Armenian News... A Topalian...7 editorials

RTL Luxumburg

Oct 4 2019

Armenian separatists claim responsibility for drone 

Thursday night's match between F91 Dudelange and Qarabag was interrupted by a drone, shortly after the visitors scored their second goal, in an apparent political gesture. 

The appearance of the drone caused a delay to the game, as well as unnerving some Qarabag supporters.

Officials paused the game when the drone appeared over the pitch and sent both teams to the dressing rooms. Fans of the home team stormed the pitch, in spite of security which struggled to contain the Azerbaijani supporters.

First Armenian Front claimed responsibility

Shortly after the match, the separatist group "First Armenian Front /FAF ultras/" published an image on Facebook explaining the origins of the action. According to the group, "the action was led by the young people of Belgium thanks to Spartak J".

Through this gesture, the group wanted to convey the message that Qarabag does not belong to Azerbaijan. The football club originated in the city of Agdam, until they were forced to move to the capital, Baku, as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

According to the instigators of the movement, Qarabag is an independent city with its own flag. They claimed on Facebook that the football club has no connection with the name of the city which, according to them, has been used wrongly.

Minister of Sport Dan Kersch presented his apologies in the name of the government for this provocation. Although the match was interrupted, play resumed after almost 20 minutes.

Police also reported that a number of cars had been broken into during the match, in a car park near the stadium.

Inside World Foorball

Oct 4 2019

Drone flying Armenian separatist flag halts Qarabag’s Europa League game in Luxembourg

A Europa League game between Luxembourg’s F91 Dudelange and FK Qarabag of Azerbaijan was temporarily halted on Thursday when a drone was flown over the ground.

Qarabag were leading 2-0 when the drone was spotted flying over the pitch forcing the match officials to suspend the action for around 15 minutes. 

Shortly after play resumed Qarabag increased their lead from the penalty spot and went on to win 4-1.

According to reports the drone carried a red, blue and gold flag featuring the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a landlocked Armenian separatist region within Azerbaijan.

There are currently no diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia owing to the ongoing conflict over the region which engaged in a bloody six-year war that ended in 1994. Although the area is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, it is an independently-run, ethnically-Armenian enclave.

Last May, Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan refused to play for Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku because he feared for his safety in Azerbaijan’s capital.

ARKA, Armenia

Oct 3 2019

Demographic processes show decrease in Armenia's population decline rate

Demographic processes in Armenia show a downward tendency in the rate of Armenia's population decline,  Karine Kuyumjyan, the head of a National Statistical Committee's department in charge of census  and demography, told ARKA news agency.

She said in 2018 the population decline rate dropped significantly, adding, however, that it was still  difficult to talk about dynamics, since similar indicators of the previous years need to be compared.  'We can only say that the decline is due to a decrease in the mortality rate," she said.

Kuyumjyan noted that in 2018 the natural population growth amounted to 10,800 people, while the migration balance amounted to 18,000 people.

"The overall decline in the population was milder than in previous years. According to 2018 data, the negative migration balance was  7,400 people, compared to 12,000- 13,000 in previous years," she said.

Speaking about demographic processes, Kuyumjyan said  Armenia's population decreased by 17% from 1991 to 2018, which is especially noticeable in Lori, Shirak and Vayots Dzor regions.

"The natural population growth over these years amounted to about 400,000 people, but about 1.1 million people have emigrated. Thus, the population over 28 years has decreased by more than 600 thousand people," she said.

According to the National Statistical Committee, the number of resident population as of July 1, 2019 stood at 2,961,600 people. Also, i the first half of 2019, some 16,111 babies were born in the country , which was  0.9% less than in the same period in 2018.

 At the same time, the number of deaths increased by 4.3% to 13,790 people. 

Armenpress.am

3 October, 2019

Minimum wage increase bill passes first hearing in parliament

A bill drafted by ruling My Step bloc lawmakers on raising the minimum wage in Armenia has passed the first hearing in parliament.

The bill was adopted with 102 votes in favor and 1 against. MPs Varazdat Karapetyan, Babken Tunyan and Narek Zeynalyan are the co-authors of the bill.

Initially the lawmakers were proposing to increase the minimum wage to 63000 drams, but after discussions in the government the Cabinet suggested increasing it to 68000 drams. The bill was earlier approved by the economic affairs committee of parliament.

Salaries of nearly 57000 public servants and nearly 130000 employees of the private sector will increase if the bill is adopted.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenpress.am

3 October, 2019

Azerbaijani firing kills another Armenian soldier, Armenian side vows retaliation

Contractual serviceman Mushegh Abovyan was killed on October 3 by Azerbaijani fire, ARMENPRESS reports spokesperson of the Defense Minister of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote on his Facebook page.

''These Azerbaijani provocations will not remain unanswered. We offer condolences to the relatives and family of Mushegh Abovyan'', he wrote.

Another contractual soldier injured by Azerbaijani firing in Tavush Province on October 1 died in hospital on October 3.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

RFE/RL Report

Armenian Parliament Demands Dismissal Of Constitutional Court Head

October 04, 2019

Ruzanna Stepanian

The Armenian parliament formally appealed to the Constitutional Court on Friday to replace its chairman, Hrayr Tovmasian, who is increasingly at loggerheads with the country’s political leadership.

In a resolution drafted by its pro-government majority, the parliament denounced, among other things, his handling of appeals against the legality of 

coup charges brought against the arrested former President Robert Kocharian. 

The resolution also says that Tovmasian cannot make impartial decisions on this case because of his past membership in the former ruling Republican Party of 

Armenia (HHK).

The Constitutional Court has to discuss the appeal and respond to it within 30 days. Tovmasian will be sacked if at least six of the court’s nine judges vote 

against him. Parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan assured reporters that the parliament majority will accept any decision made by the court.

Tovmasian, who was installed as court chairman by Armenia’s previous leadership overthrown in the 2018 “Velvet Revolution,” strongly denies violations of the 

due process, political bias and conflict of interest alleged by the 94-page resolution.

He charged earlier this week that the authorities are seeking to oust him in order to gain control over the high court and be able to make unconstitutional 

decisions. Tovmasian said he will not bow to the pressure despite the recent arrests of two individuals linked to him.

Senior lawmakers from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step alliance condemned Tovmasian’s latest statements when the National Assembly debated the appeal to the Constitutional Court on Thursday. One of them, Lilit Makunts, dismissed his claims as “political.”

The 132-member parliament adopted the appeal by 98 votes to 1. The document was backed by not only My Step’s deputies but also their colleagues representing the opposition Bright Armenia Party.

The other parliamentary opposition force, businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), refused to back the initiative and its 26 

deputies did not take part in the vote. Tsarukian said on Wednesday that the ruling bloc has come up with “very weak” arguments in support of its bid to oust Tovmasian.

In a September 4 ruling read out by Tovmasian, the court declared unconstitutional a legal provision used by investigators against former President Kocharian. Pashinian called the ruling “illegal,” citing dissenting 

opinions voiced by two court judges.

In a July interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Pashinian accused Tovmasian of cutting political deals with former President Serzh Sarkisian to “privatize” 

the Constitutional Court in early 2018. Tovmasian responded by warning the government against trying to force him and his colleagues to resign.

New Eastern Europe

Oct 4 2019

Georgian lessons, Armenian Fears. Russian Armenians through the prism of Russia’s “Armenian” policy

Aram Terzyan

The mistreatment of the Georgian population in Russia sent ripples of apprehension into Armenia and highlighted the repercussions of angering Russia. It is no surprise, hence, that Armenian leadership framed the decision to join the EEU as inevitable, repeatedly citing its positive implications for the Armenian community.

The question of why post-Velvet Revolution Armenia has not revised its unwavering allegiance to Russia has been subject to vigorous political debates. Post-Rose Revolution Georgia’s thorny path to fundamental rapprochement with the European Union provides insights into the harrowing

 challenges of pulling away from Russian influence. Along with crippling economic sanctions and political punitive measures inflicted on Georgia, the Kremlin resorted to mistreating the Georgian community in Russia. This development sent shock waves through

 Armenia with regard to the severe consequences for Armenia’s possible deviations from Russia for the Russian Armenian community.

Russia possesses the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia proper, making it home to the largest community in the Armenian diaspora. The Armenian population of Russia is estimated around 2.5 million, and Russia ranks as the top country

 for labour migration from Armenia. Thus, Russia remains the most popular destination for Armenian migrants, and according to various estimates, remittances sent to Armenia from Russia account for over 10 per cent of Armenia’s GDP.

Given that Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) eliminates visa-related-barriers and thus facilitates the free movement of the Armenian labour force, massive outflows of the Armenian population to Russia seems bound to continue.

 Interestingly, Russia has not tended to oppose the influx of Armenians. Rather, it has skilfully used the large Armenian community to tighten its economic and political grip on Armenia.

Notably, during a 2012 meeting, the head of the Union of Armenians in Russia, Ara Abrahamyan, contended that around two million Russian Armenians support Vladimir Putin. The Russian president sarcastically responded, saying, “how many Armenians  are living in Armenia? According to Russian estimates, their number is less than 3.2 million.”

Clearly, Putin’s ironic statement stems from the growing number of Armenians in Russia and the possibility that Russia may become home to the largest Armenian population.

The discourse on Armenia’s membership in the EEU has been characterised by a strong emphasis on the large Armenian community in Russia as a major factor for Armenia’s decision. There have been concerns that Armenian migrants would be subject to

 harsh mistreatment in the case that Armenia deviates from a Russian-led foreign policy trajectory. This assumption is based on the Russian authorities’ massive crackdown on the Georgian population in Russia after Georgia’s rapprochement with the European Union and NATO. This could perhaps be the reason why Abrahamyan praised Armenia’s decision to join the EEU, emphasising its positive implications for the Armenian community in Russia.

In fact, Armenian leadership and Russian Armenians have learned well from the “Georgian lesson” and Russia’s response to Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. In October and November of 2006, under the banner of “fight against irregular

 migration and organised crime”, Russian authorities detained thousands of Georgians and expelled more than 2,300 of them, including many Georgians residing legally in Russia. The Russian government’s campaign against ethnic Georgians occurred amid Georgia’s growing attempts to redefine asymmetric relations with Russia and pull the country out of Russia’s authoritarian influence.

In an attempt to punish Georgia’s “deviant behaviour”, the government targeted the Georgian population in Russia. Russian officials made repeated public statements framing Georgians as illegal immigrants, criminals and calling for measures to be

 taken against them. Russian television stations, the largest of which are owned or controlled by people close to the Kremlin, actively supported and justified discrimination against Georgians. Through daily news programmes and other programming, they often

 quoted senior officials making strong anti-Georgian statements. Concurrently, Moscow police began to conduct widespread document inspections of ethnic Georgians. The crackdown spilled over into other parts of Russia and resulted in unlawful detention of thousands  of ethnic Georgians.

All of this prompted then Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to posit that Russia was not willing to tolerate Georgia’s transformation into a European democracy that would no longer be susceptible to Russian coercive policy. It is evident that Georgia’s experience of successful reforms angered Russia and prompted it to “correct the deviant behaviour” and prevent democracy from spreading throughout the post-Soviet region. The situation came to head in 2008 with the war incited against disobedient

Georgia and all of its ensuing consequences.

Overall, along with other issues, the mistreatment of the Georgian population in Russia sent ripples of apprehension into Armenia and highlighted the repercussions of angering Russia.It is no surprise, hence, that Armenian leadership framed the

 decision to join the EEU as inevitable, repeatedly citing its positive implications for the Armenian community. It is also no wonder that there has been broad consensus among the representatives of Armenia’s political leadership that despite the resentment that Russian policy may generate, Armenia should avoid provoking Russia. Otherwise, Russia could severely punish it by arming Armenia’s fiercest enemy Azerbaijan, increasing gas prices and cracking down on the Armenian community in Russia.

In an attempt to avoid the spill-over of colour revolutions into Armenia that could eventually result in revising relations with Russia, the Russian government launched a large-scale propaganda campaign against the rise of civic activism in Armenia.

Clearly, opposition to Russian coercive policies has been at the heart of major protests and demonstrations in Armenia. These include mass protests, dubbed “Electric Yerevan”, over electricity price hikes of the Russian-dominated Electric Network of Armenia in 2015, and large demonstrations against the devastatingly harmful supply of Russian military hardware to Azerbaijan in the wake of the 2016 April war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Notably, the Kremlin propaganda machine consistently fed the narrative that, similar to Georgia and Ukraine, the unrest in Armenia might have been incited by the United States to pull the country away from Russian influence.

Moreover, in an attempt to obstruct EU-Armenia co-operation, Russia launched a large-scale campaign against the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in March 2017. More specifically, Armenia’s decision to develop a partnership with the EU in the form of CEPA was regarded as a betrayal and outright defiance of Russian interests. Some propagandists compared Armenia’s behaviour to that of a cheating wife who starts an affair with another man. Essentially, such statements were meant  to put pressure on Armenia, not least through the large Armenian community in Russia.

Yet, the Kremlin did not overreact to mass anti-government protests in April 2018 before the Velvet Revolution. Rather, the Russian propaganda machine portrayed Armenia as a weak and powerless state that would maintain its allegiance to Russia, regardless of the power transition. These claims frequently emphasised the factors that make Armenia irreversibly compliant with Russia, ranging from the influential and large Armenian diaspora community to the country’s heavy energy, economic and political

 dependence on Russia.

Essentially, the Kremlin conveyed its warnings to Armenia through Mikhail Leontyev, a well-known Russian journalist and TV anchor who is also the vice president and spokesman for the Rosneft oil company. Leontyev contended that Armenians exist thanks  to Russia’s support.

Studies show that in recent years, violent racially-motivated attacks and murders, often perpetrated by ultranationalist and neo-Nazi groups have become common occurrences in Russia, especially in large cities. Although there have been some convictions

 for violent hate-related crimes, the Russian government has done little to effectively combat these dangerous trends. Armenians in Russia would not feel safe amid the hatred, pervasive racism and xenophobia. They would thus encourage the Armenian government to avoid angering Russia. Not surprisingly, Pashinyan did not cross the “red line” and shortly after being put at the helm of Armenia, he confirmed the country’s allegiance to Russia.

Aram Terzyan is a visiting senior lecturer at the UNESCO Chair of Human Rights, Democracy and European Studies of Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences in Yerevan and a research fellow at the Eurasian Research and Analysis Institute.

Asbarez.com

Pallone Meets with Armenia’s Leaders in Yerevan

After a two-day visit to Artsakh, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Armen Sarkissian and Speaker of Armenia’s parliament Ararat Mirzoyan on Thursday upon returning to Yerevan.

Welcoming Pallone’s visit to Armenia and Artsakh, Pashinyan expressed confidence that his visit will help strengthen the congressman’s relationship with the Armenian people.

Pashinyan also praised Pallone’s efforts in the advancement of U.S.-Armenia relations and in raising issues of Armenian concern in Congress. Pashinyan discussed his recent visit to California and expressed confidence that it will help boost cooperation between Armenia and one of the largest U.S. states.

Pallone, who is the founding co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, told Pashinyan that he was impressed by the non-violent velvet popular revolution and the democratic processes underway in the country. The Congressman expressed readiness to promote interaction between the two countries, support Armenia and the Armenian people.

The parties also discussed the Armenian government’s ambitious reform agenda, the ongoing cooperation with the U.S. government, as well as to regional developments.

“You are Armenia’s good friend,” said President Sarkissian in greeting Pallone.

Sarkissian and Pallone discussed U.S.-Armenia relations agenda with the the president highlighting American support in the science and technology sector. In this context Sarkissian briefed Pallone on one his initiatives known  as ATOM–Advanced Tomorrow—which aims at bringing representatives of leading international information and high-tech enterprises to Armenia and making Armenia one of the leading global centers in the sector of artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling.

 Sarkissian said he would be happy to see American companies in Armenia as part of the project.

The meeting also touched upon the prospects of development and existing challenges under Armenia’s fairly new parliamentary system of government, as well as the changes that have taken place in the country.

Parliament Speaker Mirzoyan thanked Pallone for accepting his invitation, once again, to visit Armenia and expressed his gratitude for Pallone’s continued support for Armenia and Artsakh in Congress.

Mirzoyan told Pallone that Armenia is committed to the Karabakh conflict resolution negotiations that are being held under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, adding that there are no other alternatives to a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The National Assembly speaker briefed the visiting member of Congress about the democratic reforms taking place in Armenia, as well as discussed the legislative agenda ahead to advance reforms in various sectors in Armenia, saying that the proposed changes would facilitate future American investment.

Pallone also briefed Mirzoyan about his visit to Artsakh and said that his days in Armenia have provided him with a broader understanding the priorities of the Armenian-American agenda.

Upon arriving in Armenia on Monday, Pallone met with His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians at Etchmiadzin.