President Serzh Sarkisian (no relation to Vazgen),
who was Armenia’s national security minister in October 1999, of masterminding
the killings to eliminate increasingly powerful rivals. Both men repeatedly
dismissed such suggestions during and after a serious political crisis caused
by the killings.
Armenia -- Former Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian (L) and parliament speaker
Karen Demirchian assassinated in the 1999 attack on parliament.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, other government officials as well as leaders
of Armenia’s main political forces marked the anniversary by laying flowers at
a memorial to the victims of the shock attack erected inside the parliament
compound in Yerevan. Relatives of the victims also took part in the ceremony.
Vazgen Sarkisian’s supporters and comrades-in-arms also visited the Yerablur
military ceremony where the slain prime minister was buried. Sarkisian had also
served as defense ministers and been one of the founders of the Armenian armed
forces.
The anniversary commemoration came less than a week after it emerged that
Hunanian has asked authorities to release him on parole. The attack ringleader,
who will turn 54 in December, is eligible for parole because of having spent 20
years in prison. Nevertheless, Justice Minister Rustam Badasian effectively
ruled out his release last week.
On Thursday, Arman Babajanian, a parliament deputy extremely critical of
Kocharian, visited Hunanian at a Yerevan prison and talked to him for two hours
in the presence of the prison chief. Babajanian claimed to have received
important information from Hunanian when he spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian service
afterwards. In particular, he hinted that the jailed terrorist implicated
Kocharian in the killings.
Babajanian’s claims sparked speculation that the current Armenian authorities
may reopen the probe of the parliament killings and bring fresh charges against
Kocharian. The former president is already in jail, standing trial on charges
mostly stemming from the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. He denies the
accusations as politically motivated.
Aram Sarkisian, Vazgen’s brother and successor who has for years alleged
Kocharian’s possible involvement in the 1999 plot, cautioned on Sunday that
Hunanian’s potential fresh testimony must not be taken at face value. He said
that the ringleader could falsely incriminate the ex-president in hopes of
regaining freedom.
“Any convict thinks about getting out of jail as soon as possible and
[Hunanian] doesn’t care about methods [of securing his release,]” Aram
Sarkisian told reporters. “Do you think he is so honest and has so much remorse
that we wants to speak up? Of course not. He saw on TV the revolution that took
place in the country [in 2018,] can now see the ongoing war before the current
and former rulers, and is trying to cash in on that war.”
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (R) greets Aram Sarkisian at a
memorial to the victims of the October 1999 deadly attack on the Armenian
parliament, Yerevan, .
Sarkisian, whom Kocharian sacked as prime minister in May 2000, was also
skeptical about the Armenian law-enforcement and judicial authorities’ ability
to thoroughly investigate and solve the killings.
“I believe that could happen only when we all can be confident that no judicial
process can be politicized in any way,” agreed Edmon Marukian, the leader of
the opposition Bright Armenia Party. Marukian compared the bloody seizure of
the Armenian parliament to the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John
Kennedy, which also left many unanswered questions.
Artsvik Minasian, a senior member of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, went further, alleging that individuals “representing” Pashinian’s
government are now effectively offering Hunanian a politically motivated “deal.”
Pashinian declined to talk to the press after laying flowers at the parliament
memorial.
Meanwhile, Sasun Mikaelian, a prominent Pashinian ally who had also been close
to the late Vazgen Sarkisian, appealed to Gagik Jahangirian, the man who led
the first criminal investigation into the 1999 killings and at one point
indicted individuals linked to Kocharian.
Jahangirian implicitly promised to reveal new facts about the killings when he
publicly pledged allegiance to opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian in the
wake of a disputed 2008 presidential election. Like dozens of other
Ter-Petrosian loyalists, he was controversially imprisoned afterwards.
“Should you also stay silent now, 20 years on, my friend?” Mikaelian said at
Yerablur. “It’s about time Jahangirian said what happened [in 1999.]”
‘No Plans Yet’ For Another Armenian-Azeri Summit
• Naira Nalbandian
Turkmenistan -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (L) and Azerbaijan's
President Ilham Aliyev attend a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent
States in Ashgabat, October 11, 2019.
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan had a “very useful” conversation earlier
this month but are not yet planning to meet again for further talks on
Nagorno-Karabakh, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian said on Monday.
“A summit meeting is not planned at the moment,” Mnatsakanian told reporters in
Yerevan. “Right now we are planning the continuation of [Armenian-Azerbaijani]
talks at the level of foreign ministers.”
“That is the basis for preparing meetings between the leaders [of the two
countries,]” he said at a joint news conference with Bulgaria’s visiting
Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva.
Mnatsakanian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov are expected to
hold fresh talks in December. Like Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, they have met on a regular basis over the
past year.
Aliyev and Pashinian publicly traded barbs during an October 11 summit of
former Soviet republics held in Turkmenistan’s capital Aghgabat. Still, they
reportedly talked to each other at great length during an official dinner
hosted by Turkmen President Gurbaguly Berdymuhamedov.
Mnatsakanian said that their conversation in Ashgabat was “very useful in the
sense that we managed to reaffirm some approaches and principles related to an
environment conducive to peace.” “We are now focused on those issues,” he added
without elaborating.
The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group met with
Pashinian and Aliyev during their October 14-17 tour of the Karabakh conflict
zone. In a joint statement, the mediators said the two leaders promised to make
more efforts to “prepare the populations for peace and reduce tensions.”
In a newspaper interview published on October 17, Mammadyarov complained about
the mediators’ focus on confidence-building measures, rather than “substantive
negotiations” sought by Baku.
The Azerbaijani foreign minister also said that the so-called Madrid Principles
of resolving the conflict remain at the heart of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace
talks.
This framework peace accord was drafted by the United States, Russia and France
over a decade ago. It calls for Armenian withdrawal from virtually all seven
districts around Karabakh. In return, Karabakh’s predominantly ethnic Armenian
population would be able to determine Karabakh’s internationally recognized
status in a future referendum.
The three mediating powers reaffirmed their support for this peace formula in
March. Pashinian said shortly afterwards that the Madrid Principles are open to
different interpretations and therefore need to be clarified.
Commenting on Mammadyarov’s statement, Mnatsakanian insisted that the
conflicting parties are not yet working on “a concrete document.” “But it
doesn’t mean that we are not working on various principles and parameters in
order to ascertain how we can establish necessary parity between commitments of
the parties,” he said.
Armenian ‘Economic Revolution’ On Track, Says Pashinian
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian attends the inauguration of the
Armenian subsidiary of the U.S. technology company Xilinx, Yerevan, October 28,
2019.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Monday claimed to be successfully carrying
out an “economic revolution” in Armenia promised by him and downplayed
relatively modest GDP growth forecast by his government for next year.
Pashinian addressed Armenian lawmakers as they began discussions on the 2020
state budget drafted by the government.
The draft budget bill calls for a sizable increase in public spending which
would total 1.88 trillion drams ($3.9 billion). The government’s tax revenues
are projected to rise just as strongly. These targets are based on the
assumption that the Armenian economy will grow by 4.9 percent in 2020.
Pashinian said that the government opted for a “conservative” growth projection
in order to maintain continued “macroeconomic stability” in the country. Actual
economic growth next year may well beat this forecast, he told members of the
parliament’s economic committees.
“The draft state budget for 2019 forecast a 4.5 percent growth rate but we have
ensured a 5.2 percent growth rate,” argued the premier.
Opposition parliamentarians dismissed this explanation. Mane Tandilian of the
Bright Armenia Party said that the growth projection set in the government’s
budget proposal amounts to a “pessimistic scenario.”
“We have a non-revolutionary GDP growth [forecast,]” agreed Mikael Melkumian of
the Prosperous Armenia Party.
“I believe that the economic revolution in the Republic of Armenia is gaining
momentum,” countered Pashinian. “It’s a reality, and this revolution is now
easy to see.”
“Huge investments are made in the Republic of Armenia,” he added without giving
numbers.
Pashinian has repeatedly pledged to effect such a revolution ever since he
swept to power in May 2018 as a result of mass protests that led to the
resignation of Armenia’s former longtime leader, Serzh Sarkisian. He had said
that it will significantly reduce poverty and unemployment.
In its comprehensive policy program approved by the parliament in February this
year, Pashinian’s cabinet pledged to ensure that the domestic economy expands
by at least 5 percent annually for the next five years.
Armenia’s GDP increased by 7.5 percent in real terms in 2017, according to
official statistics. This growth slowed down to 5.2 percent last year but now
seems on track to accelerate in 2019.
Former Armenian Speaker Charged With ‘Usurping Power’
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Parliament speaker Ara Babloyan, Yerevan, December 30, 2018.
Law-enforcement authorities brought coup charges against former parliament
speaker Ara Babloyan on Monday as part of their investigation into Hrayr
Tovmasian’s appointment in March 2018 as chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional
Court.
Babloyan was not arrested by the Special Investigative Service (SIS), unlike a
former senior parliament staffer who was also charged with forgery and
“usurpation of power” last week. He strongly denied the accusations.
“I stated that the accusations are illegal and that everything I did was in
accordance with the constitution and laws,” the 72-year-old pediatric surgeon
running Armenia’s largest children’s hospital told reporters outside the SIS
headquarters in Yerevan.
The SIS alleged last week that the former Armenian parliament elected Tovmasian
court chairman as a result of an illegal seizure of the judicial authority by a
“group of officials.” It said that Babloyan illegally accepted and announced
the resignation of Tovmasian’s predecessor, Gagik Harutiunian, before receiving
a relevant letter from the latter. It said that Arsen Babayan, the arrested
staffer, backdated the letter to enable Tovmasian to head the Constitutional
Court before the entry into force of sweeping amendments to the Armenian
constitution.
The amendments introduced a six-year term in office for the head of Armenia’s
highest court. Tovmasian became chief court justice under the previous
constitution which allows him to hold the post until the age of 70.
In a weekend interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Babloyan insisted that
Harutiunian’s letter of resignation was dated March 1, 2018 and that he
received and signed it on March 2, 2015, not three days later, as is claimed by
the SIS.
“Gagik Harutiunian signed his resignation on March 1 and that document was on
my desk on March 2,” Babloyan said, adding that Constitutional Court and
parliament seals on the document prove that.
The former Constitutional Court chairman insisted that his resignation was
voluntary and in conformity with Armenian law when he spoke to RFE/RL’s
Armenian service last week.
The SIS announced the coup inquiry on October 17 two days after seven of the
nine Constitutional Court judges dismissed calls for Tovmasian’s dismissal made
by the current Armenian parliament loyal to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. In
an appeal to the court, the parliament claimed, among other things, that
Tovmasian cannot act impartially because of his past affiliation with the
former ruling Republican Party (HHK).
Pashinian similarly charged in July that Tovmasian “privatized” the
Constitutional Court with the help of the HHK. Tovmasian countered early this
month that the authorities are seeking to oust him in order to gain control
over Armenia’s highest court.
Critics, notably senior HHK figures, say that Babayan’s arrest and other
criminal proceedings targeting Tovmasian are part of Pashinian’s efforts to
force the high court chief’s resignation. The prime minister and his political
allies deny this.
Vahagn Hovakimian, a senior lawmaker from Pashinian’s My Step alliance, on
Monday also accused Babloyan of committing serious procedural violations during
the announcement of Gagik Harutiunian’s resignation. He said that the former
speaker illegally followed a legal clause which he believes came into force in
April 2018.
Babloyan and his lawyer, Aram Vartevanian, dismissed Hovakimian’s claims.
Senior Official Stands Trial On Corruption Charges
• Robert Zargarian
Armenia - Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Overisght Service, speaks to
journalists in Yerevan, June 21, 2018.
A senior government official who actively participated in Armenia’s “Velvet
Revolution” went on trial Monday on corruption charges strongly denied by him.
Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Oversight Service (SOS), was indicted
in April in a criminal investigation into alleged corrupt practices within the
anti-corruption government agency.
The National Security Service (NSS) arrested two other senior SOS officials in
February, saying that they attempted to cash in on government-funded supplies
of medical equipment to three hospitals.
Sanasarian was charged with abusing his powers to help the two men enrich
themselves and a private company linked to them. The official, who was
suspended as SOS chief as a result, rejected the accusations as “fabricated.”
Sanasarian repeated his vehement denials at the start of his trial in a
district court in Yerevan. He said that he has been prosecuted illegally.
Sanasarian’s lawyers petitioned the court to try their client separately from
the two other suspects also standing trial. They also said that he must be
reinstated as head of the SOS. The presiding judge, Davit Balayan, rejected
both demands.
One of the defense lawyers, Inesa Petrosian, went on to demand at the end of
the fist session of the trial that Balayan drop the charges leveled against
Sanasarian. She claimed that the NSS investigation was marked by serious
violations of Armenian law.
The judge scheduled the next court hearing in the high-profile case for
November 27.
Sanasarian, 35, is a former opposition and civic activist who had for years
accused Armenia’s former leaders of corruption. He was actively involved in
last year’s revolution.
Sanasarian’s supporters, among them leaders of some Western-funded civic
groups, have voiced support for him and denounced the NSS. Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian hit back at the critics in April. He said that they place their
personal relationships with Sanasarian above the rule of law.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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