Category: 2018

The issue of the CSTO secretary general contains different political shades, adviser to Artsakh president Tigran Abrahamyan said in an interview to Aysor.am.

 He said it will be better for Armenia to assume the post and hold it until 2020.

“I would not like to make predictions, especially ahead of the meeting of Armenian and Russian leaders who more probably will refer to the issue during the meeting,” he said.

As to Azerbaijan’s continuous activities aimed at improving their positions on the border, Abrahamyan said he does not have such information and no activities have been registered recently.

Speaking about the situation on the frontline during these days, the adviser said the situation is the same as during the past few weeks and the same about Azerbaijan’s moves.

As to possible new confrontation in 2019, Abrahamyan said it is difficult to predict such developments but the risks in middle term and long term period are not small.

“A lot depends on the upcoming meeting over NK issue. If I am not mistaken meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers is set for January 2019 which, according to logic, is to follow with the meeting of heads of countries. I think we will have such meeting in late January or early February,” he said.

As to creation of Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation platforms, the advisor stressed that in different stages of the process imitation or attempts of creation of such platforms have always been made but proved their inefficiency. “They are more of propaganda nature and target Armenia and Artsakh in media domain,” he said, stressing that he is not optimistic over them, at least in this stage of conflict settlement process.

The passing year was full of challenges for Armenia and Republican Party of Armenia, party’s spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov told Aysor.am, summing up the passing year.

“The 2018 was year of big changes, drastic changes. Change of power took place, not revolution, but change of power. But we have what we have. The executive power and its head managed to exercise pressure on the legislative power, occupy the National Assembly and conduct immediate elections again by pressures,” Sharmazanov said.

He stressed that anti-democratic elections took place on December 9 with the campaign having passed in the atmosphere of fear and intolerance. He stressed that as a result, Armenia will have a parliament deprived of opposition.

“No matter how much parties state that they are opposition, Tigran Avinyan is right saying that ‘we are 88, part of us may be opposition’,” Sharmazanov said.

He also referred to a number of concerns relating country’s foreign policy.

“Despite Pashinyan’s affirmations that everything is good, that Armenia will keep the post of the CSTO secretary general, I will say that Armenia has been deprived of the post. It is already a fact,” Republican party’s spokesperson said.

He stressed that nothing is smooth in Armenian-Russian relations either.

“There are many concerns in the economy sector too, the economy is collapsing,” he said, adding that thousands of citizens will lose their jobs after New Year.

“It appears that we will not have separate ministries of Diaspora and culture. It is really rather worrying policy,” he said.

Sharmazanov said the current authorities have failed to register success in any sector.

“Number of ministries is cut, number of unemployed grows, investments reduce, post of CSTO secretary general is lost, nothing is clear in Karabakh issue,” he said.

Eduard Sharmazanov said that for Republican party the biggest failure in 2018 was the loss of power.

“But we revived on December 9. It was proved by 60,000 votes we received at elections. December 9 showed that the Republican party was, is and will be one of the core political forces of Armenia and non-parliamentary opposition will consolidate over it,” Sharmazanov said.

He though added that in 2018 the party registered success too serving Armenia’s interests in all the international parliamentary platforms, presenting and defending Armenia’s interests in the PACE, EU, CSTO and CIS.

“We have defended Artsakh’s and Armenia’s interest and stated that there is no opposition and authority if the matter relates to the state interest. As a non-parliamentary force we must use our international ties for pro-Armenian settlement of Karabakh issue and international recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” he said.

“Politics is a fight and we are ready to fight in all legal ways for the sake of Armenia, Artsakh. I wish peace to all,” Sharmazanov concluded.

The lawyers of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan have appealed the arrest ruling of a Yerevan appellate court to the Court of Cassation.   

On 7 December, the Court of Appeals, under presiding judge Ruben Mkhitaryan, reinstated the pre-trial arrest of the former president by upholding the ruling of the first instance court and rejecting all the complaints filed by his defense team.

The lawyers say the appeal comprised of 107 pages argues a fundamental violation of human rights and freedoms, including the presumption of innocence, fair trial, etc.

The defense team said they are going to file a motion to the court to again release the ex-president on bail.

Kocharyan was initially arrested in July on charges of ‘overthrowing the constitutional order’ during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election events.

He was freed by the Court of Appeals on 13 August on the basis of immunity from prosecution.

Both the attorney general and Kocharyan’s lawyers appealed that ruling, with the latter claiming that there were also other legal grounds for his release.

On 15 November, the Court of Cassation rejected Kocharyan’s appeal and only partly satisfied the prosecutors’ demands to send the case back to the Court of Appeals for re-examination.

Kocharyan denies the accusation as ‘politically motivated’.

Thanks to the efforts of the numerous supporters of HayArmat charity organization, the grandparents living in No. 1 nursing home and orphanage children came together for a couple of hours in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, bringing to life the "A Great Family" initiative.

The elderly and children greeted and hugged each other, enjoying each other’s company till the end of the event, the organization said on Facebook.  

As reported earlier, the initiative belongs to the founders of the Germany-based NGO, Anzhela Ghazaryan and Ani Dallakyan. It all started when they visited the care home in Haghtanak district of Yerevan.

During the conversation the guests noticed the love and care of the elderly, which they for some reason could not convey to their grandchildren. They noticed that the elderly felt a lack of family warmth and decided to call to life the "A Great Family" initiative.

The volunteers working for the NGO in Armenia made the necessary preparations for the event. Among them, Araks Babayan talked to the grandparents, inquiring what they would do if they lived with their grandchildren.

Photos from the Facebook page of HayArmat