Armenian News
Sir Graham Watson MEP on Human Rights in Azerbaijan
The Economist
ARMENIA'S ELECTION
SARGSYAN SEES
May 7th 2012, 17:50 by A.Z. | ISTANBUL
YESTERDAY'S parliamentary election in Armenia yielded few surprises.
President Serzh Sargsyan’s Republican Party won, with 44% of the vote,
amid charges of fraud and vote-rigging that will be familiar to Armenia-watchers.
Yet, unlike the presidential election in February 2008, after which eight
demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces, there was little
violence yesterday. This is a measure of progress in the poor and
landlocked former Soviet republic. “Armenia deserves recognition for its
electoral reforms and its open and peaceful campaign” said observers from
the OSCE. But, they added, “stakeholders” had too often failed to comply
with electoral law, and the election commission had “too often failed to
enforce it.”
Most western observers agreed that ballot-stuffing and coercion was
scarce, compared to previous elections. And in a further sign of progress,
Armenia’s quarrelsome civil-society movement mobilised to keep the
elections clean. Their efforts paid off when local election observers
uncovered what has been dubbed the case of the disappearing stamps.
This emerged when hundreds of voters, including Vartan Oskanian, a
former foreign minister, complained that ink markings on their passports
designed to prevent multiple voting had disappeared within minutes of
being stamped. The story spread quickly online, forcing the election
commission to put out a statement.
Still, such apparent improvements must be set again opposition charges
that thousands of votes were bought. Incriminating footage was posted
on YouTube. “Bribery was much more prevalent than before,” a Western
diplomat confirmed.
The Prosperous Armenia party came second in the election, winning
30% of the vote. Led by Gagik Tsarukyan, a controversial millionaire and
former arm-wrestling champion with a penchant for white suits and pet
lions, the party has supported the Republicans in an informal coalition.
But that help has come at the expense of the kinds of reform that would
trim the powers of Armenia's oligarchs.
Poverty, unemployment, corruption and emigration continue to plague
Armenia, a small but fiercely proud nation of 3m people that has been
wracked by conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan. Yet after his party's
success yesterday, most observers say that unless the opposition can
agree on a candidate Mr Sargsyan is likely to be re-elected to a third
presidential term. His predecessor, the thuggish Robert Kocharian, is
likely to continue to wield influence via Prosperous Armenia from behind
the scenes.
Mr Sargsyan, a former defence minister who oversaw the war successfully
prosecuted by Armenia against Azerbaijan in the early 1990s, has stirred
his own share of controversy. In late 2010 a Wikileaks cable dating from
2008 appeared to suggest that he had authorised the sale of weapons to
Iran that were used against American soldiers in Iraq.
The revelation of this scandal made surprisingly few waves. And
Mr Sargsyan continues deftly to steer the middle ground between strategic
ties with Armenia's chief mentor, Russia, and closer partnership with the
European Union and America. In 2008 Mr Sargsyan took a big risk when
he signed a set of protocols with Turkey, an ancient foe, that foresaw the
establishment of diplomatic ties and the re-opening of the Turkish-Armenian
border. In the event Turkey shelved the agreement following a barrage of
threats from its ally Azerbaijan. Turkey maintains that its alliance with the
Azeris is rooted in common faith and culture; Azerbaijan’s vast energy
wealth may also have had something to do with it.
Armenianow.com
EU ON VOTE 2012: BETTER, BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Vote 2012 | 10.05.12 | 11:45
The EU has welcomed efforts by the Armenian authorities to hold the
recent parliamentary elections"in a way which represents progress
towards more transparent and competitive elections", while saying a
number of issues remained to be addressed.
In a joint statement Wednesday, EU High Representative for Foreign
Affairs Catherine Ashton,and tefan Fule, Commissioner for Enlargement
and European Neighbourhood Policy, said: "The European Union takes
note of the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections held
on 6 May and welcomes the statement of preliminary findings and
conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission on the
conduct of elections."
They added: "We welcome the efforts by the Armenian authorities
to hold these parliamentary elections in a way which represents
progress towards more transparent and competitive elections. However,
the elections also demonstrated the need to address a number of
issues in order to fully meet internationally recognized democratic
standards."They urged the Armenian authorities to address the
shortcomings identified by the OSCE/ODIHR as a matter of priority,
ahead of the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for 2013.
"At the same time," the joint statement added, "we welcome that six
political parties will be represented in the National Assembly. This
is a positive step towards the development of a pluralistic and
democratic political culture in Armenia."
"The EU urges all political forces to refrain from unlawful acts
and pursue political dialogue. The constructive dialogue between
authorities and the opposition is very important for the consolidation
of stability in the country," Ashton and Fule concluded.
INFERTILITY NEARS 20% IN ARMENIA - SEXOLOGIST
news.am
May 10, 2012 | 12:39
YEREVAN. - Infertility rate in Armenia has become more widespread
among men and women alike, sexologist Vrezh Shahramanyan said during
a press conference on Thursday.
As per Shahramanyan, the World Health Organization states that a
country where infertility rate exceeds fifteen percent faces a very
serious disaster.
"And infertility rate in Armenia has passed fifteen percent and nears
twenty percent," the sexologist noted.
In line with studies, men and women equally share the causes for
infertility in Armenia.
"We need to uproot from the [people's] mindset the principle that
solely the women must be examined in case of infertility; they both
must be examined equally," Shahramanyan said.
According to the sexologist, infertility has become a social-medical
and nationwide problem in Armenia, and it affects the country's
demographics.
In Vrezh Shahramanyan's words, one in every four cases infertility
becomes grounds for divorce in Armenia.
Also, he underscored the need for the Armenian state to carry out
"educational activities" so that people would undergo a checkup at
least one a year and be knowledgeable on sexual matters.
Israelidiamnd.co
ARMENIA SEES DROP IN EXPORT OF POLISHED DIAMONDS
10.05.12, 08:46 / World
Armenia's exports of cut and polished diamonds in the first three
months of the 2012 calendar year fell to only 29,000 carats, a 55%
decrease from the same three month period a year previous, per the
Armenian Customs Service. Despite the reduction in volume of diamonds
exported, the dollar value of exports actually rose from $17.5 million
for the first quarter in 2011 to $18.7 million for the first quarter
in 2012, according to Rough & Polished.
Between January and March 2012, Armenia imported only 70,000 carats
in rough diamonds, worth $23.5 million. The previous year, it had
imported a full 106,000 carats, valued at $27.3 million, by comparison.
The Armenian Economy Ministry attributed the drop in both the country's
rough diamond imports and polished diamond exports, by weight, to a
commensurate drop in world demand. The ministry noted that the increase
in the value of stones the country exported was due to its recent
focus on larger-sized diamonds, which fetch a higher price per carat.
SWEDISH PARLIAMENT REJECTS ANTI-KARABAKH MOTION
asbarez
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
The Swedish parliament hall
STOCKHOLM-The Parliament of Sweden on Wednesday May 9 rejected an
Azer-sponsored motion on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which went
against the principles set forth by the international mediators.
The motion, introduced last year by Green Party member of parliament
Mehmet Kaplan called for, among other provisions, Sweden's active
involvement in the Karabakh conflict resolution process; demanded
"immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian military forces
from occupied Azeri territory" and that international organizations
should work "for guarantying the safety, security and self-rule of
the Armenian minority in Nagorno-Karabakh within the territorial
boundaries of Azerbaijan."
The members of parliament, known as the Riksdag, found that the
motion deviated significantly from the existing negotiated proposals,
including the so-called Madrid Principles. Since the motion was signed
by one member of parliament, was not allowed separate consideration
and was voted rejected within a bundle of other legislation.
Instead, the parliament adopted another motion, which contained
wording put for by the legislature's Foreign Committee, which said:
"The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict needs a peaceful resolution and there
is a mechanism to handle the issue. This is the responsibility of
the Minsk Group. The Committee supports the efforts which are ongoing
within the framework of OSCE."
It must be noted that the measure that was adopted included language
about the ongoing EU Eastern Partnership Program with the states in
South Caucasus, especially in the spheres of "democracy, freedom of
press and respect for human rights."
The adopted measure said, "The Committee notes that the negotiations
with the three countries in the association treaty with EU have
continued and that Georgia and Armenia have made major progress while
the negotiations with Azerbaijan have been more complicated."
The aforementioned language was also drafted by the parliamentary
Foreign Committee.
A.T. 
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