Armenian News...A Topalian... Protest agains Electricity Hike
RFE/RL Report
`Electric Yerevan' Leaders Avoid Renewed Standoff With
Government
Hovannes Movsisian
06.07.2015
Several hundred Armenians protesting against an electricity price hike
again rallied in Yerevan but avoided reoccupying one of the city's
main thoroughfares late on Monday hours after being driven out of
there by riot police.
The rally in the pedestrian Liberty Square began shortly after the
police released all 46 protesters who were detained during the
break-up of a two-week nonstop demonstration on Marshal Bagramian
Avenue earlier in the afternoon.
The detainees included virtually all current leaders of the so-called
"Electric Yerevan" movement that has forced the Armenian government to
effectively suspend the more than 17 percent rise in energy tariffs.
The young leaders struck a defiant note as they addressed the people
gathered in the square. But citing the need to avoid fresh clashes
with the police, they stopped short of announcing another march to
Marshal Bagramian Avenue. They decided instead to march through the
city center on Thursday.
"We need some rest," one of the activists, Narek Ayvazian, told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). He said he and his comrades
have been exhausted by the around-the-clock sit-in on the avenue
leading to President Serzh Sarkisian's residence.
"I promise you that we will again go to Bagramian [avenue,]" another
"Electric Yerevan" leader, Davit Sanasarian, told the
demonstrators. "The police, the authorities are really scared."
Sanasarian complained at the same time about the small number of
people who have attended the protests over the past week, implying
that it is not enough to trouble the Armenian authorities. He said he
is going on hunger strike in a bid to attract people's attention and
get more of them to join the campaign.
"We are waiting for you," said another speaker, appealing to the
nation. "All Armenian people must rise up for this struggle."
The protests attracted thousands of people until President Serzh
Sarkisian announced on June 27 that the government will cover the cost
of the electricity price hike until the end of an international audit
of Armenia's electric utility. The audit is meant to determine whether
the unpopular measure is economically justified or results from fraud
and mismanagement with the Russian-owned company.
Several dozen protesters tried to stage a march later in the evening,
but they were stopped by police officers deployed at the
square. "Electric Yerevan" leaders were not among them.
Hovannes Movsisian
06.07.2015
Several hundred Armenians protesting against an electricity price hike
again rallied in Yerevan but avoided reoccupying one of the city's
main thoroughfares late on Monday hours after being driven out of
there by riot police.
The rally in the pedestrian Liberty Square began shortly after the
police released all 46 protesters who were detained during the
break-up of a two-week nonstop demonstration on Marshal Bagramian
Avenue earlier in the afternoon.
The detainees included virtually all current leaders of the so-called
"Electric Yerevan" movement that has forced the Armenian government to
effectively suspend the more than 17 percent rise in energy tariffs.
The young leaders struck a defiant note as they addressed the people
gathered in the square. But citing the need to avoid fresh clashes
with the police, they stopped short of announcing another march to
Marshal Bagramian Avenue. They decided instead to march through the
city center on Thursday.
"We need some rest," one of the activists, Narek Ayvazian, told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). He said he and his comrades
have been exhausted by the around-the-clock sit-in on the avenue
leading to President Serzh Sarkisian's residence.
"I promise you that we will again go to Bagramian [avenue,]" another
"Electric Yerevan" leader, Davit Sanasarian, told the
demonstrators. "The police, the authorities are really scared."
Sanasarian complained at the same time about the small number of
people who have attended the protests over the past week, implying
that it is not enough to trouble the Armenian authorities. He said he
is going on hunger strike in a bid to attract people's attention and
get more of them to join the campaign.
"We are waiting for you," said another speaker, appealing to the
nation. "All Armenian people must rise up for this struggle."
The protests attracted thousands of people until President Serzh
Sarkisian announced on June 27 that the government will cover the cost
of the electricity price hike until the end of an international audit
of Armenia's electric utility. The audit is meant to determine whether
the unpopular measure is economically justified or results from fraud
and mismanagement with the Russian-owned company.
Several dozen protesters tried to stage a march later in the evening,
but they were stopped by police officers deployed at the
square. "Electric Yerevan" leaders were not among them.
lragir.am
OMBUDSMAN'S STATEMENT ON JUNE 23
06 July 2015, 13:08
Being strongly concerned with today's incidents occurred in the
downtown Yerevan as well as worried about the disproportionate
physical force exercised against the journalists and the corporal
injuries inflicted on the activists Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan has
initiated a proceeding on his own initiative.
The Ombudsman has addressed questions to Vladimir Gasparyan Head of
the Police Vahram Shahinyan Head of the Special Investigation Service
Armen Muradyan Minister of Justice pertaining to the incidents occurred
in the early morning. Given the emergency of the issue a 3-day term
was established to answer to the questions.
According to the written note as a result of studying the widespread
video materials in the mass media an issue of prima facie lawfulness
arises regarding the Police actions towards a number of citizens.
Particularly the notes covered the lawfulness of the actions carried
out by the Police servants the physical force exercised by the Police
servants the corporal injuries inflicted on the demonstrators the
lawfulness of the actions aimed at dispersing the rally the Police
servants in plain clothes the exercise of force towards the activists
as well as cursing at the citizens.
The written notes addressed to the Police and the Special Investigation
Service cover the issues of violence exercised towards many journalists
hampering the professional activities of journalists smashing video
recording equipment of journalists by the Police Servants as well as
the lawfulness of arresting the journalists covering the protest.
The written note addressed to the Minster of Justice covers the cases
of improper first medical aid provided to the activists.
Ombudsman and his staff will continue to stay focused on this case
and will use all the possible means within their power to protect
the rights of the journalists as well as the participants of the
peaceful demonstration.
arka.am
06 July 2015, 13:08
Being strongly concerned with today's incidents occurred in the
downtown Yerevan as well as worried about the disproportionate
physical force exercised against the journalists and the corporal
injuries inflicted on the activists Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan has
initiated a proceeding on his own initiative.
The Ombudsman has addressed questions to Vladimir Gasparyan Head of
the Police Vahram Shahinyan Head of the Special Investigation Service
Armen Muradyan Minister of Justice pertaining to the incidents occurred
in the early morning. Given the emergency of the issue a 3-day term
was established to answer to the questions.
According to the written note as a result of studying the widespread
video materials in the mass media an issue of prima facie lawfulness
arises regarding the Police actions towards a number of citizens.
Particularly the notes covered the lawfulness of the actions carried
out by the Police servants the physical force exercised by the Police
servants the corporal injuries inflicted on the demonstrators the
lawfulness of the actions aimed at dispersing the rally the Police
servants in plain clothes the exercise of force towards the activists
as well as cursing at the citizens.
The written notes addressed to the Police and the Special Investigation
Service cover the issues of violence exercised towards many journalists
hampering the professional activities of journalists smashing video
recording equipment of journalists by the Police Servants as well as
the lawfulness of arresting the journalists covering the protest.
The written note addressed to the Minster of Justice covers the cases
of improper first medical aid provided to the activists.
Ombudsman and his staff will continue to stay focused on this case
and will use all the possible means within their power to protect
the rights of the journalists as well as the participants of the
peaceful demonstration.
arka.am
ARMENIAN ECONOMY MAY FACE DEFAULT - NEWSPAPER
YEREVAN, July 6. Armenia's government has been accumulating
huge external and internal debts in the recent years, which may lead
to a default, Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Time) newspaper says.
According to the newspaper, official projections suggest that Armenia's
public debt amounted to $4.9 billion in 2015, as compared to $2.13
billion in 2008 (including foreign debt of $1.82bln only).
This means that the debt accounted for 18% of the country's GDP in
2008 and will reach about 44.5% of GDP in 2015, which is a 2.5-time
increase over seven years, the newspaper says.
In reality things are even worse, as the debt exceeded 52% of GDP
as of the end of the first quarter of this year, according to the
newspaper. The debt may reach 55-57% of GDP by the end of the year,
Haykakan Zhamanak says.
Apart from this, government security loans to companies are not
incorporated in these public debt figures. For instance, asked by
the government Yerevan Thermal Power Plant took a bank loan worth
$50 million and re-directed it for paying back salaries to Nairit
chemical plant staff.
This amount is seen nowhere and it is not known what sources the
government will be repaying it from. Hence, actual debt is higher than
what is reflected in the official statistics. The debt level may be
already beyond the 60% of GDP threshold, which is the allowable limit
of public debt under the Armenian legislation.
YEREVAN, July 6. Armenia's government has been accumulating
huge external and internal debts in the recent years, which may lead
to a default, Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Time) newspaper says.
According to the newspaper, official projections suggest that Armenia's
public debt amounted to $4.9 billion in 2015, as compared to $2.13
billion in 2008 (including foreign debt of $1.82bln only).
This means that the debt accounted for 18% of the country's GDP in
2008 and will reach about 44.5% of GDP in 2015, which is a 2.5-time
increase over seven years, the newspaper says.
In reality things are even worse, as the debt exceeded 52% of GDP
as of the end of the first quarter of this year, according to the
newspaper. The debt may reach 55-57% of GDP by the end of the year,
Haykakan Zhamanak says.
Apart from this, government security loans to companies are not
incorporated in these public debt figures. For instance, asked by
the government Yerevan Thermal Power Plant took a bank loan worth
$50 million and re-directed it for paying back salaries to Nairit
chemical plant staff.
This amount is seen nowhere and it is not known what sources the
government will be repaying it from. Hence, actual debt is higher than
what is reflected in the official statistics. The debt level may be
already beyond the 60% of GDP threshold, which is the allowable limit
of public debt under the Armenian legislation.
news.am
TURKISH MP OF ARMENIAN DESCENT NOT TO FORGIVE
TURKISH MP OF ARMENIAN DESCENT NOT TO FORGIVE
ERDOGAN'S INSULT
07.07.2015
Selina Dogan, the first Armenian MP in Turkey for many years, said
she would never forgive the Turkish President Erdogan for the phrase
"Others called me even, excuse me, an Armenian."
In an interview with Sozcu, the MP from the opposition Republican
People's Party Selina Dogan said she's going to work not only for
Armenians but also other national minorities.
According to her, xenophobia and discrimination against the
representatives of national minorities is a serious problem in Turkey.
panorama.am
ARMENIA AS ASTRONOMICAL SUPERPOWER AND REGIONAL
07.07.2015
Selina Dogan, the first Armenian MP in Turkey for many years, said
she would never forgive the Turkish President Erdogan for the phrase
"Others called me even, excuse me, an Armenian."
In an interview with Sozcu, the MP from the opposition Republican
People's Party Selina Dogan said she's going to work not only for
Armenians but also other national minorities.
According to her, xenophobia and discrimination against the
representatives of national minorities is a serious problem in Turkey.
panorama.am
ARMENIA AS ASTRONOMICAL SUPERPOWER AND REGIONAL
CENTER OF ASTRONOMY: AN INTERVIEW WITH BYURAKAN
OBSERVATORY DIRECTOR
06/07/2015
In Armenia astronomy is quite developed and attracts international
interest, which is why the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory after V.
Hambartsumyan of Armenian National Academy of Sciences was recognized
as a regional astronomical center by a decision of International
Astronomical Union, Director of Byurakan Observatory Hayk Harutyunyan
told Panorama.am.
"A few years ago International Astronomical Union decided to establish
several regional astronomical centers aimed at assisting countries in
a region if astronomy is not at a high level of development in that
country. A center was set up in South Africa. We proposed setting up
a regional astronomical center in Armenia," Hayk Harutyunyan said.
The recognition of Byurakan Observatory as a regional astronomical
center will allow Armenian experts to organize workshops and courses,
invite foreign scholars and implement projects with the financial
assistance of International Astronomical Union , the director said
noting that the development level of astronomy in the given country
is also assessed when international scientific community declares a
country a regional astronomic center.
"On the whole, international scientific bodies and experts consider
Armenian astronomy quite developed - Armenia ranks 34th-35th in the
world by the development level of its astronomy, while our country
is in 130th-140th position by its population. Armenia is regarded
an astronomical superpower in this sense," the director of Byurakan
Observatory said.
Discussing the fact that a decision was made to draft a strategic
program and reform the management system of Byurakan Observatory after
it has received a new status, Hayk Harutyunyan said: "The breakup of
the Soviet Union negatively affected astronomy and we are trying to
gradually reach the former level. The main goal of the strategy is
to organize science in such a way that the existing opportunities
and human resources can be used most efficiently".
The director said that despite the current problems, Armenian astronomy
attracts plenty of interest from abroad, with approximately 30 foreign
specialists visiting Armenia every year.
06/07/2015
In Armenia astronomy is quite developed and attracts international
interest, which is why the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory after V.
Hambartsumyan of Armenian National Academy of Sciences was recognized
as a regional astronomical center by a decision of International
Astronomical Union, Director of Byurakan Observatory Hayk Harutyunyan
told Panorama.am.
"A few years ago International Astronomical Union decided to establish
several regional astronomical centers aimed at assisting countries in
a region if astronomy is not at a high level of development in that
country. A center was set up in South Africa. We proposed setting up
a regional astronomical center in Armenia," Hayk Harutyunyan said.
The recognition of Byurakan Observatory as a regional astronomical
center will allow Armenian experts to organize workshops and courses,
invite foreign scholars and implement projects with the financial
assistance of International Astronomical Union , the director said
noting that the development level of astronomy in the given country
is also assessed when international scientific community declares a
country a regional astronomic center.
"On the whole, international scientific bodies and experts consider
Armenian astronomy quite developed - Armenia ranks 34th-35th in the
world by the development level of its astronomy, while our country
is in 130th-140th position by its population. Armenia is regarded
an astronomical superpower in this sense," the director of Byurakan
Observatory said.
Discussing the fact that a decision was made to draft a strategic
program and reform the management system of Byurakan Observatory after
it has received a new status, Hayk Harutyunyan said: "The breakup of
the Soviet Union negatively affected astronomy and we are trying to
gradually reach the former level. The main goal of the strategy is
to organize science in such a way that the existing opportunities
and human resources can be used most efficiently".
The director said that despite the current problems, Armenian astronomy
attracts plenty of interest from abroad, with approximately 30 foreign
specialists visiting Armenia every year.
armenpress.am
BP BOYCOTTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BECAUSE OF AZERBAIJAN
7 July, 2015
YEREVAN, JULY 7. 75 compositors and musicologists asked
to cut ties with the oil company British Petroleum in their address
to London's Royal Opera Theatre (Kovent-Garden). Compositor John
Luther Adams, professor at the Oxford University Georgina Born and
conductor Sally Mears are among the signatories of the address.
As reports "Armenpress", in an article published in the website of
The Guardian on July 2, it is said that ties with that oil company
represents a stain on the Royal Opera House's international reputation.
Participant of the protest compositor and musicologist Chris Hared
said."Supporting totalitarian regimes in Western Papua and Azerbaijan
BP has clearly proved that is against freedom. BP should not have a
place in our cultural institutions, as culture is indented to call
for the victory of freedom".
7 July, 2015
YEREVAN, JULY 7. 75 compositors and musicologists asked
to cut ties with the oil company British Petroleum in their address
to London's Royal Opera Theatre (Kovent-Garden). Compositor John
Luther Adams, professor at the Oxford University Georgina Born and
conductor Sally Mears are among the signatories of the address.
As reports "Armenpress", in an article published in the website of
The Guardian on July 2, it is said that ties with that oil company
represents a stain on the Royal Opera House's international reputation.
Participant of the protest compositor and musicologist Chris Hared
said."Supporting totalitarian regimes in Western Papua and Azerbaijan
BP has clearly proved that is against freedom. BP should not have a
place in our cultural institutions, as culture is indented to call
for the victory of freedom".
armenpress.am
Funding Secured For More Armenian Irrigation Upgrades
07.07.2015
A Moscow-based development agency has agreed to lend Armenia $40
million for a further rehabilitation of the country's rundown
irrigation networks planned by its government.
The Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD) approved
the release of the low-interest loan repayable in 20 years during
Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian's weekend trip to the Russian
capital.
In an ensuing statement, the Armenian Finance Ministry said the money
will be used for refurbishing canals and modernizing equipment
supporting them. The statement did not specify the rural communities
that will benefit from the project.
The EFSD is a special anti-crisis fund that was set up by the
governments of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan in 2009.
Armenia's Soviet-built irrigation networks have already absorbed
considerable capital investments in the last several years. That
includes a $177 million reconstruction of 6 major canals, 17 water
pumping stations and the water drainage system of the southern Ararat
and Armavir provinces, which was financed by a U.S. government agency,
the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The project was completed in
2011.
Later in 2011, the World Bank disbursed an $18 million loan for
further irrigation upgrades in the country, which were supposed to
benefit about 90,000 farmers.
A lack of irrigation water has been one of the main problems hampering
the development of the Armenian agricultural sector.
HATE SPEECH FREELY TARGETS ARMENIANS
Cihan News Agency, Turkey
July 8 2015
I did not establish this link before. I just realized these two
things happened together when I read a recent petition by the Ankara
DuÅ~_unceye Ozgurluk GiriÅ~_imi (Ankara Freedom of Thought Initiative).
The initiative in this petition tries to attract the attention
of prosecutors to hate speech targeting Armenians and links this
concerning development with the election of three Turks of Armenian
descent as deputies.
First of all, it is really interesting to see us having three Armenian
deputies from three parties elected to Parliament: Markar Esayan from
the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Selina Dogan from the
main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Garo Paylan from
the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
I guess we have not had such a composition in the entire history of
the Turkish Republic. This is a development everyone who believes in
democracy in Turkey should welcome wholeheartedly.
However, this development has apparently also generated more hate
speech from well-known sources in Turkey.
A textbook example of racist hate speech targeting those deputies
came from the mayor of Turkey's sixth-largest city. Adana Mayor
Huseyin Ozlu is from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Mentioning
Matild Manukyan, a former Armenian owner of some brothels in Turkey,
Ozlu tweeted: "Manukyan's nephews residing in Adana are happy. The
children of the three aunts have also entered Parliament through the
[AK Party, the CHP and the HDP]. Regardless of how proud they are,
it will still not be enough."
Another example of racist hate speech that poses a greater danger to
the welfare of Turks of Armenian descent came from Kars.
The head of Kars Ulku Ocakları, the youth organization of the
ultranationalists, which is somehow connected to the MHP, voiced
threats against Armenians in Kars after jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan
performed a concert at the Ani Ruins. Speaking at a press conference,
they openly threatened Armenians "who feel so free in Turkey. What
should we do now? Should we start a hunt for Armenians on the streets
of Kars?"
The Ankara initiative, in the petition I mentioned above, calls on
prosecutors to open an investigation into this hate speech but also
made an important call on those political parties with Armenian
deputies to condemn these racist remarks.
The initiative also invites those three parties to enact a hate crime
law to handle such crimes more actively.
Don't think we don't have a law punishing hate speech. We have Article
216 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which clearly and absolutely
punishes any form of hate speech.
However, when it comes to minorities, prosecutors are completely
blind to hate speech. Those prosecutors who are so vigilant
against any alleged insult towards the prime minister or president
became totally inactive in situations of textbook examples of racist
hate speech.
Sending three Armenians to Parliament is definitely one thing. But
changing the atmosphere in Turkey, eradicating and effectively fighting
against hate speech is another.
Whether having Armenian deputies would make these political parties
more sensitive towards hate speech and racism is an important
question for Turkey. Their silence towards these racist remarks is
not a promising sign, though.
ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z (Cihan/Today's Zaman)
Sending three Armenians to Parliament is definitely one thing. But
changing the atmosphere in Turkey, eradicating and effectively fighting
against hate speech is another.
Whether having Armenian deputies would make these political parties
more sensitive towards hate speech and racism is an important
question for Turkey. Their silence towards these racist remarks is
not a promising sign, though.
ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z (Cihan/Today's Zaman)
ARMENIA WANTS BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #782
July 6 2015
Six months ago, it looked like Armenia had made a final, definitive
choice to align itself with Russia rather than the European Union.
By Arshaluis Mghdesyan
But now the government in Yerevan seems to be reaching out to Brussels
again and seeking something like the kind of Association Agreement
that it abandoned nearly two years ago - and officials insist that
Moscow is comfortable with this.
Armenia's renewed interest in closer relations with the European Union
was reflected by President Serzh Sargsyan's presence at the May 20-21
European Partnership summit in Riga, also attended by the leaders of
other former Soviet states like Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.
This followed a meeting Sargsyan held in March with the European
neighbourhood policy and enlargement commissioner, Johannes Hahn.
After that meeting in Yerevan, Hahn said the EU and Armenia had
completed a joint "scoping exercise" to identify potential areas for
cooperation. He said the EU was working towards a deal that would
include "special terms for cooperation".
When Sargsyan announced that Armenia wanted to join the Moscow-led
Customs Union in September 2013, EU officials made it clear the trade
terms and tariffs of the two blocs were incompatible. After years of
work, the draft Association Agreement with the EU was thus shelved. In
January 2015, Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union, a bloc with
a broader remit established last year, incorporating the old Customs
Union. Apart from Armenia, the Eurasian union's members are Russia,
Belarus, Kazakstan, and since May, Kyrgyzstan. (See Armenia Seeks
New Deal With EU.)
In an increasingly polarised region where Russia has been seeking
support from its neighbours on Ukraine and Western sanctions, Armenia
- historically a close ally of Moscow and now part of its Eurasian
project - would be the last country one would expect to waver.
But Armenian foreign policy officials say there is no discrepancy,
and that Moscow is fully aware of what and is quite content with the
policy. Many quote Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan, who told
parliament recently that "we have held discussions with the Russians
about Armenia cooperating with European institutions. The Russians
have no negative views on this."
"Our relations with the EU are not directed against other countries,"
Nazaryan added.
For its part, the EU seems to have accepted that some European
Partnership countries are keener than others to build strong
relationships. Now the talk is of tailoring what was once a
standardised approach to fit the needs and wishes of each state. The
final declaration from the Riga summit said that each participating
state had a right to "choose the level of ambition and goals to which
it aspires in its relations with the European Union".
"The idea of a differentiated approach was there in negotiations
even before the Riga summit," Poland's ambassador to Armenia, Jerzy
Marek Nowakowski, told IWPR. "If a given partner cannot fully engage
in the process for some reason or another, then it can cooperate in
just some areas of EU engagement."
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan says the areas of cooperation now
under discussion include education, science, research, people-to-people
contacts, and preferential trade terms. Speaking at an "informal
dialogue" of European Partnership ministers in Minsk on June 29, he
said Armenia wanted to be part of the EU's COSME programme, aimed
at boosting small and medium-sized businesses, and Horizon 2020,
an 80 billion euro research and innovation fund.
Deputy Economy Minister Garegin Melkonyan said recently that
the final agreement would consist of sections of the Partnership
Agreement finalised in 2013, with other parts such as customs and
free-trade arrangements removed to reflect the country's Eurasian
union commitments.
"Of course, not all areas can be included given that Armenia has
undertaken certain obligations within the Eurasian Economic Union
framework," he said.
Current negotiations are still informal as the European Commission
has not yet authorised EU officials to begin formal talks.
Melkonyan said Armenia's Eurasian bloc partners were being kept up
to date on where things stood with the EU. "That's the normal way to
proceed," he said. "It's the same in the EU, whose members can't sign
free-trade agreements with other countries on their own."
He said Armenia was already in a unique position as the only Eurasian
bloc member that is part of the GSP+ scheme, under which the EU gives
"vulnerable developing countries" preferential access to its markets.
Some experts say that since Armenia is not in a position to increase
its exports under GSP+ at the moment, there is little reason to expect
that it will.
"Signing an agreement with the EU, or even having preferential trade
terms with it, isn't enough to mean that Armenian goods will storm
the European market," Mikael Melkumyan, an economist and member of
parliament for the opposition Prosperous Armenian party, told IWPR.
"Moreover, the EU is currently trying to open up new markets for its
own goods, and is reducing the euro's exchange rate to do this.
Alexander Petrosyan, a parliamentarian with the ruling Republic Party
who also owns a wine and brandy factory, points to broader problems
facing exporters.
"The EU market is effectively open to us, but we have problems with
meeting their standards, exporting the large volumes required, and
most important, establishing ourselves in the market," Petrosyan told
IWPR. "It's a fairly capricious and brand-heavy market, and one that
our manufacturers don't know well. It takes colossal sums of money
and a long period of time spent doing the right marketing just to
get established in the market."
Arshaluis Mgdesyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.
ARMENIANS HAVE LOST FAITH IN RUSSIA
Yahoo! Maktoob News
July 6 2015
By Richard Giragosian | Al Jazeera
After more than a week of sustained protests over increasing
electricity prices, Armenian activists have demonstrated a new sense
of empowerment in the face of an increasingly embattled government.
But it is actually the broader implications of this unrest in Armenia
that is much more significant, for two distinct reasons.
First, although this wave of protests is clearly rooted in a set of
underlying problems reflecting the unique socioeconomic and political
conditions of Armenia, the discontent and dissent in Armenia have
already reverberated well beyond the borders of this small, landlocked
country.
More specifically, the trajectory of the protests have already
exceeded the confines of the initial focus of anger over the Armenian
government's decision to impose a price rise for electricity.
The fact that it was a price rise that was sought by a Russian-owned
energy firm in Armenia sparked a renewed sense of outrage over Russia's
general arrogance towards Armenia.
Reliable partner
For years, Armenia stood alone in the South Caucasus as the only
reliable partner for Russia in the region. Armenia is the host
of the only Russian military base in the region. This partnership
also included ceding control of two of Armenia's borders to Russian
border guards.
And beyond even that basic infringement on sovereignty, the terms
of the Russian military base agreement are rather insulting, as the
host government not only forgoes any "rental" payment for the land,
but is also required to incur all operating costs of the base itself.
This was generally seen as a necessary trade-off for a Russian security
guarantee for Armenia, which is considered an imperative in the face
of heightened military tension with neighbouring Azerbaijan - due to
the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Yet the terms of this trade-off are now being challenged due to three
recent developments. The first challenge stems from the long-term trend
of Russia's emergence as the number one arms provider to Armenia's
rival Azerbaijan. There has been a serious escalation in ceasefire
violations. These violations are no longer measured in bullets fired,
but rather by bodies of victims. For many Armenians, it's impossible
to ignore that the weapons killing their people are directly supplied
by their "partner" Russia.
Russian security guarantees
A second development is the disappointment over Russia's reaction
to these attacks on Armenia. There was a general lack of response in
the face of the Azerbaijani attacks which has deeply shaken Armenian
faith in Russian security guarantees.
Yet, it was the third development that has profoundly inflamed and
personalised public anger in Armenia. In January, a tragic murder of
an entire Armenian family by a rogue Russian conscript, stationed at
the Russian base, sparked a series of protests. But in this case,
it was not merely the tragedy itself, but the mishandling of the
murder by both Moscow and Yerevan that only exacerbated the situation.
While the Armenian government's response was slow and minimal, the
Russian reaction was widely seen as arrogant and demeaning, as it
initially insisted on ignoring demands for an Armenian trial of the
confessed murderer.
The combination of these recent developments resulted in an eruption
of public outcry and organised protests, not necessarily over the
strategic partnership between Armenia and Russia, but challenging
the asymmetry and lack of respect inherent in the terms of that
relationship.
Within that broader context, the current unrest in Armenia stands as a
significant test of relations and reliance on Russia as a partner and
patron for not only Armenia, but for several other post-Soviet states.
And so far, Moscow seems grossly inept and grandly ignorant of
the deeper repercussions of what is now becoming a crisis in
Armenian-Russian relations.
With an equal degree of resonance, the waves of dissent and underlying
resentment in Armenia has revealed new cracks and weaknesses in the
post-Soviet model of authoritarian rule. In the case of Armenia,
which has been plagued by a deeply entrenched trend of authoritarian
governance with little legitimacy and even less popularity, years of
apathy and a deceptive degree of stability have now been replaced by
activism and protest.
New generation of activists
Empowered by the emergence of a new younger generation of activists
much less timid and remarkably less fearful, a broader cross-section
of the Armenian population have taken to the streets in a show of
support and solidarity with these recent demonstrations.
These demonstrations are different from the ones in Armenia's past,
and these differences are rooted in both context and content.
The context is different because this wave of unrest stems from a
deadly combination of political dissent and economic discontent. And
unlike earlier examples of political protest, the recent downturn in
the Armenian economy has deprived the government of any capacity to
placate or pacify a disgruntled population.
The content of this unrest is also different, as the protest has
succeeded in mobilising an accumulated frustration with a government
that relies more on ruling and less on governing the country. The
government is increasingly vulnerable from a lack of legitimacy
grounded in a lack of elections and an absence of public trust.
While the outcome for Armenia is far from certain, the shock of a
resilient challenge to the traditional post-Soviet authoritarian
model should worry a number of neighbouring countries. As Russian
rule loses stability in the region, the seeds of unrest are bound to
spread and grow.
Richard Giragosian is the founding director of the Regional Studies
Center, an independent think-tank in Yerevan, Armenia.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not
necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #782
July 6 2015
Six months ago, it looked like Armenia had made a final, definitive
choice to align itself with Russia rather than the European Union.
By Arshaluis Mghdesyan
But now the government in Yerevan seems to be reaching out to Brussels
again and seeking something like the kind of Association Agreement
that it abandoned nearly two years ago - and officials insist that
Moscow is comfortable with this.
Armenia's renewed interest in closer relations with the European Union
was reflected by President Serzh Sargsyan's presence at the May 20-21
European Partnership summit in Riga, also attended by the leaders of
other former Soviet states like Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.
This followed a meeting Sargsyan held in March with the European
neighbourhood policy and enlargement commissioner, Johannes Hahn.
After that meeting in Yerevan, Hahn said the EU and Armenia had
completed a joint "scoping exercise" to identify potential areas for
cooperation. He said the EU was working towards a deal that would
include "special terms for cooperation".
When Sargsyan announced that Armenia wanted to join the Moscow-led
Customs Union in September 2013, EU officials made it clear the trade
terms and tariffs of the two blocs were incompatible. After years of
work, the draft Association Agreement with the EU was thus shelved. In
January 2015, Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union, a bloc with
a broader remit established last year, incorporating the old Customs
Union. Apart from Armenia, the Eurasian union's members are Russia,
Belarus, Kazakstan, and since May, Kyrgyzstan. (See Armenia Seeks
New Deal With EU.)
In an increasingly polarised region where Russia has been seeking
support from its neighbours on Ukraine and Western sanctions, Armenia
- historically a close ally of Moscow and now part of its Eurasian
project - would be the last country one would expect to waver.
But Armenian foreign policy officials say there is no discrepancy,
and that Moscow is fully aware of what and is quite content with the
policy. Many quote Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan, who told
parliament recently that "we have held discussions with the Russians
about Armenia cooperating with European institutions. The Russians
have no negative views on this."
"Our relations with the EU are not directed against other countries,"
Nazaryan added.
For its part, the EU seems to have accepted that some European
Partnership countries are keener than others to build strong
relationships. Now the talk is of tailoring what was once a
standardised approach to fit the needs and wishes of each state. The
final declaration from the Riga summit said that each participating
state had a right to "choose the level of ambition and goals to which
it aspires in its relations with the European Union".
"The idea of a differentiated approach was there in negotiations
even before the Riga summit," Poland's ambassador to Armenia, Jerzy
Marek Nowakowski, told IWPR. "If a given partner cannot fully engage
in the process for some reason or another, then it can cooperate in
just some areas of EU engagement."
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan says the areas of cooperation now
under discussion include education, science, research, people-to-people
contacts, and preferential trade terms. Speaking at an "informal
dialogue" of European Partnership ministers in Minsk on June 29, he
said Armenia wanted to be part of the EU's COSME programme, aimed
at boosting small and medium-sized businesses, and Horizon 2020,
an 80 billion euro research and innovation fund.
Deputy Economy Minister Garegin Melkonyan said recently that
the final agreement would consist of sections of the Partnership
Agreement finalised in 2013, with other parts such as customs and
free-trade arrangements removed to reflect the country's Eurasian
union commitments.
"Of course, not all areas can be included given that Armenia has
undertaken certain obligations within the Eurasian Economic Union
framework," he said.
Current negotiations are still informal as the European Commission
has not yet authorised EU officials to begin formal talks.
Melkonyan said Armenia's Eurasian bloc partners were being kept up
to date on where things stood with the EU. "That's the normal way to
proceed," he said. "It's the same in the EU, whose members can't sign
free-trade agreements with other countries on their own."
He said Armenia was already in a unique position as the only Eurasian
bloc member that is part of the GSP+ scheme, under which the EU gives
"vulnerable developing countries" preferential access to its markets.
Some experts say that since Armenia is not in a position to increase
its exports under GSP+ at the moment, there is little reason to expect
that it will.
"Signing an agreement with the EU, or even having preferential trade
terms with it, isn't enough to mean that Armenian goods will storm
the European market," Mikael Melkumyan, an economist and member of
parliament for the opposition Prosperous Armenian party, told IWPR.
"Moreover, the EU is currently trying to open up new markets for its
own goods, and is reducing the euro's exchange rate to do this.
Alexander Petrosyan, a parliamentarian with the ruling Republic Party
who also owns a wine and brandy factory, points to broader problems
facing exporters.
"The EU market is effectively open to us, but we have problems with
meeting their standards, exporting the large volumes required, and
most important, establishing ourselves in the market," Petrosyan told
IWPR. "It's a fairly capricious and brand-heavy market, and one that
our manufacturers don't know well. It takes colossal sums of money
and a long period of time spent doing the right marketing just to
get established in the market."
Arshaluis Mgdesyan is a freelance journalist in Armenia.
ARMENIANS HAVE LOST FAITH IN RUSSIA
Yahoo! Maktoob News
July 6 2015
By Richard Giragosian | Al Jazeera
After more than a week of sustained protests over increasing
electricity prices, Armenian activists have demonstrated a new sense
of empowerment in the face of an increasingly embattled government.
But it is actually the broader implications of this unrest in Armenia
that is much more significant, for two distinct reasons.
First, although this wave of protests is clearly rooted in a set of
underlying problems reflecting the unique socioeconomic and political
conditions of Armenia, the discontent and dissent in Armenia have
already reverberated well beyond the borders of this small, landlocked
country.
More specifically, the trajectory of the protests have already
exceeded the confines of the initial focus of anger over the Armenian
government's decision to impose a price rise for electricity.
The fact that it was a price rise that was sought by a Russian-owned
energy firm in Armenia sparked a renewed sense of outrage over Russia's
general arrogance towards Armenia.
Reliable partner
For years, Armenia stood alone in the South Caucasus as the only
reliable partner for Russia in the region. Armenia is the host
of the only Russian military base in the region. This partnership
also included ceding control of two of Armenia's borders to Russian
border guards.
And beyond even that basic infringement on sovereignty, the terms
of the Russian military base agreement are rather insulting, as the
host government not only forgoes any "rental" payment for the land,
but is also required to incur all operating costs of the base itself.
This was generally seen as a necessary trade-off for a Russian security
guarantee for Armenia, which is considered an imperative in the face
of heightened military tension with neighbouring Azerbaijan - due to
the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Yet the terms of this trade-off are now being challenged due to three
recent developments. The first challenge stems from the long-term trend
of Russia's emergence as the number one arms provider to Armenia's
rival Azerbaijan. There has been a serious escalation in ceasefire
violations. These violations are no longer measured in bullets fired,
but rather by bodies of victims. For many Armenians, it's impossible
to ignore that the weapons killing their people are directly supplied
by their "partner" Russia.
Russian security guarantees
A second development is the disappointment over Russia's reaction
to these attacks on Armenia. There was a general lack of response in
the face of the Azerbaijani attacks which has deeply shaken Armenian
faith in Russian security guarantees.
Yet, it was the third development that has profoundly inflamed and
personalised public anger in Armenia. In January, a tragic murder of
an entire Armenian family by a rogue Russian conscript, stationed at
the Russian base, sparked a series of protests. But in this case,
it was not merely the tragedy itself, but the mishandling of the
murder by both Moscow and Yerevan that only exacerbated the situation.
While the Armenian government's response was slow and minimal, the
Russian reaction was widely seen as arrogant and demeaning, as it
initially insisted on ignoring demands for an Armenian trial of the
confessed murderer.
The combination of these recent developments resulted in an eruption
of public outcry and organised protests, not necessarily over the
strategic partnership between Armenia and Russia, but challenging
the asymmetry and lack of respect inherent in the terms of that
relationship.
Within that broader context, the current unrest in Armenia stands as a
significant test of relations and reliance on Russia as a partner and
patron for not only Armenia, but for several other post-Soviet states.
And so far, Moscow seems grossly inept and grandly ignorant of
the deeper repercussions of what is now becoming a crisis in
Armenian-Russian relations.
With an equal degree of resonance, the waves of dissent and underlying
resentment in Armenia has revealed new cracks and weaknesses in the
post-Soviet model of authoritarian rule. In the case of Armenia,
which has been plagued by a deeply entrenched trend of authoritarian
governance with little legitimacy and even less popularity, years of
apathy and a deceptive degree of stability have now been replaced by
activism and protest.
New generation of activists
Empowered by the emergence of a new younger generation of activists
much less timid and remarkably less fearful, a broader cross-section
of the Armenian population have taken to the streets in a show of
support and solidarity with these recent demonstrations.
These demonstrations are different from the ones in Armenia's past,
and these differences are rooted in both context and content.
The context is different because this wave of unrest stems from a
deadly combination of political dissent and economic discontent. And
unlike earlier examples of political protest, the recent downturn in
the Armenian economy has deprived the government of any capacity to
placate or pacify a disgruntled population.
The content of this unrest is also different, as the protest has
succeeded in mobilising an accumulated frustration with a government
that relies more on ruling and less on governing the country. The
government is increasingly vulnerable from a lack of legitimacy
grounded in a lack of elections and an absence of public trust.
While the outcome for Armenia is far from certain, the shock of a
resilient challenge to the traditional post-Soviet authoritarian
model should worry a number of neighbouring countries. As Russian
rule loses stability in the region, the seeds of unrest are bound to
spread and grow.
Richard Giragosian is the founding director of the Regional Studies
Center, an independent think-tank in Yerevan, Armenia.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not
necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
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