Category: 2020

Ex-Baku refugee: Azerbaijanis were congratulating us during 1988 earthquake in Armenia

Antranik Varosian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

18:01, 17.01.2020
                  

During the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, the Azerbaijanis were congratulating us on the deaths of Armenians. This is what Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, a refugee from Baku, told reporters today.

According to her, this goes to show that there had been not only physical, but also psychological pressure exerted on the Armenians for many years. “It came to a point where, in 1989, my neighbor attacked me, and we moved to the United States. Our neighbors stayed in Baku and were killed during the pogroms. Overall, we had felt a change of attitude towards the Armenians in 1988, and my entire life has been linked to memories of those horrible events,” the eyewitness said and regretted that the Armenian authorities have been passive all this time.

“Living in the United States, I see how Azerbaijan actively advances the false agenda related to the events of Khojalu, while Armenia isn’t doing anything to present the real image of the events of the past to the world,” Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte said.

From February 26 to 29, 1988, Armenian pogroms took place in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait, and based on official statistics, the pogroms left 27 dead and hundreds wounded. In a matter of days, 18,000 Armenians left the city. Two years later (from January 13 to 19, 1990), Armenian pogroms took place in Baku, leading to the murders of nearly 100 people and the expulsion of more than 200,000.

Wikileaks: Armenian 1st president asked the Americans for assistance before March 1 tragic event

Antranik Varosian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

18:09, 17.01.2020
                  

The My Voice project has presented some opinions and assessments of American diplomatic sources about the 2008 presidential election and the tragic events of March 1, 2008, which appeared at the declassified Wikileaks documents. My Voice also provides links to Wikileaks:

The materials of 12 years ago are remarkable today. Moreover, they are especially important today, when an attempt is made to present reality only from the point of view of the Special Investigation Service and some players, the source noted.

Part 1.

The 2008 presidential elections in Armenia, as well as previous and subsequent events, were the focus of the US embassy in the republic. US diplomats did not remain indifferent to these events, trying to understand reality as accurately as possible, and sometimes taking on an intermediary role.

From the materials related to the internal political events in Armenia from November 2007 to April 2008 and published in Wikileaks, we highlighted the documents of greatest interest. Their overwhelming majority was compiled by representatives of the US Embassy in Armenia and sent to the State Department, the US Security Council, and NATO.

According to Wikileaks publications, back in 2007, the US Embassy was collecting information about the upcoming presidential election, while maintaining contact with the main candidates.

In a letter from November 27, 2007, Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph Pennington, presents Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s opportunities in the upcoming elections. According to Pennington, Ter-Petrosyan has very little chance of winning. Speaking about the candidate Artur Baghdasaryan, he noted that the latter would ‘sell’ his support to the one whose probability of victory would be greater.

In a letter from October 12, 2007, Chargé d’Affaires at the US embassy in Armenia, Rudolf V. Perina, notes that Ter-Petrosyan invited the US Chargé d'Affaires, to whom he presented points of view on the Karabakh issue, asking them to transfer it to Ambassador Matthew Bryza. His main idea was one official document that would summarize the results in the negotiation process on Karabakh, recorded during the reign of Armenian second president Robert Kocharyan.

He suggested that the Minsk Group co-chairs present a conflict resolution plan that summarizes all the circumstances agreed to date. Regardless of whether the parties agree to this or not, the presence of such a document meant the publication of the final result of the negotiation process during the time of Kocharyan. According to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, this would enable other presidents to continue from this point to not start all over again. He also asked not to submit the proposal as his, to keep this fact a secret and to present everything on behalf of the American co-chair. Ter-Petrosyan also asked to arrange a meeting with Bryza.

Commenting on the proposal of the latter, Perina notes that this has a certain political motivation. First, in his opinion, at one stage during the expected campaign, Ter-Petrosyan wants to say that the Karabakh issue was discussed with the US, to show that in comparison with Serzh Sargsyan he is a serious alternative. Secondly, if he can become president, which Ter-Petrosyan himself considers very likely, this document will be important in that sense to show that Kocharyan allegedly was negotiating around a losing document. It will also give him the opportunity as a president to compromise in negotiations with Azerbaijan.

This declassified Wikileaks document, perhaps, is distinguished by its exceptional shades: first of all, the fact that Ter-Petrosyan was ready to work against Kocharyan even at the cost of the country's security. In fact, asking the American side to disclose the unacceptable details of the negotiations, he understood that thereby giving Azerbaijan a huge advantage during further talks.

Another major episode: in 2008, Ter-Petrosyan sought power with a willingness to make concessions on the Karabakh issue, which he did not hide during meetings with US diplomats and, naturally, trying to “blame” it on Kocharyan.

Part 2: Manipulation.

February 12, 2008. A letter from the US Chargé d'Affaires Joseph Pennington to the US Department of State, NATO and several other organizations also mentions a rally organized by Levon Ter-Petrosyan on February 9 at Freedom Square. He noted that approximately 40,000 people took part in it. The US representative reports that several influential and wealthy representatives of the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union expressed their support for the latter. Pennington singles out an episode from Ter-Petrosyan’s speech, in which the latter accuses Kocharyan of the readiness to exchange Meghri for Shushi and Lachin. Pennington noted that Ter-Petrosyan’s goal was to show the public that there was a disagreement between the Armenian and Karabakh residents.

The US official also thinks that the real purpose of Ter-Petrosyan’s speech was public manipulation.

From this it becomes clear that American diplomats initially determined the main goals of the Ter-Petrosyan’s movement to manipulate society and sow enmity between the residents of Armenia and Karabakh.

Part 3: The rallies is the goal.

On February 13, 2008, Pennington noted in a letter that both Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Serzh Sargsyan were ready to go all the way to obtain positive results in these elections. No one is ready to accept a loss based on the results of the vote. The US representative predicts that Ter-Petrosyan will not be able to bring the required number of determined people to the street. He predicts that, protests will be quickly dispersed by the authorities with minimal use of violence, but at the same time not excluding the possibility of serious clashes.

Pennington notes that Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s plan is precisely in rallies. He is preparing to fill the streets after the election and declare that the election results were falsified by the authorities.

Part 4: Elections – Americans tend to believe the results of candidates.

02/20/2008 Pennington's letter sent to the State Department, the US Security Council, Turkey (probably to the US Embassy in Ankara) and several other organizations, 

The SS is recognized as the winner of the elections: the number of participants in opposition rallies reaches 50,000.

The  US representative in a letter notes that, according to the situation at 8pm, the number of demonstrators reached 50,000 mark at the Freedom Square, and so far the rallies are peaceful. It is also noted that the OSCE observation mission described these elections as mostly in line with international standards.

02.21.2008 Pennington writes an urgent letter that he sends to the State Department. It notes that on February 21, Ter-Petrosyan’s advisor Levon Zurabyan asked to arrange a meeting with a representative of the US Embassy. Zurabyan handed the letter to the latter, noting that it was personally from Ter-Petrosyan. It is noted that it is Zurabyan who is the person who maintains contact with the US diplomatic mission from Ter-Petrosyan.

Zurabyan also made two comments. He stressed that they have information that the authorities are going to interfere with the rallies planned for 3pm. According to him, the authorities are holding open the possibility of holding a second round, since Sargsyan’s result may fall even further from the mark of 50% and a second round will be held. Zurabyan said that they are sure that Ter-Petrosyan won the election.

According to Ter-Petrosyan’s letter, people are angry, they push them to decisive action. He noted that they kept the rallies within the rule of law, but at some point the situation may get out of control. The only way out is the second round, he noted calling on the US embassy to put pressure on the authorities so that a second round takes place and that no one interferes with their peaceful rallies, noting that the authorities will not be able to refuse the requirements of the diplomatic mission.

Commenting on Ter-Petrosyan’s letter, Pennington noted that they don’t want to get involved in the domestic political life of Armenia, while Ter-Petrosyan is waiting for this.

02/27/2008 The US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim and another embassy official meet with the main assistant and adviser S. Sargsyan on February 26, they ask the US to show even greater support for Sargsyan due to legitimacy, which, according to them, will make the rest of the parties show proper behavior. Embassy’s representatives replied that the clean conduct of the democratic process is Armenian government’s business, and that the US cannot give a green light on this issue. Although the US representative in his letter did not directly indicate the victory of Serzh Sargsyan, he noted that the latter gathered more votes than other candidates.

02/28/2008 Pennington presents the details of the meeting with Kocharyan on February 28. During the meeting, Kocharyan informed the American side that several days ago there were dangerous processes involving Yerkrapah, when the situation from the political channel could develop into a military one, meaning a coup attempt. Kocharyan noted that Yerkrapah already knows that if they try to provide military support to Ter-Petrosyan, the state will be able to withstand this with all force.

Touching upon a number of detentions, Pennington quoted Kocharyan as saying that their goal was to exclude the presence of weapons during rallies. Kocharyan also noted that if he wants to free the square, he will do it in 40 minutes, but this will harm the demonstrators, and he does not want it.

The US information once again confirms that an attempt was made with the help of senior officials of Defense Ministry, some Yerkrap commanders to lead political processes in a way dangerous for the statehood of the country in the direction of overthrowing the constitutional order with the use of violence.

To be continued.

[1]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1383_a.html

[2]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1482_a.html

[3]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1050_a.html

[4]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07YEREVAN1257_a.html

[5]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN110_a.html

[6]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN117_a.html

[7]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN144_a.html

[8]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN150_a.html

[9]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN154_a.html

[10]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN163_a.html

[11]https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08YEREVAN168_a.html»



Moscow hopes for resumption of “substantive dialogue” on Nagorno Karabakh

Greg Madatian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 17 2020

The Russian Foreign Ministry sees advances in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“There is progress in the implementation of “small steps” that that the Foreign Ministers agreed on at a meeting in Moscow in April 2019 in a follow up to the agreements reached between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia in Vienna in March 2019,” the Ministry said in response to questions submitted by reporters.

“The situation on the border and the line of contact remains relatively calm. The hot line between Yerevan and Baku is in place. We believe this testifies to the intention of the parties to take concrete steps aimed at preparing the populations for peace,” the Ministry said.

However, the Ministry noted, “no progress has yet been made on substantial issues of conflict settlement.”

It hopes for resumption of substantive conversation between the countries.

EU ambassador to Armenia: You will have no human rights without rule of law

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 17 2020
Politics 15:37 17/01/2020 Armenia

Political will is important in Armenia’s path to democracy, EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin told reporters on Friday on the sidelines of a discussion on human rights protection in places of depravation of liberty and the institution of the human rights defender as a preventive mechanism.

“The political will is there. Now we have to do the implementation together,” Wiktorin said, adding the UN and EU stand ready to support Armenia in different fields.

“The important thing now is to go step by step to do the reforms you have foreseen and we will be there to help you,” she said.

The diplomat noted the EU is closely cooperating with the UN on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 16 SGD goal is where the efforts meet.

In response to a question over the human rights situation in Armenia and the work of the Armenian government over the past one year and a half, the diplomat said she has ‘a comparison’.

“I think the situation really improved and I can only underline again that you have quite a lot of reforms that need to be implemented. You will have no human rights without rule of law,” the ambassador stressed.

“I am here now for four months, but I am really impressed by all the efforts done to bring forward the judiciary reform. The EU will be a big partner in this to support the process,” the ambassador said.

She added during the Partnership Committee meeting held in Brussels in December both sides agreed that a progress is being made. “But it doesn’t mean that we can stop, it doesn’t mean that everything is finalized tomorrow. So it really needs more time and continued engagement,” she stressed.

Andrea Wiktorin said to be also impressed by the Armenian government’s engagement in the development and implementation of the anti-corruption strategy. 

Armenian National Congress political party on constitutional amendments

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

16:41, 17.01.2020
                  

Immediate restoration of the semi-presidential governance model must be the primary objective of the constitutional amendments. This is stated in the statement issued by the Armenian National Congress political party.

The statement reads as follows:

“On December 30, 2019, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan adopted a decision on the creation of a commission to prepare for constitutional amendments. The decision envisages developing the package of constitutional amendments in accordance with the 2019-2023 Strategy for Judicial and Legal Reforms approved by the Government of Armenia on October 10, 2019. In this regard, the Congress deems it necessary to state the following:

1. The existing Constitution was developed for the purpose of eternalizing the power of the former regime and its head, was “adopted” through the falsification of 500,000 votes, but based on the real results of the vote, it was rejected by the prevailing majority of the citizens of Armenia; thus, it is illegitimate, and what happened dealt a serious blow to the foundations of Armenian statehood.

2. It is important to state that the parliamentary governance model wasn’t actually accepted by the people of Armenia. It has led to political crises in several democratic countries, and in the long run, it will lead to constant political crises in Armenia as well.

3. Consequently, immediate restoration of the semi-presidential governance model must be the primary objective of the constitutional amendments. This will ensure political stability, security and the potential for reforms in the political and economic systems of the country.

4. However, judging from the government’s Strategy, the proposed package of constitutional amendments will help solve tactical, not strategic issues, particularly with regard to overcoming the crisis in the Constitutional Court.

5. No matter how important the solution to the aforementioned issues is important, if the proposed package of constitutional amendments is only restricted to the correction of the flaws of the constitutional governance model, it will overlook the several issues caused by the referendum that was falsified in 2015.

6. The creation of the commission for constitutional amendments had to be preceded by large-scale public consultations and deliberations with the participation of political parties and non-governmental organizations, and these consultations and deliberations had to lead to the creation of a concept paper on constitutional amendments, and most importantly, approaches to the informed and lawful adoption of a governance model by the public.”

Armenia health minister on his service car: My personal cars are more expensive than the Prado

John Hovhannisian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

17:38, 17.01.2020

YEREVAN. – We have a lot of cars that I use sometimes, and now I am walking toward Republic Square, to the government, to the ministerial committee meeting. Armenia’s Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan said this in a conversation with journalists today, referring to the issue of the Prado-model car servicing him.

To the observation that it was stated that such an expensive car could not service him, he said: “Why couldn't it serve me? How expensive is that car? As far as I know, this car was purchased in 2014-2015 for 14 million drams. (…). We [the Ministry of Health] now have 4 or 5 cars, and sometimes we all use them. My personal cars are more expensive than the Prado, if you are interested."

Torosyan also referred to the press report, according to which the government had left the Minister of Health all alone. “The press was not writing; only news medium was writing whose duty is to write something like that twice a day, or once every two days, which I do not consider to be serious to refer. I'm a member of the executive [branch of power]. How can they have a conflict with the executive?”


Yerevan named most expensive city in South Caucasus

Albert Nalbandian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, appears to be the most expensive city in the South Caucasus, according to Cost of Living Index by City 2020 released by Numbeo, a global leader in comparing cost of living worldwide.

In total, the ranking list includes 440 cities. According to Numbeo, the most expensive city at the beginning of 2020 is Zurich, followed by Basel and Lausanne.

Switzerland’s Geneva and Bern have been named the world’s fourth and fifth most expensive countries.

Yerevan ranks 380th in the world with an overall cost of living index of 33.04, making it the most expensive city in the South Caucasus, since Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, and Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, come 390th and 404th on the list, respectively.

The top ten most expensive cities in the world also features Stavanger, Oslo, Trondheim (Norway), Reykjavik (Iceland) and Bergen, Norway.

Ranking 251st, Moscow is Russia's most expensive city.

While working out the list, Numbeo takes into account the cost of living, rent, groceries and other factors. 

EU follows closely developments over Armenia’s Constitutional Court: ambassador

Arpi Talalian
Aysor, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

The European Union is following closely the developments over Armenia’s Constitutional Court, head of EU delegation to Armenia, ambassador Andrea Viktorin told the reporters today, referring to the situation over the CC and whether they see political elements in criminal persecution of CC Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan.

“Like other international institutions, the EU too is closely following the developments, but we do not comment on the ongoing cases,” the ambassador said.

Analyst: Armenia needs to raise issue of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan during negotiations

Raffi Khondkarian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

19:08, 17.01.2020
                  

Armenia has to work on raising the issue of the involvement of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan during the negotiations. This is what author of the “Ordinary Genocide” project Marina Grigoryan told reporters today.

She noted that Azerbaijan has been talking about the issue of the so-called ‘Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh’ right from the start of the negotiations, yet the Armenian authorities aren’t trying to raise the real issues of Armenian refugees during the negotiations. “There are many documented testimonies of Baku-Armenians that show that they had assets in Azerbaijan and are ready to address international organizations, but Armenia needs to work in an organized and coordinated manner as a state,” the analyst stated, adding that the authorities and non-governmental organizations need to combine efforts in regard to the issue related to the Armenian pogroms in Azerbaijan.

MP: To declare war on the media is simply absurd

Boris Nahapetian
Arminfo, Armenia
Jan 17 2020

ArmInfo. "Recently, certain messages have been visible on which I conclude that certain problems may arise with regard to the media," MP from Prosperous Armenia  faction Naira Zohrabyan said in a conversation with reporters on  January 17.

According to the MP, there was pressure on the media under the  previous authorities. "As a former journalist, I can say that under  the previous regime there was a lot of pressure on the "Haykakan  Zhamanak " newspaper, which I worked for, and on its chief editor,  who is now the Prime Minister of Armenia. 

Almost every week, we, the newspaper's staff, found out that another  lawsuit has been submitted to us in court, that is, this particular  newspaper was subjected to the greatest pressure from the former  authorities.  However, what did they achieve? In fact, nothing, "the  MP emphasized.

According to Zohrabyan, no government can interfere with the work of  the media. "To declare war on the media is simply absurd. It would be  absurd if the government decides that it can declare war on a  publication that does not disseminate information that is pleasant to  them. Given that there was a war before against Nikol Pashinyan,  lawsuits were repeatedly submitted, but and achieved nothing, I hope  that the current government will not repeat the mistakes of the  previous authorities, "the MP concluded.

To recall, on the eve of the government meeting, Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan noted that many media in Armenia are controlled by the  families of former senior officials. The head of government called  for continued work to ensure transparency not only in government  circles or large companies, but also in public organizations and the  media. "The logos of at least two TV channels can be substituted with  the words "Corruption" or "Corruption Group" the head of government  said. He also stated the need to identify the real owners of the  media.