Armenian News... A Topalian... “It is far from calm in Armenia,” says Lavrov

MediaMax, Armenia

Sept 3 2018

“It is far from calm in Armenia,” says Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Moscow is concerned with the fact that "the situation in Armenia is still far from calming down”.

TASS reports that Lavrov has made that statement while speaking to the students and teachers at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) today.

“The leaders of the two countries are planning another meeting in the near future. It is important to find out the assessment of possible outcomes of the domestic situation from the new Armenian leader himself. We care how Armenia’s commitments to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are presented in this situation. We take as the basis the certainty that these commitments are valid and subject to full implementation. That includes commitments to strengthening the reputation and the prestige of our common organization,” said Lavrov.

“We are concerned that the situation in Armenia is still far from calming down. In particular, there is an open investigation of events that happened a decade ago, arrests are happening. We consider it a domestic business of the Republic of Armenia and we want these domestic affairs to remain grounded in the law and the constitution. We also wish for them to be completed as soon as possible, so that Armenia can focus on constructive activities,” said the Russian Foreign Minister.

“We have been following the events that unfolded in Armenia since after the constitutional amendments on transferring all major authorities to the Prime Minister, elected by the parliament, came into force. We undertook no activities and made no statements that could be interpreted as intervention into internal affairs, even remotely. I cannot say the same about other global actors,” said Sergey Lavrov.

ARKA, ARmenia

Sept 5 2018

US ambassador comments on Lavrov’s statement on ‘boiling’ situation in Armenia

US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills was asked today by Armenian journalists to comment on a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the situation in Armenia "continues to boil." Mills was asked whether it was in interference into Armenia’s internal affairs.

Lavrov said September 3 that Russia was worried that the situation in Armenia was still ‘boiling’. Earlier top Russian officials made it clear that Moscow was concerned over the new Armenian government’s latest move, including prosecution of former president Robert Kocharyan and a former deputy defense minister Yuri Khachaturov, the current secretary general of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Mills said today that he was aware of such assessments and comments, adding that the Armenian government should respond to them, saying also that the position of the US has not changed. In his words, the events of March 1, 2008 should be investigated in detail and objectively. He said it is important that the investigation is guided by the rule of law and be within the framework of due legal processes.

Kocharyan was arrested on July 27 for two months by a local court, but was released from pre-trial custody on August 13. He is accused of violating Armenia constitutional order in March 2008, when in a post-election standoff eight civilians and two police officers were killed. The polls were declared to have been won by then prime minister Serzh Sargsyan. 

The decision angered the opposition, led by the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who set off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to the crackdown on March 1, in which 10 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

Kocharyan was released from custody after Armenia’s Court of Appeals ruled that he could not be prosecuted for the post-election violence.  The ruling was backed by Article 140 of the Armenian Constitution, which says that during the term of his or her powers and thereafter, the President of the Republic may not be prosecuted and subjected to liability for actions deriving from his or her status.

The ruling of the Court of Appeals was denounced by the Special Investigative Service, which described it as illegal, saying that the Court of Appeals “overstepped the bounds of its authority.”  It later appealed the decision at the Court of Cassation.  -0-

Panorama, Armenia

Sept 3 2018

PM says snap parliamentary elections to be held no later than early June next year

Armenia will hold snap parliamentary elections no later than early June 2019, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Sunday.

“The snap elections will take place either in May or in the first ten days of June,” he said in a video livestreamed via Facebook.

Pashinyan recalled the specifics of the Constitution according to which the snap parliamentary elections can be held in Armenia when the prime minister resigns and the National Assembly does not elect a new PM twice within two weeks.  

“But the citizens want certain guarantees that they will not have to carry out a new revolution after the prime minister’s supposed resignation,” he said.

He said they are currently working on constitutional amendments to be submitted to the parliament soon, as a result of which the National Assembly will be dissolved without the PM’s resignation. 

“In this context, we will have political discussions and will adopt common decisions as a result of discussions with the people,” he added.

Speaking about the Armenian-Russian relations, Pashinyan unveiled plans to visit Moscow in the near future to meet with President Vladimir Putin. 

"That will mark our third meeting," he said. “I am convinced we will address in detail a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda and find solutions,” he added, stressing the bilateral relations proceed normally.

RFE/RL Report

Pashinian Ally In Hot Water Over Controversial Remarks

September 04, 2018

Narine Ghalechian

A top candidate for Yerevan mayor running in this month’s municipal elections in an alliance loyal to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has expressed his regret over some controversial statements he made during a weekend campaign fundraising event.

Hayk Marutian, a popular comedian, actor and producer who heads the My Step alliance, spoke about the division into “whites and blacks” as he addressed his team members and contributors on Sunday.

“It’s a very clear situation in Armenia today. There are white forces and black forces. I want to officially state that we are white forces, and all those who do not want us to succeed are black forces,” said Marutian.

In his speech at the event the mayoral candidate also praised the professionalism of his team, using the expression “there is no game against us”, which was used by some Armenian leaders in the past and has acquired a negative connotation in Armenian society.

The remarks were swiftly construed by epresentatives of the former government as discrimination against part of society that does not share the ideas of the 

political team that came to power in Armenia in the wake of last spring’s ‘velvet revolution’.

Former Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian, in particular, published an angry post 

on his Facebook account, describing Marutian as a “provincial clown.”

Gayane Abrahamian, who is a candidate for the Council of Elders with My Step, said that Marutian’s remarks were not directed against the society and that he did not mean to put himself and his team above the society with his statements.

“First of all, he stressed that we have a strong team, as in our election slate there are not only representatives of the [Pashinian-led] Civil Contract party, but also people who took part in civil initiatives in different years. And it was this system of values that was stressed,” Abrahamian said.

Reacting to the criticism from ex-defense minister Sargsian, Abrahamian reminded that Serzh Sarkisian also made some controversial statements while 

being incumbent president and they never elicited any reactions from his ally. 

Besides, she said, unlike Sarkisian, Marutian is not in power yet.In admitting his mistake Marutian said that the only entity in Armenia against which “there is no game” is the people of the country.

Representatives of the parties and groups running in the September 23 elections commented on the situation in different ways.

Top candidates from the Prosperous Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun parties chose not to comment on Marutian’s statements, while Anahit Tarkhanian, a mayoral candidate from the Yerevan Public group, said that My Step’s candidate’s statement “is the tactics of his whole team.”

“We all should understand that there are no ‘blacks and whites’ in society. There is a community where different opinions exist,” Tarkhanian said.

Hovsep Khurshudian, of Heritage, meanwhile, said that if Marutian meant forces that are going to thwart the elections, then they also consider such forces to be “black”. Yet, according to Khurshudian, what Marutian said was different. 

“Let’s accept his regretting his words and move on… He has ambitions to govern the capital of the new Armenia, and in this sense he should try as far as 

possible not to cause aversion among friendly forces,” the Heritage candidate said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pashinian on Tuesday weighed in on the issue, acknowledging that Marutian’s remarks were “not quite correct.” “I think that any statements, any political statement made by us should fit the [logic] of the revolution of love and solidarity. So, I think we should talk about more 

vivid colors than black,” he commented.

[please don't forget to build Armenia itself]

RFE/RL Report 

Armenia ‘Willing’ To Take Part In Syria Rebuilding

September 03, 2018

Armenia is willing to take part in the reconstruction of friendly Syria, Armenian Parliament Speaker Ara Babloyan said on Monday during a meeting with 

Syrian ambassador in Yerevan Mohamed Haj Ibrahim.

Aided by the Russian military the Syrian government forces have managed to restore control over much of the territory of the Middle Eastern country torn 

by years of war and internal strife, but economic recovery and reconstruction still appear to remain a vital concern for the authorities in Damascus.

Russia has recently sought a greater Western involvement in the rebuilding of Syria. The United States and its allies, meanwhile, believe that reconstruction assistance should be tied to a process that includes U.N.-supervised elections and a political transition in Syria. Washington blames the regime of Bashar al-Assad for Syria’s devastation.

Since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011 hostilities have also affected a sizable ethnic Armenian conflict in Syria. Tens of thousands of Syrian Armenians fled their homes, with many of them given refuge in Armenia during recent years. 

During the meeting with the Syrian ambassador Babloyan expressed hope that “peace, internal political stability and public solidarity will soon be 

established in Syria.”

He also expressed his gratitude to the Syrian legislature for its activities towards the recognition of the Ottoman-era massacres of Armenians as genocide.

Many of the Syrian Armenians are descendants of survivors of the 1915 massacres who found refuge in Aleppo and other Syrian cities and towns.

Ambassador Haj Ibrahim attached importance to the role of the Syrian-Armenian community, which he described as “an integral part of the Syrian society that has vastly contributed to the country’s development.”

“What the Syrian people have seen during these recent years is like what Armenians saw in Western Armenia [the part of historical Armenia, which is now 

in Turkey],” the Syrian diplomat said, according to the Armenian parliament’s official website.

Public Radio of Armenia

Sept 3 2018

Dutch government insists on the deportation of two Armenian children

The Dutch government insists on the deportation of two Armenian children, the BBC reports.

The children who have spent most of their lives in the Netherlands have gone into hiding as they face imminent deportation after a failed asylum plea.

Howick, 13, and his sister Lily, 12, came to the Netherlands with their mother in 2008.

Their mother was deported last year and the children’s friends have rallied around them, calling for them to stay.

However, the Dutch government insists its asylum policy is fair.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last week he understood the emotion surrounding the case but asylum numbers had to be kept under control. “Anyone who doesn’t fall under the criteria cannot stay here,” he said.

Their mother, 37-year-old Armina Hambartsumian, applied for asylum shortly after arriving in the Netherlands in 2008 from Russia. The children have never lived in Armenia and barely speak the language.

When their mother was deported in 2017, she sent the children to a secret address before they were found by authorities. They have since been living with a family who had befriended their mother.

For months, the courts considered the children’s case, with campaigners arguing their mother was mentally and physically incapable of looking after them and that the children would go to an orphanage.

Protests were held in support of the children by classmates from the city of Amersfoort and the case has become a cause celebre across the Netherlands.

After a series of asylum rulings, a final decision was made last month that there were no grounds for Lily and Howick to stay. Armenia was a safe country and there was no risk of persecution, the Council of State concluded.

The children would not end up on the street, it decided, and deportation was due to take place on 8 September.

In a letter to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the children’s mother said they were currently in a “safe place”.

“The stress is so high that I’m scared my children will break down if this goes ahead,” she wrote, adding that she had been told by professionals that they were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

The Dutch immigration service told the newspaper that it would not go into individual cases.

Appearing on a talk show on Dutch TV on Saturday, the children said they had been really shocked by news of their imminent deportation.

“We belong here. They say you’re going back to Armenia but where am I going back to?” said Lily.

“If we do end up there, we’ll go into some sort of orphanage meant for a maximum of 20 children, but which already houses 30,” Howick added.

Several European countries have struggled with the deportation of children whose asylum cases have been rejected.

Campaign group Defence for Children said they were still hoping that the Dutch migration secretary would overrule the court decision. They say there are 400 cases of children seeking asylum who have lived in the Netherlands for more than five years without a residence permit.

ARKA, Armenia

Sept 4 2018

Kaspersky Lab finds out preferences of Armenian children in internet

According to a study by Kaspersky Lab, about 42% of Armenian kids visited websites with software, video and music content in the summer of 2018. According to Kaspersky Lab representative in the country,  Armenian children became more interested in online shopping. Thus, some 11% of them visited this past summer e-commerce sites.

As for unwanted content, according to Kaspersky Lab's data, children in Armenia almost stopped accessing web resources related to alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Less than 1% of them visited sites with similar content.

According to website visitor statistics for June to mid-August 2018, in summer children preferred video and music over social media, as on average throughout the year. The most popular sites are YouTube and Facebook. This summer, children also took greater interest in online shopping and news portals. They paid little attention to gaming sites (although this doesn’t mean they’re playing less). 

In 2017 Kaspersky Lab together with its Armenian partners, took concrete steps to protect Armenian children in the digital space through the Safe Child program. The program promotes the protection of children's rights in electronic space, the development of children's and parents' skills in safe use of the Internet, as well as raising awareness of the rules of safety in electronic space. In March, a Memorandum on cooperation in the fields of information security in education and information security of children on the Internet was signed. --0-

 HITC

Sept 4 2018

Armenia international Gael Andonian on trial at Sunderland after Marseille exit

 Danny Owen 

 

Sunderland could add one new centre-back to their squad in the form of Gael Andonian.

 

The summer transfer window might be over but there is still a chance that Sunderland could bring in a new player this month.

 

As reported by the Chronicle, free-agent centre-back Gael Andonian is on trial at the Stadium of Light after being released by Ligue 1 side Marseille in July.

 

The 23-year-old, who has won 22 international caps for Armenia and represented France at youth level, made his first appearance in Sunderland colours during the Premier League 2 clash against West Brom on Monday as he aims to earn a contract with the Wearside club.

 

As Andonian is a free agent, he is able to sign for Sunderland outside the transfer window.

 

And he would give Jack Ross extra depth at centre-back, which could come in handy as the Black Cats aim to navigate a gruelling League One season. Sunderland have enjoyed an impressive start, winning four and drawing two of their six fixtures so far.

 

Andonian spent time on loan at Dijon in the 2015/16 season and featured at left-back on occasion, meaning he possesses versatility which could also come in handy at the Stadium of Light.

 

Sunderland beat West Brom’s U23s 2-1 thanks to goals from Jack Diamond and Luke Molineux.