|
|
|
| September 1 |
Armenian educational ministry
officials announce that due to the unseasonably hot weather, all secondary
schools of Yerevan and central Armenia will remain closed and the
start of classes will be postponed for at least a week. Although the
Armenian school year traditionally begins on the first of September
after a summer recess, several days of over forty degree Celsius weather
has made the schools unbearable. |
| September 2 |
Armenian Central Bank
board member Nerses Yeritsian announces that the central bank has
ruled out any significant intervention in the markets to support the
value of the country's national currency, the dram, which lost four
percent of it's value against the U.S. dollar. Yeritsian sees the
drop, from 502 to 520 drams to the dollar, as a result of short-term
speculation and states that the government holds sufficient foreign
currency reserves to protect against any additional threats against
the dram. Other analysts see the dram's weakening as a result of a
sharp increase in selling of short term Armenian government bonds
by Russian investors desperate for foreign exchange. The Armenian
government, although concerned over the possible spill-over effects
of the Russian financial crisis, remains publicly confidant of the
stability of the Armenian financial markets and the long term value
of the dram.
Speaking in a televised interview, Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian
states that there is a significant need for the liberalization of
trade with Iran given the introduction by Iran of severe import duties
and tariffs on Armenian goods. Bilateral trade with Iran has fallen
by 9.6 percent in 1997 to $131.3 million and is expected to decline
even further due to the new Iranian restrictions on imports. The foreign
minister also reveals that there are serious disagreements over the
financing of the planned natural gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia.
The Greek government recently announced its interest in participating
in the planned pipeline and is said to be considering financial assistance
for the project.
An official ceremony is held to mark the opening of a new section
of the recently rebuilt highway connecting Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh
through the Lachin corridor. This new section of highway, connecting
Stepanakert with the southern Armenian town of Goris, is the last
remaining part of the highway through Lachin and its completion will
enable new construction to begin on the highway connecting Shushi
to Stepanakert.
A delegation of Armenian government officials, including President
Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Armen Darbinian, attend celebrations
in Stepanakert marking the seventh anniversary of the declaration
of independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh. In an address
to the Karabagh parliament, President Arkady Gukasyan states that
the existence of Nagorno Karabagh has been a remarkable success and
vows to prevent its return to Azerbaijani rule in the future. President
Gukasyan also calls on Azerbaijan to enter into direct talks with
his government, saying that direct bilateral negotiations is the "shortest
way" to settle the Karabagh conflict. |
| September 3 |
The Armenian government
formally ratifies the July 1998 agreement with the Russian Gazprom
company that transfers control of Armenia's natural gas distribution
system to the recently formed ArmRosGazprom, a joint venture owned
45 percent by the Armenian government and 55 percent by Gazprom and
a Russian subsidiary. The ArmRosGazprom firm was formed in December
1997 to facilitate Russian natural gas exports through Armenia.
|
| September 5 |
President Robert Kocharian
reiterates his opposition to calls by some political figures demanding
a new constitution and states that Armenia's "present basic law
should only be amended." The calls for a new constitution, articulated
mainly by the National Democratic Union, contend that the current
constitution was adopted as a result of a fraudulent referendum organized
by the Ter Petrosian government in 1995 and is, therefore, illegitimate.
A presidential commission, consisting largely of Kocharian government
officials, is empowered to draft a series of proposed constitutional
amendments. President Kocharian has pushed for significant governmental
reform, including significant increases in the powers of the prime
minister and the parliament with an associated weakening of presidential
powers. |
| September 7 |
Foreign Minister Oskanian
arrives in Tehran to attend a session of the trilateral Armenian-Greek-Iranian
group. The trilateral group, initially formed in Athens last December,
seeks to improve coordination among the three countries in areas of
economic and trade policies and to foster greater investment among
the three countries. The delegations discuss new means of completing
the financing of the planned construction of an Armenian-Iranian natural
gas pipeline. |
| September 8 |
Armenian Prime Minister
Armen Darbinian departs for Azerbaijan to participate in an international
conference sponsored by the European Union in Baku. The visit to the
Azerbaijani capital is the first such high level meeting between Azerbaijan
and Armenia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Armenian delegation
includes the minister of transport, the chief of the governmental
staff and several state media reporters. Prime Minister Darbinian
is met at the airport by the Azerbaijani deputy prime minister and
foreign minister and holds talks with these and other officials. An
additional group of Armenian diplomats, led by the head of the Foreign
Ministry's European Department, Zohrab Mnatsakanian, have been in
Baku for several days working to prepare for the delegation's visit.
The European Union's TRACECA conference covers plans to expand the
regional trade routes and transport links aimed at connecting Europe
and Central Asia. Representatives of 38 countries and various international
organizations including the presidents of Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria,
Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan attend the conference.
Russia is represented by Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Executive Secretary Boris Berezovskii and Iran by its deputy minister
of transport.
Armenian presidential press spokeswoman Gassia Apkarian states that
authorities have successfully contained an outbreak of cholera in
the village of Zartonk on the outskirts of the southern city of Echmiadzin.
The cholera outbreak has killed two and have left several dozen hospitalized.
At a joint press conference, the deputy speakers of parliament of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh announce that Karabagh residents will
receive new Armenian passports to replace their old Soviet ones. The
passports will be identical to those issues in Armenia, but will have
a stamp indicating Karabagh residency and preventing voting in Armenian
elections. Emma Gabrielian, Deputy Speaker of Karabagh's parliament,
and her Armenian counterpart, Albert Bazeyan, are co chairs of a joint
parliamentary commission on cooperation and integration. |
| September 10 |
The German representative
to the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE), Ambassador
Frank Lambach, arrives in Yerevan for talks with senior Armenian government
officials. The visit by the OSCE official is to prepare the groundwork
for the upcoming tour of the region by an OSCE delegation attempting
to restart the stalled mediation effort seeking to resolve the Nagorno
Karabagh conflict.
Armenian presidential adviser Vahram Nercissiantz reports that the
government will explore new ways to increase foreign direct investment
in the country in order to meet its goal of reaching new levels of
growth of six to seven percent annually. Nercissiantz, a former World
Bank official, adds that the Kocharian government is seeking to end
Armenian dependence on foreign aid and will seek to ensure greater
economic self-sufficiency over the next few years. |
| September 11 |
Karabagh Foreign Minister
Naira Melkoumian meets with France's Ambassador to Armenia, Michael
Legra. The two government officials discuss possible solutions to
the Karabagh conflict in an effort to prepare for the up-coming visit
of the Minsk-group chairman to the region. |
| September 12 |
Visiting Cypriot Foreign
Minister Ioannis Cassoulides meets with Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian and signs cooperation agreements on economics, air
transport, science, cultural exchange and agriculture. The Cypriot
foreign minister stresses his government's commitment to international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and promises to help in the effort
to reach a fair and just resolution in Nagorno Karabagh. |
| September 15-16 |
A delegation of officials
from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
holds meetings with senior government figures during visits to Yerevan
and Baku. The OSCE delegation, attempting to restart peace talks,
is reported to have drafted new proposals and will be launching a
new round of negotiations as part of its mediation effort.
|
| September 17 |
Completing a series of
meetings with Armenian and Azerbaijani officials, an Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) delegation arrives in
Stepanakert to meet with Karabagh Foreign Minister Naira Melkoumian
and other government leaders. The OSCE delegation, according to the
Karabagh foreign minister, has revised earlier peace plan proposals
to reflect new "positive changes." The OSCE delegation consists
of representatives from the OSCE working group on Nagorno Karabagh,
the Minsk Group, with officials from each of the three nations serving
as co-chairs, France, Russia and the United States. The delegation
also meets with President Arkady Gukasyan and Defense Minister Samvel
Babayan. |
| September 23 |
Russian and Armenian military
forces begin a four-day series of military exercises and joint maneuvers
at the Armavir training grounds to simulate joint defensive action
and mountainous warfare training including armored and air support.
The exercises comprise Russian units stationed at the Russian military
base outside of the northern city of Kumri and elite Armenian infantry
troops. According to Armenian Defense Minister Vazgen Sarkisian, the
exercises demonstrate the close nature of bilateral military relations
between Russia and Armenia. |
| September 25 |
On his first official
visit outside of his country, recently appointed Georgian State Minister
Vazha Lortkipanidze arrives in Yerevan for two days of meetings with
Armenian officials. The Georgian state minister, a position equivalent
to prime minister, conducts talks centering on economic cooperation
and regional transportation. Both sides announce their dissatisfaction
with the rather low level of bilateral trade, a mere $16 million for
the first eight months of the year, and promise to launch a "new
phase" of bilateral relations. It is also expected that the officials
will discuss the situation in the Armenian-populated district of Akhalkalaki
in southern Georgia. The situation there remains tense following a
standoff last month between local Armenians and Georgian troops passing
through the region to participate in joint military exercises with
Russian troops.
The Nagorno Karabagh armed forces begin three weeks of rigorous military
exercises aimed at improving combat readiness and consolidating communications
and coordination between various military units stationed along the
Karabagh border areas. The Nagorno Karabagh defense ministry states
that the military exercises represent an important step in ensuring
the military capability of Karabagh in the event of renewed hostilities
by Azerbaijan. A Russian brokered cease-fire has been in effect since
May 1994, but periodic borders clashes persist.
In an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York,
Armenian President Robert Kocharian states that the main responsibility
for the deadlocked peace talks over Karabagh lies with Azerbaijan
due to their failure to enter into direct talks with the democratically
elected government of Nagorno Karabagh and by virtue of Baku's insistence
on imposing preconditions to any negotiations. The Armenian president,
a former leader of Karabagh, calls for a just settlement to the Karabagh
conflict that would rule out any subordination of Karabagh to Azerbaijan,
that would provide for a land corridor connecting Armenia to Nagorno
Karabagh, and that would ensure international guarantees for the future
status of Nagorno Karabagh. President Kocharian adds that both Armenia
and Karabagh continue to believe that the resumption of peace talks
provide the only means of reaching a fair resolution to the conflict
and pledges his commitment to the May 1994 cease-fire. The Armenian
president also criticizes the Azerbaijan government for violating
the limits on its military imposed by the terms of the Conventional
Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. Citing the blockades of Armenia by
Turkey and Azerbaijan, Kocharian adds that Ankara and Baku are imposing
serious obstacles to Armenia's integration with the world economy
and regional economic organizations. |
| September 26 |
The Armenian Constitutional
Court rejects the charge that President Kocharian has violated the
constitution by failing to call a special session of parliament to
review the $30 million sale of the Yerevan cognac factory to the French
Pernod-Ricard group in June. According to the Armenian constitution,
the president must convene a parliamentary session for such a case
upon request by at least one-third of the deputies but it remains
unclear when the session must be called. A group of seventy-one parliamentarians
lodged the initial charge against President Kocharian. In comments
regarding the ruling, Constitutional Court Chairman Gagik Harutunian
states that "the Court has no authority...to resolve constitutional
disputes between various branches of government no matter how justified
the deputies' demands are." |
| September 27 |
Local and municipal elections
are held in 150 towns and villages throughout Nagorno Karabagh, with
turnout surpassing 80 percent of eligible voters in rural areas but
only 51 percent in the capital Stepanakert. Although democratic elections
for the republic's parliament have been held, the local elections
are the first since Nagorno Karabagh broke away from Azerbaijan ten
years ago. |
| September 28 |
The Nagorno Karabagh defense
ministry issues a statement refuting earlier allegations by the Azerbaijani
government charging that Azerbaijani military units have killed two
Armenian intelligence operatives. According to the Azerbaijani accounts,
the two Armenians were killed during an unsuccessful attempt by a
twenty-man unit to infiltrate Azerbaijani military positions east
of Karabagh. |
|
|
|
|
|