Armenian News... A Topalian ... 9 editorial

Panorama, Armenia

May 25 2019

Armenian Church to marks Feast of Ascension of Jesus Christ om May 30

The Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord on the fortieth day following the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Qahana.am reports, following His Resurrection and defeat of death, Christ remained on earth for forty days, and continued to appear to His disciples. 

On the fortieth day, Christ is seen by His disciples for the last time. He blesses them and leaves them with instructions, after which He ascends into heaven.

Two of the Gospel writers, St. Mark and St. Luke, testify about Christ’s ascension. There is also an account of it in the Acts of the Apostles.

Following a final meeting of Christ with the eleven remaining apostles, St. Mark writes, “So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19)

St. Luke gives a little greater detail as he writes, “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.” (Luke 24: 50-53)

But by far the most beautiful account of the Ascension can be found in the Book of Acts: “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

The hymn that is sung in the Armenian Church on Ascension Day mentions the miraculous event of Christ’s Ascension into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.

Imperial College, London

Japanese government honours Lord Darzi

by Deborah Evanson

21 May 2019

The Director of Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) has received one of Japan’s most prestigious awards.

Professor the Lord (Ara) Darzi of Denham received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in recognition of his contributions to global health and the development of medicine in Japan 

One of the nation’s oldest and highest national decorations, it is awarded by the Emperor of Japan to non-Japanese citizens who have made outstanding contributions to their field. 

Lord Darzi said: “It is a great privilege to receive this honour from Japan, a country I hugely admire.” 

Lord Darzi has served as Director of the IGHI since 2010 and has transformed the Institute with a focus on driving innovation in healthcare. His career has focussed on achieving best surgical practice through innovation in surgery and enhancing patient safety and the quality of healthcare. 

He is globally renowned for leading the development of minimally-invasive surgery, as well as pioneering the development of robotic techniques to facilitate medical operations. Through this field of work he has worked to enhance the scientific partnership between Japan and the United Kingdom with his involvement with a number of academic institutions and the Ministry of Health.   

Lord Darzi hosted the first Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety at Imperial in 2016, which placed patient safety high on the global agenda. In 2018, Lord Darzi opened the third summit in Tokyo, hosted by the Government of Japan, and ministers signed the Tokyo Declaration committing to “high level political momentum” towards the delivery of safer care everywhere. 

Lord Darzi has previously been recognised for his efforts in global health, having been awarded the Qatari Sash of Independence in 2014 by His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani , and the Order of Honour by the President of Armenia in 2017. 

Lord Darzi is the Executive Chair of the World Innovation Health Summit, an initiative dedicated to capturing & disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices in global healthcare. 

In 2002 he was knighted for his services to medicine and surgery he and has been a member of the House of Lords since 2007. He served as Labour minister of health from 2007-9. Lord Darzi served as the UK’s Global Ambassador for Health and Life Sciences from 2009-13. In 2014 he was awarded the Order of Merit by the Queen. 

Recently, Lord Darzi helped negotiate the release of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar, who had been held since December 2017 after they reported on the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.

RFE/RL Report

Head Of Armenian Judicial Watchdog Resigns

May 24, 2019

Gagik Harutiunian, the head of a state body overseeing Armenia’s courts, resigned on Friday, citing recent days’ developments that followed the 

government’s strong criticism of the Armenian judiciary.

In what may have been a related development, Harutiunian’s brother Arzuman was dismissed as deputy director of the National Security Service. No official reason was given for the sacking proposed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and formalized by President Armen Sarkissian.

In a letter publicized by his spokesman, Harutiunian said he no longer finds it “expedient” to head the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) “in view of ongoing 

developments relating to the judicial authority and courts and my concerns expressed in that regard through the media on May 20.”

“I wish you continued fruitful activities in the establishment of an independent judicial authority befitting a rule-of-law state,” read the letter addressed to members of the council.

The concerns cited by Harutiunian followed Pashinian’s May 19 appeal to his supporters to block the entrances to all court buildings in the country. The appeal came the day after a Yerevan court ordered former President Robert Kocharian released from jail pending the outcome of his trial on coup and corruption charges. The court’s decision angered many allies and supporters of Pashinian.

Speaking at a May 20 meeting with senior state officials, Pashinian said that Armenian courts remain linked to “the former corrupt system” and distrusted by the population. He announced plans for a mandatory “vetting” of all judges. Many of them should resign even before the start of such a process, the prime minister said.Harutiunian was among the officials invited to the emergency meeting. However, he did not attend it because of being unable to leave the SJC building in downtown Yerevan blockaded by government loyalists.

Two dozen protesters again rallied outside the building on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Harutiunian as well as judges.

Pashinian’s calls for the court blockade were denounced as unconstitutional by Armenia’s leading opposition groups. The SJC likewise said in a statement that any pressure on the courts is “unacceptable.”

The SJC was formed just over a year ago in accordance with sweeping constitutional changes enacted in 2015. According to Armenia’s amended 

constitution, its main mission is to “guarantee the independence of the courts and the judges.”

The council has the power to nominate virtually all new judges appointed by Armenia’s president and parliament. It is also empowered to take disciplinary 

action against judges or have them terminated altogether.

Harutiunian, 71, headed the Armenian Constitutional Court before until being elected SJC chairman in February 2018 by the country’s former parliament 

controlled by Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party.

A Communist Party figure in Soviet times, Harutiunian had been elected in 1990 deputy speaker of Armenia’s first post-Communist parliament. He served as vice-president in the administration of Levon Ter-Petrosian, Armenia’s first 

president elected in 1991.

Harutiunian became chairman of the newly established Constitutional Court in 1996 shortly after the post of vice-president was abolished by the Ter-Petrosian administration. The court has rarely handed down rulings challenging the former Armenian presidents.

Armenpress.am

24 May, 2019

An Insight to Armenia’s Battlefield Cuisine: The Military Combat Nutrition of Ultimate Warriors

Military diet and nutrition has always been the core of maintaining a might army, since on-duty troops require a carefully selected and research-based nutrition intake for optimal performance even in the most extreme environments.

Now, there are two types of feeding systems in the Armenian military: The barracks diet, which soldiers in military bases are served, and the combat diet, which soldiers eat when they are on-duty at combat trenches in the border or elsewhere.

The Rear’s Combat Service Support Division of the Armenian Armed Forces, in charge of Logistics and Nutrition, has made a few additions to the troops’ combat feeding system, and it held a press tour on May 24th for reporters and proudly introduced the news.

Colonel Aram Margaryan, head of the combat service support, said now the combat military rations include also 7 types of quick-made soups with meat (beef, pork, chicken), vegetables, grains, noodles,– all to safeguard the required calorie intake.

“These meals are possible to be prepared during combat shifts in only 15-20 minutes, using hot water,” the Colonel said.

Another addition, which in his words has gained approval by the troops themselves, is lavash. The famous Armenian flatbread is now also an important part of soldiers’ meals.

The combat feeding system now also includes honey, and soldiers are given individual 20 gram honey packages every morning with breakfast, but only from October to April.

The breakfast also includes the good old protein-rich eggs.  

The military has also added canned beans, rice and lentils. Once a week combat duty troops are also getting tan, a popular savory yogurt drink.

The Colonel said they are planning to add canned potatoes to the diet.

But everyone needs treats too right? Even in the most extreme, unfavorable conditions sometimes all one needs is a chocolate bar. Well, troops are no exception. The Armenian military has made sure that its soldiers at the borders are equipped with everything, even treats.

In the past, the standard diet’s dessert part included only cookies, but now chocolate bars, biscuits and a variety of candies are also available. A soldier’s standard daily share of these yummy desserts includes 20g of caramel candy, 30g of cookies and 30g of biscuits.

In cold weather conditions troops are also supplied with 3 types of jams. The jams have been selected through a carefully researched nutrition program in order to include essential vitamins needed for strong immune system.

Although exact calorie intake figures or research data wasn’t available, the Colonel did however mention that the daily diet “ensures more calorie for the soldiers than they burn”.

All foods are locally made, with the exception of condensed milk and canned fish.

Other products included in the ratio are butter, ketchup, rosehip syrup, coffee and cheese spread.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

agos.com

May 20, 2019

The Turks Traditionally Destroy the Cultural Heritage of Christians

Opinion of one of the leading columnists of the Istanbul Armenian newspaper “Agos” Vigen Cheterian.

Wherever the Turks stick their wicked snout, they, first of all, exterminate people and then destroy the spiritual and cultural heritage of those killed. They have one goal – to destroy all traces of the presence of the peoples native to the land they now live on. The Turks have done this during their existence, which is about five hundred years.

Modern Turks have come up with a more sophisticated way of destroying the spiritual heritage of Armenians as the old methods would no longer work due to the protection of the cultural heritage of Armenians by UNESCO. Now, the Turks claim that in the walls of Armenian churches and even the houses which Armenians used to live in is hidden wealth. This is enough for the greedy Turk to turn ancient structures into dust.

This process is gaining catastrophic momentum, and not only in the territory of Historical Armenia. About a year ago, Vigen Cheterian, a columnist for the “Agos” newspaper, reported that the Turks still continue to plunder churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and other property that has belonged to the community of the historical Syrian city of Midyat for centuries. This is a community of Syrian Christians now living in southern Turkey. The center of their religious life is the famous Mor Gabriel Monastery.

The second news came from Istanbul: the pressure of the religious groups that want to turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque is increasing again. One of the activists of the Turkish Felicity Party, who led the May 29, 2017, march that advocated the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, said:

“Inside the Hagia Sophia, there is nothing that makes it special. But God told us that this is important.”

For one of the activists of the Felicity Party, there is nothing inside Hagia Sophia that makes it special. But God told that it needs to be taken away.

May 29, 1453, is the date when Ottoman troops led by Mehmet II conquered the Byzantine capital Constantinople. Hagia Sophia was built in 537. At one point, it had been converted into a mosque and remained as such until the Kemalists turned it into a museum in 1935.

Nevertheless, for many, Hagia Sophia remains a symbol and the best example of Byzantine architecture, and the transformation of this Orthodox masterpiece into a mosque will make it inaccessible for many people.

Cheterian also writes that the entire Middle East is burning today. New conflicts threaten to destroy everything that civilization has accumulated over the course of millennia.

Now, the discourse “Sunni against Shiites” is dominant – this conflict has not been so aggravated since the times of the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1623-1639. The Islamic State is rapidly falling, leaving behind death and destroyed Christian shrines, the priceless archaeological treasures of Palmyra, Nineveh, the Mosul Museum, and the 9th-century mosque of Al-Nuri in the Old City of Mosul in Iraq.

We refuse to learn from our history, ignoring the fact that 1/5 of the population of the Middle East – Orthodox Greeks, Assyrians-Chaldeans, and of course, Armenians – were deported and killed during WWI. Their property was looted by their former neighbors and state. Their cultural heritage and temples were destroyed or, at best, transformed into prisons, stables, and mosques.

Politicians and spiritual leaders pretend that this did not happen. Our intelligentsia is trying to uncover the truth, wants to draw attention to crimes committed on their land, to human rights violations, but people have been and still are indifferent to the death marches in the deserts and the first modern genocides that took place in their own districts and villages.

We do not see that today’s absence of the people native to these lands leads to disastrous consequences for those who remain in the region.

The Orthodox Church of Constantinople demands that the Turkish authorities open a theological school on the island of Halki. It has remained closed since 1971.

In 1914, there were from 1.1 to 1.7 million Greeks in the Ottoman Empire, 500-600 thousand Assyrians and Chaldeans, and from 1.4 to 2.1 million Armenians. Half of this population was killed during the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The rest were deported or converted to Islam, becoming Turks, Kurds, or Arabs.

Today, there are 3,000 Assyrians in the entirety of Turkey and only 2,000 Greeks. There is no hint that the authorities are thinking about the “threat” of this population to the Turkish state. Nevertheless, the state continues to crush the representatives of these peoples who have survived the genocide and a century of continuous violence.

The Guardian, UK

May 24 2019

Areni Agbabian: Bloom review – ethereal contralto explorer

4/5stars4 out of 5 stars.    

(ECM)

Surrounded by muted piano, gongs and brushed drums, Agbabian’s experimental songs are creepy but tuneful and beguiling

John Lewis

 She writes strong, hummable melodies … Areni Agbabian. Photograph: Mher Vahakn/ECM Records

Areni Agbabian is best known as a featured vocalist with the Armenian jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan, although her debut for ECM Records is most assuredly not a jazz album. She was born and bred in California, but rarely sounds American: her cut-glass delivery is more akin to a European arthouse singer, and she has certainly absorbed the folk songs and microtonal scales of her Armenian heritage.

 Areni Agbabian: Bloom album artwork

The opener, Patience, sets the tone: it’s a sorrowful melody that starts like a Gregorian chant and ends oddly reminiscent of Radiohead’s Karma Police, sung in a pure, frictionless timbre at the upper end of a contralto range. This is not a voice that gets down and dirty: it floats a few inches above the earth on a higher, more rarefied plane, unsullied by the elements.

Instead of being accompanied by Tigran’s florid improvisations, Agbabian accompanies herself, with a piano style that is fugal, sparing and minimal. Sometimes she mutes the piano strings, which meshes well with the textural percussion of Nicolas Stocker, a Swiss drummer who uses brushes on drums and cymbals and teases out gentle noises on bells, gongs and Tibetan singing bowls.

Agbabian can write strong, effortlessly hummable melodies. A haunting theme is repeated on Petal One, Petal Two and Full Bloom as the album’s leitmotif. Mother is an intense, slow-burning ballad, like an old Celtic folksong played in ultra slow-motion, while two songs explore the unusual modal intervals of an ancient Armenian hymn. Most interesting of all may be The River, where Agbabian improvises melismatically over Stocker’s clattering drums, like a malfunctioning soul-singing robot.

Often she is more interested in exploring sound and texture for its own sake. Yearning sees percussionist Stocker creating a gentle, gamelan-like pulse on a West African thumb piano, while Agbabian plays zither-like riffs on a prepared piano. Sear sounds like a rigorous avant-garde piece by Morton Feldman, accompanied by the slow, intense rumble of Stocker’s drums. It is a creepy and beguiling collection from a real talent.

If Agbabian’s voice is smooth and unadorned, Leïla Martial’s voice is all sharp angles and wobbly shapes. On Warm Canto, she uses plenty of transgressive vocal glitches – yodels, whoops, rhythmic sighing – while the other two members of her Baa Box band (drummer Eric Perez and guitarist Pierre Tereygeol) contribute similarly eccentric vocal harmonies, using ultra-low baritone growls and throat singing. It’s fascinating but often a little too busy and cluttered – the trio only start to connect emotionally when they pare back the vocal gymnastics.

A new album from Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is always a treat. Like the Art Ensemble of Chicago, El’Zabar’s Chicago outfit explores jazz music’s ancient African roots as well as its freakish avant garde branches. Be Known: Ancient/Future/Music mixes off-kilter bebop with hypnotic minimalism (using an mbira along with other African percussion) but manages to make it sound funky and soulful rather than joylessly academic.

opendemocaracy.net

24 May 2019

Why are so many Brexiteer politicians cosying up to this Armenian oligarch?

Thomas Rowley

Since 2017 Conservative Eurosceptics have shown a strange fascination for a state in the South Caucasus, paying regular visits to enjoy tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan’s hospitality.

An Armenian oligarch who US diplomats once compared to Donald Trump has spent tens of thousands courting UK Eurosceptic politicians over the past two years.

Gagik Tsarukyan MP is one of Armenia’s richest men, and his political party occupies the second largest number of seats in parliament. He has no known assets or interests in the UK.

Today, openDemocracy can reveal that Tsarukyan’s political party has used a loophole in UK political donation legislation to host over a dozen Conservative Eurosceptics at his luxurious Multi Grand hotel and casino complex outside Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.  These politicians are on the free-market, Eurosceptic wing of the party.

Tsarukyan’s guests, who have been profuse in their praise of the tycoon, include Lord Maude, a former cabinet minister now in the House of Lords, former MP James Wharton and Lord Callanan, currently minister of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union. Since leaving government, Maude and Wharton have taken up positions as Brexit advisers in the private sector.

Every year, UK politicians take millions of pounds’ worth of  overseas trips paid for by foreign governments and non-governmental organisations.

“The fact that these anti-European politicians regularly enjoy the hospitality of one of Armenia’s richest men raises serious questions about their actions and motives back home,” says Labour MP Ben Bradshaw. “British politicians should not be for hire, and these individuals should come clean about their involvement in Armenia.”

A 2018 report by Transparency International UK highlights an exemption in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act which permits donors without a strong link to the UK to pay registered individuals’ overseas travel expenses. This can lead to UK parliamentarians legitimising corrupt and repressive foreign governments via overseas trips, the organisation says.

Speaking to openDemocracy, Steve Goodrich, senior research officer at Transparency International UK, said: “It is prudent that parliamentarians undertake sufficient due diligence to ensure their status is not being used to burnish the reputations of those with something to hide.”

There is no evidence that the individuals entertained by Tsarukyan lobbied on his behalf or promoted his interests in the UK.

Apart from where stated, none of the politicians has responded for comment.

Tsarukyan’s ambition

Gagik Tsarukyan, 62, has built a business empire in Armenia comprising construction, mining, brandy and beer production, as well as hotels and casinos.

The Prosperous Armenia party, set up in 2004, is seen by many as a vehicle for Tsarukyan’s political ambitions. “From roughly 2012 to 2017, Tsarukyan was seen as the main political challenger to [president and later prime minister] Serzh Sargsyan,” says Emil Sanamyan, a fellow at the University of Southern California’s Institute of Armenian Studies.

Gagik Tsarukyan, 2017 parliamentary election campaign | Source: Tsarukyan.am

Democratic politicians might well distance themselves from the Republican Party, the clan-like structure that ruled Armenia for nearly two decades: it is widely associated with authoritarian rule, nepotism, police violence, vote-buying and corruption. In May 2018, the party of government was forced to resign under pressure from protesters.

From 2007 to 2012, however, Tsarukyan partnered with the Republicans in government. A member of his extended family, and other political allies, hold political posts in his home province of Kotayk. In addition, there have been reports that Armenian journalists have been threatenedand beaten allegedly  by people connected to Tsarukyan.

“Tsarukyan is first and foremost a businessman,” says Anahit Shirinyan, an independent policy analyst. “He entered politics from business at a time when the merger of money and politics was going full-throttle in Armenia. This merger was meant to create a scheme of interdependency whereby businesses helped consolidate the ruling regime. In exchange, they were meant to be able to serve their own commercial interests through involvement in political decision-making.”

A former arm-wrestling champion, Tsarukyan is known for his bombastic and ‘man of the people’ style, and like other Armenian oligarchs sponsors numerous charitable projects.

2017 parliamentary election campaign | Source: Tsarukyan.am

And in a country where roughly a third of the population lives in poverty, Tsarukyan’s philanthropy makes many eager to win his favour.

In March 2017, Armenia’s Central Election Commission stated that Tsarukyan had violated election law by promising material assistance at the start of his campaign, and warned him against continuing to do so. During the 2018 Yerevan city election, police raided the party’s offices as part of a criminal investigation into vote-buying. Prosperous Armenia called this a “false denunciation” at the time.

“Tsarukyan was a potent force for two reasons,” says Emil Sanamyan, who names the tycoon as one of Armenia’s principal employers. “He accumulated genuine public popularity based on his philanthropy aka vote bribes, and Tsarukyan’s party was set up with support from Robert Kocharyan.”

Tsarukyan’s ties with Robert Kocharyan, independent Armenia’s powerful second president, are mentioned in US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks. “The Kocharyan relationship was seen as giving Tsarukyan access to the Kremlin that could have bested that of Serzh Sargsyan,” says Sanamyan.

Kocharyan, a friend of Russian president Vladimir Putin, is currently under investigation for his alleged role in the events of March 2008, Armenia’s ‘Bloody Sunday’, when at least eight civilians died in police clashes following presidential elections. A 2009 US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks stated that Kocharyan headed one of several “major political/economic pyramids” in the country.

In February this year, Tsarukyan called attempts to find connections between Prosperous Armenia and Kocharyan “speculation”, saying that he “no longer owed anything to anyone”.

Partnership at first sight

Since 2017, Prosperous Armenia has hosted 15 UK Conservative Eurosceptic members of the House of Lords, MPs and other politicians in Yerevan. With some exceptions noted in this article, Tsarukyan’s party paid for all travel and accommodation, according to the UK parliamentary Register of Members’ Interests.

In September 2017, for example, a delegation of eight Eurosceptic peers, MPs and other politicians, including Teesside mayor Ben Houchen, who recently invited Donald Trump to visitRedcar, travelled to the Armenian capital to attend a ‘Conservatism and Progress’ conference held at Tsarukyan’s hotel and casino complex outside the city.

September 2017: James Wharton gives a signed picture of Margaret Thatcher to Gagik Tsarukyan | Source: BHK.am

Here, former MP James Wharton, ex-parliamentary under-secretary for international development – who introduced the EU referendum legislation into Parliament in 2013 – called Tsarukyan and his party “trusted colleagues”, presenting his host with a signed photograph of Margaret Thatcher as a gift.

openDemocracy could not confirm whether Wharton’s trip was paid for by Prosperous Armenia.

As reported by Tsarukyan’s TV channel, Lord Callanan, the future minister of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union, gave a speech in which he noted how popular Tsarukyan was among the Armenian people, and hoped the tycoon would win double the number of seats in the next election.

Baroness Pidding said that she had previously met Tsarukyan at Westminster Palace, where she realised they “would become partners the moment they met”.

September 2017: James Wharton, Baronness Pidding, Gagik Tsarukyan, Sheryll Murray, Scott Mann, Lord Callanan, Ben Houchen, Andrew Percy, David Morriss, Rupert Oldham-Reid | Source: Kentron TV

Anna Shahnazarian, Armenian civic and ecological activist, says that it should "be outrageous for citizens of the UK that their elected officials' reputations are used in political games elsewhere in the world."

Scott Mann MP was another member of the visiting party. Responding via email, he stated that all his foreign travel is “recorded on my register of interests. I only take up offers to travel to other countries in parliamentary recess.”

Britain turns global

The ‘strong bond’, as Tsarukyan called it, between the Conservative Party and the oligarch extends to the former’s representatives in Europe.

The Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE), the Conservative Party’s partners in Europe, has listed Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia party as a member since 2015. Since its inception, ACRE has positioned itself as a leading voice of direct democracy and free-market economics in Europe.

In March 2017, Lord Callanan and Andrew Bingham MP joined an ACRE delegation to Yerevan for a conference held by Tsarukyan’s party. Callanan previously chaired the European Parliament’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) grouping, co-founded by the Conservative Party in 2009.

The visit was conducted by ACRE, and a Tsarukyan spokesperson stated at the time that the group’s visit was aimed at supporting the oligarch’s party ahead of Armenia’s 2017 parliamentary elections.

The parliamentary Register of Members’ Interests does not record this trip for either Bingham or Callanan, and openDemocracy could not confirm who paid for it.

March 2017: Kentron TV programme on a Prosperous Armenia-ACRE conference held at Tsarukyan's Multi Grand Hotel in Yerevan. Here, ACRE and British politicians call on viewers to support Tsarukyan's party at the upcoming April 2017 elections.

The sentiment of support was affirmed by the British and ACRE politicians, whose conference speeches in support of the tycoon’s party appeared in a Tsarukyan campaign video shortly after.

In December 2017, former MP James Wharton returned to Yerevan for another conference. He joined Brexit architect Daniel Hannan MEP, who wants the UK to become an ‘offshore, low-tax, global free-trading entrepôt’ after leaving the EU, in Tsarukyan’s hotel and casino complex outside the Armenian capital.

Hosted by Prosperous Armenia and ACRE, the ‘Yerevan Summit’ witnessed ACRE’s annual general meeting, as well as a speech on “patriotism and conservatism” by Hannan.

This relationship has caused the European group some problems, however.

In 2017, Prosperous Armenia gave a €121,043 donation to ACRE. But following a 2018 European Parliament investigation into ACRE trips and expenses, the party had to return all but €12,000 of these funds to Prosperous Armenia: - donations over this amount are not permitted for groups taking European funds. Speaking to openDemocracy, ACRE stated that these funds were a membership fee, and said it has now returned the funds.

Commenting on ACRE’s relationship with Prosperous Armenia and its leader, Richard Milsom, the group’s chief executive, said:

“Our core mission is to promote the values of a free society – democracy, freedom of speech, press, property rights, rule of law. We facilitate these values and these relationships through a centralised network of politicians, to spread our message and build our movement. Countries on the border of Europe have many different problems, including geopolitical ones. Prosperous Armenia is an asset to the Alliance, we can help each other.”

The Queen’s speech

This sentiment was echoed in comments made by Lord Callanan to Tsarukyan’s TV channel during the oligarch’s visit to the UK in June 2017.

“We stand with Mr Tsarukyan and Prosperous Armenia, and are ready to support them in their initiatives,” Callanan said during Tsarukyan’s visit to the House of Lords. A few months later, Callanan became a minister of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union.

“The fact that our two parties agree on ideology is a guarantee of the success of our collaborations,” commented Callanan at the time.

Tsarukyan was in the UK in a trip facilitated by ACRE, according to the latter. In Armenia’s parliamentary elections two months earlier, Prosperous Armenia had been predicted to potentially beat the ruling Republican Party, but instead took just 31 seats out of 105.

In London, the oligarch attended the state opening of Parliament. As reported by his TV channel, Tsarukyan later went to dinner at the private, Conservative-linked Carlton Club as the guest of Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, a vice-president of ACRE and member of Parliament’s hard-Brexit European Research Group.

Gagik Tsarukyan and Lord Martin Callanan. Source: Kentron TV

He was joined by, among others, James Wharton, Eleanor Laing MP, the deputy speaker of the House of Commons, and Richard Milsom, ACRE chief executive.

Anti-corruption drive

In May 2018, Armenians peacefully overthrew the corrupt Republican Party government through waves of protest across the country. And in the aftermath, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s new government has sought to take aim at the country’s entrenched oligarchic interests.

There have been high-profile investigations and arrests of old-regime officials and businessmen, including, most notably, Robert Kocharyan. While Tsarukyan may have supported protesters publicly in May 2018, observers aren’t convinced that this is enough to protect him from the country’s anti-oligarch drive in the long run.

“The government’s policy is to squeeze as many unpaid taxes from Armenia’s rich as they can,” says Emil Sanamyan, “and Tsarukyan is a prime target.”

May 2018: revolution in Yerevan | (c) Kommersant Photo Agency/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.

“Following the Velvet Revolution, the inherent contradiction between Tsarukyan the politician and Tsarukyan who holds huge assets and commercial interests, even if he’s not formally running businesses, remains,” says analyst Anahit Shirinyan, “Naturally, this potential conflict of interests also casts a shadow over the political party he leads.”

Indeed, Tsarukyan has recently come under fire over allegations that, as an MP, he is not permitted to engage in business activity under Armenian law.

He responded to these concerns, including some raised by the parliamentary speaker, by stating that he has passed his property into trust management – and that he would resign his position as MP only when “the Armenia of his dreams is established”.

“As leader of the Prosperous Armenia party, I have served my authority in the country and outside of it to bring in as many investments to Armenia as possible,” he wrote in response to the speaker. “Many foreign investors met with me to get familiarised with the investment environment. Moreover, many investors see me as a reliable guarantor of their investments.”

According to Armenian investigative journalism website Hetq.am, Tsarukyan responds to concerns regarding his business by stating they “are aimed at targeting his reputation”.

In whose interest?

Late last October, four backbench Eurosceptic MPs – David Morris, Damien Moore, Matthew Offord and Sheryll Murray – followed the Conservatives’ well-worn trail to Yerevan for an international investment and trade round table hosted by Tsarukyan at his Multi Grand hotel and casino complex. This roundtable was attended by the new prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan.

These MPs were joined by Afzal Amin, a former Conservative Party candidate for Dudley. Moore, Offord and Murray are all members of the European Research Group. The visit was broadcast on Kentron TV.

Six weeks later, just ahead of Armenia’s first parliamentary election since last year’s revolution, two Conservative peers – Lord Maude and Baroness Finn – made the trip to Yerevan.

According to the parliamentary Register of Members’ Interests, this trip was for discussions with Prosperous Armenia – and was, once again, sponsored by Tsarukyan’s party. Their visit was broadcast in a nine-minute segment on Tsarukyan’s channel.

The Conservative peers were joined by William Shawcross, the former head of the UK Charity Commission, and Afzal Amin.

“Lords and Lordesses [sic] from England, who wanted to make a contribution, came to visit me,” the oligarch commented to the press. “This Lord [Maude], who was a minister during Margaret Thatcher's time, wants to see how we organise.”

During this visit, Tsarukyan called for an “economic revolution” and pointed to the United Arab Emirates’ extensive tax breaks as an example for Armenia to follow.

Afzal Amin, Baroness Simone Finn, Gagik Tsarukyan, Francis Maude, William Shawcross. Source: Kentron TV

Anna Shahnazarian says that "it is outrageous that Tsarukyan, a local oligarch, invites foreign politicians and presents them as investment partners - for whom he, as a member of parliament, and his party, are willing to adopt laws. This kind of breach of democratic principles exposes the internationalisation of neoliberal politics."

Two months later, Prosperous Armenia signed a cooperation agreement with Russia’s ruling party, United Russia.

Room for change

“In Whose Interest?”, a 2018 report by Transparency International UK on how UK parliamentarians legitimise corrupt and repressive foreign governments via overseas trips, highlights an exemption in the UK Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).

This exemption permits donors without a strong link to the United Kingdom to pay registered individuals’ overseas travel expenses. For donations to individuals or parties over £500, donors must evidence a strong connection to the UK – but these controls do not cover foreign travel.

“Our research has found that corrupt and repressive regimes from across the globe have sought to buy friends in Westminster through all-expenses-paid trips,” says Steve Goodrich, author of the report. “MPs and peers are regularly offered international engagements from a wide range of hosts. To protect the independence of parliamentarians when they’re abroad, there should be greater controls on who can pay for their travel, as is currently the case for political donations.”

In order to mitigate against perceptions that foreign trips influence parliamentarians, Transparency International UK recommends the creation of a proscribed list of organisations that may not fund politicians’ travel.

Sarah Clarke, senior policy and communications officer at campaign group Unlock Democracy, commented: “The majority of the public think that the UK political system is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful. This is hardly a surprise when British politicians spend their time on trips paid for by international oligarchs to legitimise their political aspirations, while keeping the British public in the dark about the substance and consequence of those trips.”

openDemocracy contacted those who travelled on trips to Yerevan, but received no response except where stated.

Sams Martirosyan and Knar Khudoyan contributed reporting from Yerevan.

The Sun (England)

May 23, 2019 Thursday

Azer to be some joke?

by MARTIN LIPTON

 

THE Europa League final in Baku was a dubious choice before Arsenal were forced to leave Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan behind.

 

SunSport explains why Uefa are in such a mess.

 

WHY BAKU? Former Uefa President Michel Platini pushed for Azerbaijan to get three group games and a quarter-final at Euro 2020 to put Baku on the map.

 

Bidding for the final was opened in December 2016 with Baku up against the new Besiktas stadium in Istanbul and Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

 

Madrid beat Baku for the Champions League Final, so it was a straight shootout - and Istanbul will host the 2020 Champions League showdown.

 

AREN'T THERE ISSUES? You would have thought so. President Ilhan Aliyev has been accused of imprisoning critical journalists and persecuting dissidents. And of running a multi-billion euro slush fund. WHO CHOSE THE VENUE? Uefa's executive committee at its September 2017 meeting in Nyon.

 

Arsenal fans will be underwhelmed to know the club's then-chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, was on the committee at his first meeting.

 

SURELY THAT'S TOO EARLY? You would have thought so. But Uefa see each competition as a significant marketing opportunity and like to build up for a year or more.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE LOGISTICS? Uefa suggested one reason Chelsea and Arsenal were only handed 6,000 tickets each was the capacity of Baku's main airport.

 

Yet a report declared the "capacity theoretically meets the requirements" despite noting "a shortage of aircraft parking positions" and security issues.

 

CAN'T IT BE CHANGED? Nope. Despite it being a six-hour flight away the game is scheduled.

 

WHAT ABOUT KICK-OFF? Oh, a late one. Starting at 11pm local time, 8pm in the UK.

 

Factor in extra-time and penalties and the trophy may not be lifted until shortly before 2am.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE GROUND? The 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium met Uefa requirements but has never staged a match of this standing.

 

It was built in 2015 and both Chelsea and Arsenal have won there. WHAT IS MKHITARYAN'S ISSUE? Azerbaijan and Armenia are officially at war over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

 

Armenian Mkhitaryan declined to travel to Azerbaijan with Dortmund in 2015 and missed Arsenal's trip in October, when Qarabag boss Gurban Gurbanov said he had been "saved" from an ordeal.

 

DIDN'T THAT SPARK CONCERNS? Seemingly not. Even though Uefa have kept the national sides apart in recent tournament draws. And Mkhitaryan's sister Monica works at Uefa headquarters in Nyon.

News.am, Armenia

May 25 2019

Monika Mkhitaryan reminds of Armenian pogroms in Baku

Armenian and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s sister, Monika Mkhitaryan, tweeted on the decision of the Armenian footballer not to go to the Europa League final to be held in Baku.

Monika Mkhitaryan gave an excerpt from The Independent article about the pogroms of Armenians in Baku in 1990.

“…when Henrikh Mkhitaryan says he doesn’t feel safe travelling to Baku for Wednesday’s Europa League final, he probably knows what he’s talking about,” the source noted.

The UEFA Europa League final match between the English clubs Arsenal and Chelsea will take place May 29 at the 68,000-seat Baku Olympic Stadium.

The match will start at 23:00 (GMT+4).

[look at how the Azeris try to wriggle out of the mess they are in.The visa comment is contradicted with the refusal of Armenians to attend, though that might be better for their personal safety]

Trend.az

25 May 2019

Minister: Azerbaijan did everything to protect Mkhitaryan

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

Azerbaijan has done everything to protect Arsenal player Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who refused to participate in the UEFA Europa League final match in Baku, Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov told CNN Sport, Trendreports May 25.

He was answering the question whether Azerbaijan could do something more to make Mkhitaryan feel safe.

“More…What do you mean when you say more?” Rahimov said. “We did everything. What could we do more? We can send a private jet for him accompanied by two F16 fighting falcons and let’s say, heavy machine guns. I do not know what we can do more. UEFA and Arsenal club received all possible and impossible documentation. From my personal side, I sent a letter and signed it with the guarantees from the government, from Azerbaijan Football Federation, and also from all the government agencies in charge for security. We are not hosting Armenian football team in Azerbaijan, we are hosting the UK football club.”

Answering the question about whether he called Mkhitaryan, the minister replied that he does not know his telephone number.

“But he has the direct contact that the club has with our embassy in London,” Rahimov noted. “The ambassador in his interview openly suggested him to contact the embassy, to contact the ambassador himself, but there was not any response for that.”

The minister also answered the question whether people of Armenian nationality will be able to visit Baku next year, when Azerbaijan will host four Euro 2020 matches.

“We never ever announced, or put any limitations, for the people coming to the sport events,” he said.‘That's why we just kindly ask any Armenian nationality person coming to our country to send his or her request for visa in advance. That’s the only thing, maybe it is a little bit more than in relation to other tourists coming to my country. In all the rest, there are no limitations.”