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| May 3 |
Former Interior Minister
and Yerevan Mayor during the Ter Petrosian government, Vano Siradeghian,
is arrested by security authorities as he arrives on a flight into
Armenia. Siradeghian, who left the country for nearly three months,
is suspected of being involved in several unsolved political murders.
He fled the country only days after the parliament rejected an appeal
by Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian calling for the lifting of
Siradeghian's parliamentary immunity. In a second vote held in February,
the parliament did in fact strip Siradeghian of his immunity as a
deputy. The former ruling Armenian National Movement (ANM), which
returned Siradeghian to its top leadership post last March, has nominated
him as one of their candidates in the May 30th parliamentary election.
As an official candidate, Siradeghian enjoys immunity from prosecution
and detention which could only be lifted with the approval of two-thirds
of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). |
| May 4-5 |
On a visit to Bucharest,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian holds talks with Romanian
President Emil Constantinescu and other senior officials. Oskanian
discusses the planned expansion of bilateral trade and appeals for
Romanian support for Armenia's bid for membership in the Council of
Europe. |
| May 5 |
Armenian President Robert
Kocharian, speaking at a Yerevan press conference, states that recent
political developments regarding the Balkans may positively impact
efforts to reach a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.
President Kocharian specifically cites the response to the Kosovo
conflict as evidence of a growing appreciation within the international
community that "the principle of self-determination cannot be
realized in countries with only a basic understanding of democracy,"
and that "the forcible suppression of a people's right to self-determination
leads only to war."
Azerbaijani Parliamentary Chairman Murtuz Aleskerov calls on the Iranian
government to increase their involvement in the mediation process
aimed at resolving the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. Citing consistent
Iranian affirmations of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, Aleskerov
calls on Iran to do more regarding negotiating a settlement to the
conflict. Bilateral relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have improved
in recent months although outstanding disputes over the development
of oil reserves in the Caspian Sea have complicated efforts at expanding
ties. |
| May 8 |
Commemorative ceremonies
are held to mark the retaking of the strategic city of Shushi in 1992.
Nagorno Karabagh President Arkady Gukasyan commends the "invaluable
significance of the liberation of Shushi" and stresses his government's
commitment to the peace process and its pledge to adhere to the five-year
cease-fire in effect throughout the region. The city of Shushi, ten
kilometers south of Stepanakert, was the main Armenian administrative
and cultural center in Nagorno Karabagh until the Sovietization of
the region in the 1920s. Shushi was gradually depopulated of the local
Armenian population through the 1980s and became the military stronghold
of the Azerbaijani army during the height of the Karabagh conflict.
Karabagh forces recaptured Shushi in 1992, effectively removing a
strategic Azerbaijani military position used for artillery attacks
and indiscriminate shelling of nearby Stepanakert. After recapturing
Shushi, Karabagh was able to reestablish a land bridge or "corridor"
connecting the blockaded Nagorno Karabagh with Armenia proper. |
| May 11-14 |
A team of Belgian, French
and Turkish military inspectors complete a review of an Armenian military
facility outside of Yerevan. The inspection, a requirement under the
terms of the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty which
limits the number of military equipment and vehicles deployed in the
region, follows a similar inspection of a Russian military base in
Armenia last month. The inspection team certifies that Armenia is
in full compliance within the treaty limits. |
| May 12 |
Visiting Greek president
Constantine Stefanopoulos and President Robert Kocharian hold a joint
press conference in Yerevan and declare bilateral relations as "excellent"
with "almost identical" approaches on most issues. Three
bilateral governmental accords on economic cooperation are signed
during the meetings and the Greek president vows to a group of Armenian
Parliamentarians that Greece will support Armenia's application for
full membership in the Council of Europe.
In comments marking the fifth anniversary of the cease-fire agreement
in effect in the region, Azerbaijani President Geidar Aliyev stresses
his commitment to maintaining the cease-fire and states that the cessation
of hostilities over Nagorno Karabagh has enabled Azerbaijan to "consolidate
its statehood and to build its national army." Aliyev adds that
his government will continue to seek a negotiated settlement to the
conflict in order to "liberate the occupied territories"
of Azerbaijan and to allow the return of the refugee population to
the region. In sharp contrast, former president and leader of the
Azerbaijani Popular Front Abulfez Elchibey condemns the cease-fire
as Azerbaijan's most serious mistake, and opposition Musavat Party
leader Isa Gambarov criticizes Azerbaijan's failure to use the last
five years of cease-fire as a time to prepare for an large-scale war
against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabagh. |
| May 14 |
State law enforcement personnel
arrest former Education Minister Ashot Bleyan on charges of corruption
and embezzlement. Bleyan, currently the principal of a prominent Yerevan
secondary school, ran unsuccessfully in the 1998 presidential election
as the head of the small "Nor Ughi" (New Path) political
party. |
| May 17 |
Two officials of the opposition
National Democratic Union (NDU) express concern over the discovery
of several instances of irregularities in the registration of voters
for the approaching parliamentary election. The NDU officials reveal
that Yerevan district electoral commission members have included the
names of deceased and temporary residents in the voter registration
lists. NDU representative to the Central Electoral Commission Vahe
Varsanian further alleges that the Self-Determination Union (SDU)
and the "Hairenik" bloc have "sold" their seats
on the Central Electoral Commission to "pro-government figures." |
| May 18 |
President Kocharian announces
a new emphasis on addressing the needs of reconstructing the northern
earthquake region of Armenia. The northern Spitak region, still faced
with pressing needs from the 1988 earthquake, received only $8 million
in government-funded reconstruction assistance last year. During a
tour of the region, Kocharian promises to increase state funding to
$22.3 million for this year and to specifically focus on improving
the inadequate housing in the region. |
| May 20 |
The defense ministers of
the six nations pledging to renew their participation in the 1992
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Collective Security Treaty
meet in Yerevan for a session of the CIS Defense Ministers' Council.
The defense ministers, representing Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, are joined at the meeting by deputy
defense ministers from Georgia and Ukraine, review the continuing
effort to unify CIS military structures and to improve the coordination
of the unified air defense system. Notably absent from the meeting
are representatives from Azerbaijan, Moldova and Uzbekistan.
Responding to the recent Azerbaijani condemnation of the alleged purchase
of Chinese rocket launchers by Armenia, Russian Defense Minister Igor
Sergeev and Armenian Defense Minister Vazgen Sarkisian each issue
a strong rebuttal, terming the allegations as "nonsense."
World Bank officials announce at a Yerevan press conference that the
Armenian energy sector requires a $1 billion capital investment program
to modernize and replace its aging equipment and infrastructure. The
World Bank officials, announce the release of the first installment
of $21 million, of a total $52 million loan package agreed to this
past March, to improve the efficiency of the country's electrical
power system. The officials warn, however, that privatization within
the electrical sector will lead to higher prices for consumers, a
serious problem given the World Bank's estimate that over 30 percent
of the population already live below the poverty line. |
| May 21 |
U.S. State Department
Special Adviser on the New Independent States Stephen Sestanovich
arrives in Yerevan for a series of meetings with senior Armenian government
officials to discuss the status of the international mediation effort
seeking a solution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. Armenian Defense
Ministry officials also meet with the U.S. official to review Armenian's
increased participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) Partnership for Peace program, to discuss greater U.S. military
assistance to Armenia, and to consider new U.S. proposals for the
safe transport of materials used in nuclear energy production.
Armenian Health Ministry officials, speaking at a seminar organized
by the European Union (EU) and the American University of Armenia
(AUA), reports that the country is facing a crisis of widespread malnutrition
which reportedly affects at least one out of every three Armenians.
Health Ministry officials add that the crisis demands "urgent
action" and that the government is drafting a five-year plan
to combat the situation. Specifically, the report cites the lack of
affordable meat or dairy products for a significant part of the population
and notes that 30 percent of children and 16 percent of women suffer
from anemia due to the crisis. Agricultural Minister Vladimir Movsisian
adds that although most of the country's agricultural land has been
successfully privatized, over $40 million in new investment is needed
to increase production efficiency to reduce the country's current
dependence on imports for one-third of their food needs. |
| May 22 |
Arriving in Baku after
meeting with Armenian government officials in Yerevan the day before,
U.S. State Department Special Adviser on the NIS Stephen Sestanovich
tells Azerbaijani leaders that the U.S. strongly favors the mediation
efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) and urges Azerbaijan to reconsider establishing direct personal
contacts with Armenian officials. Although failing to call for establishing
direct talks with the democratically-elected government of Nagorno
Karabagh, the U.S. call for a personal Azerbaijani-Armenian dialogue
is significant, and follows a meeting between Presidents Aliyev and
Kocharian held last month in Washington during the summit meeting
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). |
| May 24 |
President Kocharian states
that he will form a new government based on the results of the parliament
elections and will most likely include members of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) and the Miasnutiun bloc. The president adds that
the new cabinet must adopt "a more forceful economic policy"
and avoid the usual "empty debates" over economic issues. |
| May 25 |
Representatives of the
French Pernod Ricard company finalize the details on the $30 million
sale of the Yerevan Brandy factory. Armenian opposition parliamentarians
renew their objections to the sale, stressing that the price is far
too low for sale of the firm.
The political commission of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary
Assembly holds a special hearing on the Nagorno Karabagh conflict
in Strasbourg with representatives from Nagorno Karabagh and Azerbaijan.
The hearing, although having no direct binding power, is part of the
Council of Europe's consideration of all aspects related to the outstanding
membership applications of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |
| May 26 |
Armenian foreign ministry
officials state that the current basis of the peace plan advocated
by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
the "common state" proposal calling for a unified entity
comprising Nagorno Karabagh and Azerbaijan, represents the "maximum
compromise" that Armenia is willing to concede. The Armenian
government, reiterating its acceptance of the OSCE mediation process,
adds that its agrees to the common state approach as a solid basis
for the start of serious negotiations. Foreign Ministry spokesman
Ara Papian adds that although "the independence of Nagorno Karabagh
is Armenia's long-term objective, we have given it up for the sake
of finding a solution, for the sake of compromise." The Armenian
officials adds regret over Azerbaijan's continued rejection of the
OSCE peace plan. The OSCE basis for mediation talks consists of recognizing
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh as parties to the conflict,
and with Karabagh "represented by its elected authorities rather
than divided into
communities." |
| May 27-28 |
In a statement to reporters
in Yerevan, Nagorno Karabagh Defense Minister Samvel Babayan announces
his intention to "monitor the conduct" of the parliamentary
elections in Armenia. Babayan also commends Armenian Defense Minister
Vazgen Sarkisian for his appeal to the Armenian military to refrain
from any interference in the election, warning that any violations
of the democratic process would be "a heavy blow to the country's
interests." The Armenian defense minister is one of two leaders
of the Miasnutiun bloc which is seen by many observers as poised to
win the most seats in the country's new parliament. |
| May 30 |
Elections for a new 131-seat
parliament are held with a preliminary estimate of 55.7 percent of
the over two million registered voters turning out. Early results
show the "Miasnutiun" (Unity) bloc garnering the largest
number of votes, followed by the Communist Party of Armenia, and then
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Twenty-one political parties
and groups participate in the election with 75 seats to be elected
based on direct-vote constituencies and another 56 seats by party
lists, provided the parties meet the minimum five percent vote requirement.
Over 200 foreign observers and 4600 locally certified election monitors
report that the elections are generally free and fair despite some
instances of voting irregularity. |
| May 31 |
The Council of Europe
reports that the previous day's election is "a considerable improvement
compared to the 1995 parliamentary election," but adds that there
is need for greater scrutiny of the work of the election committee
and the formulation of voting lists. The Organization for Security
and Cooperation (OSCE) echoes the concerns and stresses that their
delegation has observed "some irregularities" and notes
concerns over "the accuracy of voter lists, the formation of
election commissions, the presence of unauthorized persons in polling
stations, and numerous technical and organizational shortcomings.
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