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| November 2 |
Commenting on his four
year term as Russia's ambassador to Armenia, Andrei Urnov states that
the already strong bilateral relationship between the two countries
will only continue to expand. The outgoing ambassador is to be replaced
by Anatolii Dryukov, formerly the Russian ambassador to Singapore
and India.
The Armenian parliament continues debate on a controversial new electoral
law for next summer's parliament elections. Parliament considers a
proposal by a broad coalition of eleven political parties and groups
including the Armenian Communist Party, the former ruling Armenian
National Movement (ANM), the National Self-Determination Union party,
the National Democratic Union (NDU), and the center-right "Hayrenik"
(Fatherland) bloc. This proposal calls for a new system of proportional
representation with 101 of 131 seats being elected by party lists
and the remaining 30 seats allocated by single-member constituencies.
Opposing this plan, the Yerkrapah bloc, the largest in the parliament
with 78 deputies, favors a majoritarian election system with at least
80 of the 131 seats in the next parliament elected in single-mandate
constituencies. Supporters of the proportional system contend that
it is the only way to prevent vote rigging and fraud which they claim
have marred every election in the country since 1995. Backers of the
Yerkrapah plan, including President Robert Kocharian, counter that
the country's political parties are not developed enough to play a
dominant role in legislative elections.
Departing Russian Ambassador to Armenia, Andrei Urnov, announces that
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will
be presenting a newly revised peace plan aimed at reaching a negotiated
resolution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. According to the Russian
diplomat, the OSCE has significantly revised its peace proposals which
were put forth last year and accepted by Azerbaijan, but rejected
by Armenia and Karabagh. Last year's peace plan proposed a phased
or staged approach which would ultimately return Nagorno Karabagh
to Azerbaijani sovereignty. Unable to comment on the OSCE's specific
revisions, the Russian ambassador states, however, that the OSCE understands
that any peace plan must provide strong security guarantees for the
people of the region, has to secure an adequate degree of self-government
or autonomy for Karabagh, and must allow for the Lachin land corridor
connecting Karabagh with Armenia to remain open. |
| November 3 |
An Armenian parliamentary
delegation, led by deputy speaker Yurii Bakhshian, ends three days
of meetings with Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Zurab Zhvania and
State Minister Vazha Lortkipanidze. The meetings focus on the increasingly
tense situation in the Armenian-populated region of Djavakheti in
southern Georgia. The officials also review plans for cooperation
in energy and regional transport and discuss a possible accord on
bilateral cooperation in national security issues.
Presidential press spokesman Vahe Gabrielian, speaking at a Yerevan
press conference, refutes allegations that the leader of the separatist
Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, is in Armenia. The
Armenian official adds that the PKK leader has never been to Armenia
and calls Turkish press reports to the contrary baseless. |
| November 4 |
Members of the recently
formed "National Security Party," which comprises former
members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), unveil their
party's program. Pledging a "tough stand" on the Nagorno
Karabagh issue and promising to ensure "strong Armenian statehood,"
party leader Garnik Isagulian states that his new party is essential
to counter the Kocharian government's "unclear" policy on
Karabagh. Long time Karabagh activist Igor Muradian adds that the
current Armenian government is leading the country toward "international
isolation" and warns that Azerbaijan will resume a military campaign
seeking to retake Nagorno Karabagh due to "Azerbaijan's weakening
geopolitical position." |
| November 5 |
Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian announces that he expects a new set of proposals by
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) when
they arrive in the region in the next few weeks. The foreign minister
adds that the OSCE will most likely follow the Armenian and Karabagh
governments' preference for a consolidated, "package" approach
to the mediation effort and is expected to add new "unconventional"
models aimed at restarting the stalled peace talks. The OSCE has not
dispatched a delegation to the region since last September, deciding
to await the conclusion of the presidential elections in Azerbaijan
last month. In comments to reporters, Foreign Minister Oskanian reveals
that the formal hearings on the Nagorno Karabagh conflict organized
by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly will be held in
Paris in mid-December. The hearings were originally scheduled to be
held in Strasbourg early this month but were postponed after Azerbaijan
refused to attend on the grounds that the Council of Europe violated
Azerbaijani sovereignty by inviting a delegation of Karabagh officials.
The Azerbaijani subsequently demanded equal status for an official
delegation representing the Azerbaijani population of Karabagh which
were forced from their homes during the height of the conflict. In
a compromise effort aimed at bringing all parties to the hearings,
the Council of Europe‚s Parliamentary Assembly agreed to include Azeri
representatives from Karabagh in the Azerbaijani delegation.
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| November 6 |
Vano Siradeghian, the
chairman of the former ruling Armenian National Movement (ANM), holds
a press conference to assess his party's status in the Armenian political
arena. Siradeghian states that he expects that the ANM will be represented
in the new parliament, but admits that he does not expect a strong
showing. The party leader also dismisses the recent calls by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) for a strong presidential condemnation
of the corruption of the former Ter Petrosian government as a "political
witchhunt." The ARF statements regarding corruption during the
Ter Petrosian presidency come from a mass rally held on October 30th
in Yerevan. The ANM parliamentary bloc echoes Siradeghian by issuing
an official rejection of the ARF statement. Siradeghian specifically
criticizes President Robert Kocharian for pursuing "hard-line"
policies regarding the Nagorno Karabagh conflict and for an irresponsible
approach to Armenian relations with neighboring Turkey. |
| November 7 |
The Armenian government
announces that a team of U.S. nuclear energy experts will arrive in
the country next week to inspect the safety systems of the Medzamor
nuclear power plant. The experts will provide technical assistance
and advice for the Medzamor staff to modernize the plant's safety
systems. The plant is currently operating at 85 percent capacity and
produces approximately 35 percent of the country's electrical energy.
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| November 9 |
Parliamentary committees
continue their examination of the government's draft budget for the
coming year. The 1999 budget includes projections of 283 billion drams
(roughly $566 million) in expenditures and 232 billion drams in revenue.
The government is planning to cover 95 percent of the country's 51
billion dram deficit through the use of "non-inflationary external
sources" involving loans and grants. Defense spending comprises
the highest budgetary expenditure at 38.6 billion drams, followed
by education and social security spending at 25.2 and 23 billion drams
respectively. In an effort to prepare a consensus prior to the final
vote on the budget early next month, Prime Minister Armen Darbinian
meets with various parliamentary factions and parties.
A delegation of Russian government officials and leaders of the Russian
diamond industry meets with President Kocharian in Yerevan to discuss
plans to renew bilateral commercial ties. During the Soviet era, Armenia
was a center for diamond processing and enjoyed a significant position
as a refined diamond exporter. Russian diamond industry figures are
now seeking to renew ties with Armenia in an effort to replace the
South African DeBeers Corporation which has been granted a near monopoly
position under the Yeltsin governments.
Officers with the OSCE travel to the front lines between Nagorno Karabagh
and Azerbaijan to monitor the situation. They are accompanied by representatives
of Nagorno Karabagh's Defense and Foreign Ministries. The monitoring,
which was the result of an earlier agreement, occurs without incident.
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| November 11 |
Foreign Minister Naira
Melkoumian meets with Malta's ambassador to Armenia, Andrew Gyutveler,
who arrived in Karabagh two days earlier. Malta is considering providing
assistance to Nagorno Karabagh and Gyutveler trip is focused on determining
the feasibility of delivering and distributing assistance.
A delegation of officials of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE) arrives in Stepanakert for meetings with Karabagh
government leaders and to present their revised peace plan. The OSCE
delegation, consisting of representatives of each of the three co-chairs
of the working group on the Karabagh conflict (France, Russia and
the United States), began their regional tour in Azerbaijan and then
visited Armenia prior to arriving in Nagorno Karabagh. The revised
peace plan is said to call for Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh to
form a "common state" and to regulate their relationship
according to a "special agreement" to be negotiated at a
later stage. Details on the plan are not released as the negotiations
continuing among the three parties necessitates confidentiality.
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| November 13 |
President Robert Kocharian
and Prime Minister Armen Darbinian meet with visiting United States
Senator Carl Levin in Yerevan. The U.S. senator commends the Armenian
government on its commitment to economic and political reforms and
discusses the situation in Nagorno Karabagh, urging the Armenian leadership
to continue to work with the mediators of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in achieving a fair resolution to
the conflict.
Parliamentary Chairman Oleg Yessayan leaves for Sochi to participate
in the Caucasus Without War Conference being organized by the CIS
Institute. Representatives from all Caucasus countries were invited
as well as members of the Russian Duma. |
| November 14 |
Armenian Minister of Statistics
Stepan Mnatsakanian announces that the national census originally
scheduled for next year will be delayed due to a lack of adequate
budget financing. The Armenian government released figures two weeks
earlier showing an official estimate of the national population of
3,780,000. |
| November
14-15 |
Although not
releasing any significant details of the latest peace plan presented
by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
Nagorno Karabagh Foreign Minister Naira Melkoumian states that the
draft plan presents "serious progress" and may end the deadlock
over the Karabagh conflict. The Karabagh foreign minister, echoing
optimistic statements by the Armenian foreign minister, adds that
Karabagh "is ready to reach an agreement with Azerbaijan and
establish horizontal ties with it." Melkoumian reports that the
peace plan requires a national referendum prior to formal acceptance,
but commends the OSCE for its "consideration of the geopolitical
realities in the region." |
| November
16 |
The parliament
votes 96 to 72 to adopt the draft electoral law advocated by the dominant
Yerkrapah bloc. The new law, endorsed by President Kocharian, would
form the basis for next summer's election of a new legislature based
on a system whereby 60 percent of the new 131 seats would be allocated
in single-member constituencies and would ensure the presence of government
officials among the country's electoral commissions. With its passage,
the multi-party opposition coalition is to meet to decide whether
to follow its recent threat to boycott the election.
The government announces a substantial reshuffling of the Kocharian
cabinet with the replacement of four ministers. Prime Minister Armen
Darbinian reveals that Energy Minister Gagik Martirosian is to be
replaced by Transport Minister Yervand Zakharian, deputy Defense Minister
Gevorg Vartanian will become the new environment minister, and Industry
and Trade Minister Garnik Nanagoulian will be replaced. |
| November 24 |
Nagorno Karabagh President
Arkady Gukasyan arrives in Yerevan for a series of meetings with Armenian
government officials. The meetings are to focus on the resolution
of the Karabagh conflict and discussion will be held specifically
on the latest OSCE proposal. While in Yerevan, Gukasyan is also scheduled
to meet with the current Chairman of the OSCE, Bronislav Geremek.
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| November 26 |
Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian and Nagorno Karabagh Foreign Minister Naira Melkoumian
issue a joint statement expressing their governments' formal acceptance
of the latest peace plan presented by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe. Their acceptance of the basic principles
of the plan, despite some unstated reservations, would serve as a
basis for detailed negotiations between the parties. The Karabagh
foreign minister specifically calls on the OSCE to clarify the issues
of security and economic development, but adds that the revised peace
plan offers new hope for the OSCE foreign ministers' summit to be
held in the next two weeks in Oslo. |
| November
30 |
President
Kocharian, speaking to reporters in a televised interview, criticizes
previous President Levon Ter Petrosian for his government's privatization
practices involving large state enterprises, for conducting an irresponsible
attempt at resolving the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, and for failing
to carry out an effective international campaign to pursue recognition
of the 1915 Genocide.
The heads of the Armenian and Nagorno Karabagh Parliaments meet in
Yerevan to discuss issues of joint cooperation. The discussion focuses
on the current status of the Nagorno Karabagh negotiations as well
as improving economic cooperation between the two republics.
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