|
|
|
| June
2-4 |
Reflecting
the new political landscape in the wake of the May 25th parliamentary
elections, a new pro-government coalition comprised by the Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK), the Orinats Yerkir (Law-Based State) Party,
and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). After several rulings
on contested elections, final figures reveal that Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian's Republican Party of Armenia has the largest number of
seats, with 40 deputies, and also enjoys the support of a number of
independent deputies. The Orinats Yerkir party has 23 seats and the
ARF has 12 seats. The opposition "Artarutiun" (Justice)
bloc has 17 seats and the National Unity Party, led by Artashes Geghamian,
holds nine seats in the new parliament. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
3 |
In
comments during a meeting with Ambassador Robert Barry, the head of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Observer
Mission that monitored the recent parliamentary election with officials
from the Council of Europe monitored the 25 May parliamentary election,
Prime Minister Andranik Markarian states that he "largely agrees"
with the
monitors' criticisms of the election. A preliminary assessment by
the monitors has characterized the vote as not meeting international
standards and listed numerous procedural violations during the voting
and vote count.
Prime Minister Markarian adds that those violations did not have a
"substantial impact" on the outcome of the ballot. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
3 |
Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian meets with Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul during a Madrid meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership
Council. The two ministers agree that improved relations between their
respective countries would contribute to regional stability and security.
They also discuss several regional problems, including the Nagorno
Karabagh conflict, although no details are released on their discussions.
Foreign Minster Oskanian also meets with the co-chairmen of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group
to discuss the Karabagh negotiating process and issues related to
the as yet unscheduled visit by the co-chairs to region. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
3-5 |
Russian
Presidential Envoy Viktor Kazantsev, a regional official, arrives
in Yerevan and meets with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian
to review the possible allocation of a quota for Armenian workers
seeking seasonal or temporary employment in Southern Russia, and to
discuss the potential for expanding trade. Trade between Armenia and
Southern Russia in 2002 amounted to $13 million, but Kazantsev estimated
that it could increase to as much as $200 million-300 million. Kazantsev
and Markarian also agree on the emergency purchase by Armenia of 9,000
tons of wheat from southern Russia to offset a shortage that has resulted
in Armenian bread prices rising by 20 percent over the past week.
Kazantsev also meets with President Robert Kocharian and, as a former
Russian army general, inspect the Russian military base at Gumri.
(Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology,
July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
4 |
European
Union (EU) official Hugues Mingarelli meets with senior Armenian officials
in Yerevan and states that the EU seeks to close the Medzamor nuclear-power
plant "as soon as possible." The EU official announces that
the EU is prepared to offer a grant of 100 million euros ($117 million)
to expedite the shutdown. The Medzamor facility currently generates
some 40 percent of Armenia's energy. Although Mingarelli suggests
that importing gas from Iran could compensate for the closure of Medzamor,
he admits that no agreement has yet been reached on EU funding to
build a pipeline to transport that gas. The European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development helped finance the reactivation of Medzamor in 1995
on condition that the plant would be closed again by 2004. In December
1998, Armenian officials confirmed their readiness to comply with
that deadline, but have argued more recently that Medzamor cannot
be shut down until an alternative source of energy is available. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
4-5 |
After
reaching agreement to refrain from a formal boycott of the sessions
of the new parliament, the opposition parties aligned in the Artarutiun
bloc agree that they will not attend the June 12th opening session
of the new parliament. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July
2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
6 |
In
response to a request by the Armenian authorities, the Council of
Europe has extended by six months the June 2003 deadline for Armenia
to abolish capital punishment, according to Parliamentary Deputy Speaker
Tigran Torosian. The Armenian leadership had previously requested
a one-year reprieve. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003,
Vol XII No 7) |
| June
6 |
Prosecutors
announce that the criminal investigation into the December 2002 killing
of Public TV and Radio head Tigran Naghdalian has been completed.
Thirteen suspects have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in
the contract killing, including Armen Sarkisian, the brother of former
Prime Minister and opposition "Hanrapetutiun" (Republic)
party leader Aram Sarkisian. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology,
July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
6 |
The
Azerbaijani leader for most of the past three decades Heydar Aliyev
confirmed this week his plan to seek a new term in office. Despite
his continued health troubles, eighty-year-old Aliyev said he would
contest the Presidential elections slated for October 27 of this year.
Earlier
media reports cited Azerbaijani government sources as predicting that
Aliyev’s son Ilham would be nominated instead. In April, Aliyev
collapsed twice in public and has not since fully recovered, canceling
several trips and meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries.
Addressing
members of his government earlier this week, Aliyev cited an opinion
poll reportedly prepared by the Washington-based International Republican
Institute (IRI) earlier this year, as giving him a huge lead over
all opposition contenders. According to the poll, 64 percent of the
respondents said they would vote for Aliyev, with opposition leaders
scoring between three and seven percent. Opposition press claims that
IRI hired a pro-government group to conduct the poll and most observers
questioned its results. Aliyev claimed to have collected 99 and 76
percent in his 1993 and 1998 elections, respectively. (Sources: Turan
6-2; United Press International 6-2; Zerkalo 6-3) |
| June
6 |
Armenian
architecture experts called this week for an immediate international
intervention to stop the continued destruction of Armenian monuments
in Azerbaijani–controlled territories. Speaking at a Library
of Congress event in Washington, DC, Dr. Armen Hakhnazarian and Samvel
Karapetian of Research on Armenian Architecture (RAA) said the situation
was particularly dire in Nakhichevan. They likened the Azerbaijani
government’s destruction of thousands of khachkars (Armenian
memorial cross-stones), at the largest known medieval Armenian cemetery,
located in Jugha on the Iranian border, to the Taliban’s destruction
of Buddha statues in Afghanistan several years ago.
RAA
has led the effort to document and study Armenian historical monuments
now located outside Armenia, producing numerous original works on
historic sites in Azerbaijan and Georgia. RAA founder Hakhknazarian
said that his organization has alerted UNESCO and various European
bodies, but that Azerbaijan is continuing the destruction. He was
also pessimistic about the fate of hundreds of other Armenian monuments
in Nakhichevan. “If the Azerbaijani government has the gall to
destroy Jugha in plain view from Iran, I doubt the fate of other sites
in the area, where foreign visitors are discouraged, is much better,”
Hakhnazarian said. (Sources: Armenia This Week 5-3-02, 1-10, 3-28;
R&I Report 6-4; www.ArtsakhWorld.com) |
| June
6 |
Talks
between Armenia’s main political parties and interest groups
are ongoing over the future make-up of the country’s cabinet
and parliamentary leadership, media reports said this week. A power-sharing
arrangement would also impact several provincial governors and an
appointment to the recently vacated post on the Constitutional Court.
The
ruling Republican Party, which won 39 seats in the parliament, is
reportedly negotiating for a coalition government that is likely to
include the Country of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir, 20 seats), Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun, 13 seats), and, possibly,
the former opposition presidential candidate Artashes Geghamian‘s
National Unity Party (9 seats). A newly-formed government would need
the support of at least 66 parliament members to receive the necessary
vote of confidence.
While the negotiations are taking place largely behind closed doors,
anonymous sources close to the process say that talks are focusing
on the selection of Armenia’s next Parliamentary Speaker, the
number two position in the Armenian state hierarchy after the President.
The outgoing speaker, former opposition People’s Party member
Armen Khachatrian, did not run for re-election. Some reports say Orinats
Yerkir leader, 34-year-old Artur Baghdasarian is the choice of President
Robert Kocharian, but he is facing opposition from other parties.
Other names rumored to be under consideration include the current
Minister-Coordinator for Infrastructure and Territorial Administration,
Republican Party’s Hovanes Abrahamian and Republican-allied veteran
parliamentarian Hranush Hakobian.
Distribution
of other key government appointments is likely to be impacted by whoever
is selected as speaker. Should Orinats Yerkir leader be elected, the
Republicans and Dashnaks are likely to fill the two Vice-Speaker positions.
Dashnaks are also expected to secure the chairmanship of the parliament’s
Foreign Relations Committee, but might have to give up the Defense
and Security Committee they now chair. They are also seeking to head
a yet-to-be established separate agency tasked with fighting corruption.
Media reports continue to insist that the opposition National Unity
might also get a share in the parliamentary leadership, although the
party’s leader has denied this.
Republican Prime Minister Andranik Margarian and a majority of his
ministers are likely to keep their jobs. Republican Minister of Social
Affairs Razmik Martirosian is so far the only official who expressed
readiness to give up his executive position and return to the legislature.
Another senior position to be filled is at the Constitutional Court,
where Alvina Giulumian has resigned to become a European Court judge,
and the outgoing parliament’s Republican Deputy Speaker Tigran
Torosian has reportedly been tipped to replace her.
Press
reports also suggest that Yerevan Mayor Robert Nazarian and Culture
Minister Roland Sharoyan, whose Strong Fatherland (Hzor Hairenik)
Party lost in the election, would be replaced. Yerevan’s current
chief architect Narek Sargsian and the government’s taxation
chief, Orinats Yerkir-allied Yervand Zakharian are reportedly the
top candidates to fill Nazarian’s position.
Additionally, the former Speaker Khachatrian and outgoing parliament
members Hovanes Hovanisian and Ashot Galoyan (both former delegates
to the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly) might receive
diplomatic appointments. (Sources: Armenia This Week 5-30; RFE/RL
Arm. Report 5-30, 6-2, 3, 4, 5; Arminfo 6-2, 4; Aravot 6-3, 4; Haikakan
Zhamanak 6-3, 4; Azg 6-5) |
| June
6-7 |
Executives
of the "Meltex" firm, which owns the independent television
channel A1+ that was forced to cease broadcasting in April 2002 after
losing a tender for the frequency on which it broadcast, report that
it is one of two companies that has submitted bids in a new frequency
tender. Meltex Director Bagrat Sarkisian states that the company plans
to invest $5 million over the next seven years in A1+, which for the
past year has been making programs for sale to other television stations
and publishing the "Ayb-Fe" newspaper. Armenia's National
Commission on TV and Radio is to announce the results of the tender
in the coming days. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003,
Vol XII No 7) |
| June
9-10 |
Fifteen
newly elected deputies, mostly government ministers and other senior
officials, elected under the proportional system notify the Central
Election Commission that they will cede their mandates to the person
whose name is next on the relevant party list. These deputies include
Prime Minister Andranik Markarian and Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian,
who both ran on the Republican Party of Armenia list together with
10 others who will not take up their mandates, presidential administration
head Artashes Tumanian, who ran on the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) list; and Albert Bazeyan, a leading member of the opposition
Hanrapetutiun party, who sarcastically announced on 31 May his intention
to "yield my seat to a woman" rather than participate in
the work of a parliament he considers illegal. According to Armenian
law, no cabinet minister or senior government official may hold a
seat in the parliament. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July
2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
11 |
The
leaders of the three major political parties that support President
Robert Kocharian sign a protocol at a special ceremony at the presidential
palace on forming a coalition government. The agreement, forged by
Republican Party of Armenia Chairman and Prime Minister Andranik Markarian,
Orinats Yerkir (Law-Based State) Chairman Artur Baghdasarian and Armen
Rustamian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, stipulates that
Markarian will retain the post of premier while Baghdasarian will
be named parliament speaker. The Republican Party and the ARF will
each name a deputy speaker, while the Republican Party will be granted
six ministerial portfolios, with most outgoing ministers expected
to be reappointed. The Orinats Yerkir party will hold the ministers
of culture, education, and science and urban development, and the
ARF will have the ministries of agriculture, health, and social security.
The president retains direct control over the key ministries of defense,
foreign affairs and justice, and reveals that the outgoing foreign
and defense ministers will retain their posts. Prime Minister Markarian
welcomes the new three-party coalition as "the basis of a new
political tradition," but stresses that the three parties will
bear equal responsibility, despite the discrepancy in the number of
government positions they hold. President Kocharian further warns
that the "smooth functioning" of the coalition is a major
precondition for
political stability, and states that if it fails to function effectively
"we will have problems." (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
11 |
The
Armenian National Commission on Television and Radio rejects a bid
by the independent television station A1+ for the frequency currently
used by Armenia TV, thereby granting the latter the permanent right
to that frequency. Armenia TV is owned by a U.S. Armenian businessman
who strongly supported President Kocharian in his presidential reelection
in February and March 2003. Commission Chairman Grigor Amalian defends
the ruling and states that the proposals submitted by A1+ to invest
$5 million in the station over the next seven years "were baseless"
and contained no guarantees. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology,
July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
11 |
According
to an annual report issued by the U.S. State Department annual report
on human trafficking, the Armenian government is commended for its
efforts to combat human trafficking. The report ranked Armenia among
74 countries cited for exerting "significant efforts" to
comply with the "minimum requirements" for eliminating human
trafficking. The report cites Armenia's progress, noting that last
year Armenia was cited for doing little, if anything, to crack down
on trafficking of women and children. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology,
July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June12
|
The
opening session of the newly elected parliament is convened but is
marred by the boycott of the 17 deputies elected from the opposition
Artarutiun bloc and the nine deputies from the opposition National
Unity Party. Deputies attending the session vote to formally confirm
the nomination of Orinats Yerkir (Law-Based State) party Chairman
Artur Baghdasarian as speaker, and confirm Tigran Torosian of the
Republican Party and Vahan Hovannisian of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) as new deputy speakers. The election of the 34-year
old Baghdasarian, a former activist with the Armenian National Movement
(ANM), makes him Armenia's youngest parliamentary chairman. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June13
|
In
an announcement issued at the first meeting of the new, restructured
cabinet, Prime Minister Markarian states that the allocation of senior
executive-branch positions among the three pro-presidential parties
aligned in the new ruling coalition has been completed. Four new provincial
governors, two each from the Orinats Yerkir (Law-Based State) party
and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), are the last of the
appointments.
Prime Minister Says Energy Price Rise to be Put Off until Next Year
19 June: Prime Minister Andranik Markarian reports to a parliamentary
session that the government has rejected any increase in energy prices
before the end of the year, but warns that prices will probably be
raised in 2004. Markarian then assures deputies that the increase
will not have "a serious impact on the socially vulnerable strata
of the population." The cost of electricity in Armenia is 25
drams (4 U.S. cents) per kilowatt-hour, one of the highest rates in
the former Soviet Union, and is widely expected to be increased to
30 or 35 drams per kilowatt-hour. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology,
July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June19-20 |
The
new parliament formally adopts the official four-year program presented
the previous day by Prime Minister Andranik Markarian.
The program, a constitutional requirement, was drafted by all three
parties of the ruling coalition and formulates a number of programs
focusing on reducing poverty and sets goals for the new government.
The program is conditional on sustained annual GDP growth of at least
6 percent and envisages reducing the percentage of families living
under the poverty line from 50 percent to 35 percent, doubling the
wages of public sector employees, and raising pensions and social
benefits. Finance and Economy Minister Vardan Khachatrian reports
that the government will achieve those aims by more effective tax
collection, and rules out any increased taxes. In an unrelated vote,
Galust Sahakian is reelected the head of the 40-seat Republican Party
faction in the parliament. The parliament's 26 opposition deputies
continue their boycott of the sessions and vow to oppose the government's
programs. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII
No 7) |
| June
23 |
In
a meeting with the staff of the parliamentary Oversight Chamber, parliamentary
speaker Artur Baghdasarian calls on the body to play a more active
role in monitoring the activities of government agencies in order
to help eradicate corruption, adding that "we know that corruption
has taken
root in many government bodies." Oversight Chamber head Gagik
Voskanian complains to the speaker that the chamber is not empowered
to do more than publicize its findings and does not hold the necessary
legal power to combat improper or illegal practices. Voskanian, an
associate of Prime Minister Markarian, was appointed to replace former
Oversight Chamber head Ashot Tavadian last year after he criticized
the Kocharian government's use of public funds and loans. The Oversight
Chamber is empowered to audit and
supervise government expenditures and revenue collection and also
holds lesser powers to oversee the state privatization process and
government borrowing. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July
2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
23 |
Armenia’s
coalition government led by Prime Minister Andranik Margarian pledged
this week to improve people’s living standards by creating jobs
and increasing spending on social programs. The four-year action plan
of the recenly reshuffled government is a joint program combining
major elements of election pledges made by President Robert Kocharian,
the Republican and Country of Law (Orinats Yerkir) Parties and the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun). The program targets
reduction of poverty and corruption as the government’s main
objective and depends on continued strong economic growth and consequent
increase in state revenues.
Leaders
of the opposition parties have already dismissed the government program.
Tatul Manaserian, parliament member elected on the Justice Bloc list,
said the program was too vague, but noted that it incorporated Bloc’s
own ideas, albeit in “distorted form.” Grigor Harutiunian
of the People’s Party said that “there is no way [the government]
can implement the program.” The opposition parties currently
lack the 44 votes necessary to censure the government, however.
The
government’s action plan also calls for holding a new referendum
on constitutional reform, after a presidential proposal failed to
garner required support last month. The referendum would again aim
to strengthen legislative and judiciary branches of government and
remove the ban on dual citizenship.
On
foreign relations, the government pledged to pursue a “pragmatic”
policy of good relations with neighbors and integration with international
organizations. On Karabakh conflict, the government reaffirmed Armenia’s
opposition to Karabakh’s subordination to Azerbaijan and pledged
to work towards a peaceful resolution which would confirm Karabakh’s
self-determination, provide security guarantees and a land link with
Armenia. (Sources: Arminfo 6-19; RFE/RL Armenia Report 6-19)
Armenia
This Week Note on the article below: The Assembly led a community-wide
effort last year, which also raised $100,000 for the Armenia de-mining
initiative. |
| June
23 |
The
U.S. State Department’s third annual report on human trafficking
issued last week noted a significant improvement in Armenia’s
handling of the problem. The report ranks countries’ response
to smuggling of people for prostitution based on a three-tier system:
1 – full compliance; 2 – incomplete compliance; and 3 –
no efforts to comply. The State Department established a special office
on trafficking based on 2001 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, championed
by Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Sam Gejdenson (D-CT).
Although
the problem in Armenia appears smaller than in most countries (local
non-government organizations discovered several dozen smuggling cases
in 2001), the country was ranked among the worst violators last year.
The Armenian government has since established an inter-agency commission,
chaired by senior Foreign Ministry official Ashot Kocharian (recently
appointed spokesman for President Robert Kocharian). The task force
raised awareness of the issue, and helped introduce tougher criminal
punishment for human trafficking and stricter licensing controls over
travel and employment agencies, sometimes used by smugglers. Welcoming
these efforts, the State Department has now ranked Armenia in Tier
2.
For
the second year in a row, the report ranks Turkey in Tier 3, while
Azerbaijan was not ranked, “due to lack of information.”
Last year, the director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking
in Persons at the time Ambassador Nancy Ely-Raphel, said that countries
ranked in Tier 3 twice consecutively would face sanctions impacting
loans they receive from organizations such as the International Monetary
Fund.
According
to the current trafficking office director, former four-term Republican
Congressman John Miller, trafficking affects 700,000 women, children
and men annually, including 50,000 in the United States. (Sources:
State Department 6-5-02; Seattle Times 10-3-02; Tacoma News Tribune
1-7; Noyan Tapan 3-14; Arminfo 3-25, 27; Agence France Presse 6-11)
|
| June
23 |
Officials
from the Pentagon and the Armenian Defense Ministry held their annual
round of consultations aimed at expanding bilateral security relations.
Deputy Defense Minister General Artur Aghabekian and U.S. Deputy Assistant
Defense Secretary Mira Ricardel signed a joint memorandum on cooperation
for the coming year. As part of the agreement, the U.S. will provide
the Armenian military with $3.5 million worth of new communications
equipment. According to Aghabekian, last month a group of experts
from Harris Communications Systems and Services visited Armenia to
study Armenia’s military needs and an official request for the
company’s equipment has been sent to the Defense Department.
Talking
to reporters in Yerevan, Ricardel noted that the U.S. is also helping
Armenia’s military with education programs and creation of a
strategic studies center, while both sides are cooperating to intercept
illegal trafficking in weapons and drugs. Asked about possible U.S.
deployments in the Caucasus, including in Armenia, Ricardel said that
the Pentagon’s foreign basing policy is currently under review
and no final decisions have been made.
Accompanying
Ricardel was Major General Lloyd Krase, commanding officer of the
35th Mechanized Infantry Division of the U.S. Army National Guard,
headquartered at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. The state of Kansas has reportedly
expressed interest in cooperating with the Armenian military under
the Pentagon’s “National Guard State Partnership Program,”
which pairs Eastern European countries with U.S. states’ national
guards for civil-military training. (Sources: Arminfo 6-16; R&I
Report 6-20) |
| June
23 |
Some
400 officers and soldiers from 19 countries are currently in Armenia
for two-week exercises conducted under NATO’s Partnership for
Peace (PfP) program. These are the first NATO games to be held in
Armenia, this is also the first time that a Russian military unit
is participating.
Italian
Lieutenant General Antonio Quintana, head of NATO’s Joint Command
South based in Verona, Italy, is in charge of the overall conduct
of the exercises. Turkish Colonel Ahmet Kabak and Colonel Murad Isakhanian
from the Armenian Defense Ministry will co-direct the games. It is
the first time Armenian and Turkish officers have trained together.
Only three staff officers represent Turkey, while other NATO members,
including Canada, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom
and the United States, sent larger contingents. In addition to Russia,
participating PfP nations include Austria, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Georgia,
Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Uzbekistan.
Armenia
views cooperation with NATO as an important component of its national
security. Next month, Armenia will sign an agreement with Greece providing
for joint peacekeeping and Armenia’s first deployment under NATO
command will commence later this year. (Sources: Armenia This Week
4-25, 5-16; NATO Press Advisory 6-12; Arminfo 6-16; Canadian News
Wire 6-16; RFE/RL Armenia Report 6-16; IWPR Caucasus Reporting Service
6-19) |
| June
25 |
Recently
installed Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Artur Baghdasarian meets
in Yerevan with Roy Reeve, the head of the Yerevan office of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and promises that the
parliament will review the country's Criminal Code. The pledge follows
a recent statement by Reeve and several Western ambassadors to Armenia
criticizing articles of the code imposing a three-year prison sentence
for journalists convicted of libel. Another controversial article
of the criminal code calls for the imprisonment of individuals found
guilty of "insulting government officials." Parliamentary
deputy speaker Tigran Torosian initially rejected that statement as
interference in Armenia's internal affairs. Armenia's criminal code
was enacted in April. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July
2003, Vol XII No 7)
|
| June
25 |
Council
of Europe Secretary-General Walther Schwimmer calls on the Armenian
government to learn lessons from international criticism of the irregularities
that marred the presidential and parliamentary elections held earlier
this year. Speaking in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe official
states that "only with free, democratic, and transparent elections
will the country have a democratic future." Schwimmer explains
that the Council of Europe does not view the imposition of sanctions
on Armenia as likely and
adds that "Armenia should not be isolated." That explanation
follows a recent adoption of a resolution by the 45-nation Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) threatening to revoke Armenia's
voting privileges in retribution for the flawed May parliamentary
election. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII
No 7) |
| June
25 |
A mere
5 deputies attend the opening session of a legislative training course
run by the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID). The course,
set to run through early July, is designed to provide educational
and practical training for the members of the new 131-seat Armenian
parliament, nearly half of which are new deputies. Despite the extremely
low turnout of deputies, many parliamentary staff members
participate in the training sessions and seminars. (Sources: TransCaucasus:
A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
27 |
Eleven
days of joint military exercises conducted by the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace program end in Armenia
with more than 400 soldiers and officers from 19 countries, including
forces from Georgia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Georgia, Russia, Turkey,
the United Kingdom, and the United States. The exercises featured
the formation of a single multinational battalion that practiced routine
peacekeeping drills such as riot control, ambush defense and convoy
escort. Italian Lieutenant General Antonio Quintana, the commander
of NATO's Verona-based Joint Command South, praises the efficiency
and "extraordinary cooperation" of the Armenian armed forces,
which he says has contributed to the success of the joint exercises.
Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian states that the war games,
codenamed "Cooperative Best Effort-2003," were "beneficial"
for the Armenian Army and demonstrated Armenia's "deepening ties"
with the Western alliance. Sarkisian stresses that while Armenia will
continue close cooperation with NATO, it does not intend to apply
for membership, "especially because entering NATO is not that
easy." Armenia has been a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace
program since 1994. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003,
Vol XII No 7) |
| June
27 |
In
a report on the parliamentary election released by the Armenian branch
of the international non-governmental organization Transparency International,
the three pro-presidential parties aligned in the new Armenian coalition
government were found to have each exceeded the 60 million-dram ($103,000)
maximum allowed for campaign expenditures in the run-up to the May
parliamentary election. The study found that of the 21 parties and
blocs that contested the election, only Prime Minister Andranik Markarian's
Republican Party of Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF), and the Orinats Yerkir (Law-Based State) party exceeded the
limit for campaign spending. Investigation coordinator Arevik Saribekian
added that the Republican Party spent over $10,000 on pop concerts
and the Orinats Yerkir party distributed 30,000 free party shirts
and other campaign souvenirs, the costs of which were not included
on the itemized list of campaign expenditures the party submitted
to the Central Election Commission (CEC). (Sources: TransCaucasus:
A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
27 |
Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Erdogan announces that Ankara will not open its
border with Armenia until the Kocharian government formally abandons
its international campaign for recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Suggesting a slight modification in Turkish policy, Prime Minister
Edogan fails to link Turkey's establishment of diplomatic relations
with Armenia with the resolution of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.
The Turkish government is reportedly facing renewed pressure from
the United States to open its border with Armenia. Officials of the
Armenian foreign ministry reaffirm Yerevan's readiness "to continue
the ongoing dialogue" with Turkey. In a statement in Baku, Turkish
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ahmed Unal Cevikez adds that Ankara is ready
to organize trilateral talks among Turkish, Armenian, and Azerbaijani
officials if Baku and Yerevan request such mediation talks. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
30 |
After
a long suspension of court proceedings due to the ill health of the
presiding judge and a key defendant, the trial of the five gunmen
charged with killing eight senior officials in the Armenian parliament
in October 1999 resumes in Yerevan. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology,
July 2003, Vol XII No 7) |
| June
30 |
Armenia’s
coalition government led by Prime Minister Andranik Margarian pledged
this week to improve people’s living standards by creating jobs
and increasing spending on social programs. The four-year action plan
of the recenly reshuffled government is a joint program combining
major elements of election pledges made by President Robert Kocharian,
the Republican and Country of Law (Orinats Yerkir) Parties and the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun). The program targets
reduction of poverty and corruption as the government’s main
objective and depends on continued strong economic growth and consequent
increase in state revenues.
Leaders
of the opposition parties have already dismissed the government program.
Tatul Manaserian, parliament member elected on the Justice Bloc list,
said the program was too vague, but noted that it incorporated Bloc’s
own ideas, albeit in “distorted form.” Grigor Harutiunian
of the People’s Party said that “there is no way [the government]
can implement the program.” The opposition parties currently
lack the 44 votes necessary to censure the government, however.
The
government’s action plan also calls for holding a new referendum
on constitutional reform, after a presidential proposal failed to
garner required support last month. The referendum would again aim
to strengthen legislative and judiciary branches of government and
remove the ban on dual citizenship.
On
foreign relations, the government pledged to pursue a “pragmatic”
policy of good relations with neighbors and integration with international
organizations. On Karabakh conflict, the government reaffirmed Armenia’s
opposition to Karabakh’s subordination to Azerbaijan and pledged
to work towards a peaceful resolution which would confirm Karabakh’s
self-determination, provide security guarantees and a land link with
Armenia. (Sources: Arminfo 6-19; RFE/RL Armenia Report 6-19)
Armenia
This Week Note on the article below: The Assembly led a community-wide
effort last year, which also raised $100,000 for the Armenia de-mining
initiative. |
| June
30 |
The
U.S. State Department’s third annual report on human trafficking
issued last week noted a significant improvement in Armenia’s
handling of the problem. The report ranks countries’ response
to smuggling of people for prostitution based on a three-tier system:
1 – full compliance; 2 – incomplete compliance; and 3 –
no efforts to comply. The State Department established a special office
on trafficking based on 2001 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, championed
by Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Sam Gejdenson (D-CT).
Although
the problem in Armenia appears smaller than in most countries (local
non-government organizations discovered several dozen smuggling cases
in 2001), the country was ranked among the worst violators last year.
The Armenian government has since established an inter-agency commission,
chaired by senior Foreign Ministry official Ashot Kocharian (recently
appointed spokesman for President Robert Kocharian). The task force
raised awareness of the issue, and helped introduce tougher criminal
punishment for human trafficking and stricter licensing controls over
travel and employment agencies, sometimes used by smugglers. Welcoming
these efforts, the State Department has now ranked Armenia in Tier
2.
For
the second year in a row, the report ranks Turkey in Tier 3, while
Azerbaijan was not ranked, “due to lack of information.”
Last year, the director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking
in Persons at the time Ambassador Nancy Ely-Raphel, said that countries
ranked in Tier 3 twice consecutively would face sanctions impacting
loans they receive from organizations such as the International Monetary
Fund.
According
to the current trafficking office director, former four-term Republican
Congressman John Miller, trafficking affects 700,000 women, children
and men annually, including 50,000 in the United States. (Sources:
State Department 6-5-02; Seattle Times 10-3-02; Tacoma News Tribune
1-7; Noyan Tapan 3-14; Arminfo 3-25, 27; Agence France Presse 6-11)
|
| June
30 |
Officials
from the Pentagon and the Armenian Defense Ministry held their annual
round of consultations aimed at expanding bilateral security relations.
Deputy Defense Minister General Artur Aghabekian and U.S. Deputy Assistant
Defense Secretary Mira Ricardel signed a joint memorandum on cooperation
for the coming year. As part of the agreement, the U.S. will provide
the Armenian military with $3.5 million worth of new communications
equipment. According to Aghabekian, last month a group of experts
from Harris Communications Systems and Services visited Armenia to
study Armenia’s military needs and an official request for the
company’s equipment has been sent to the Defense Department.
Talking
to reporters in Yerevan, Ricardel noted that the U.S. is also helping
Armenia’s military with education programs and creation of a
strategic studies center, while both sides are cooperating to intercept
illegal trafficking in weapons and drugs. Asked about possible U.S.
deployments in the Caucasus, including in Armenia, Ricardel said that
the Pentagon’s foreign basing policy is currently under review
and no final decisions have been made.
Accompanying
Ricardel was Major General Lloyd Krase, commanding officer of the
35th Mechanized Infantry Division of the U.S. Army National Guard,
headquartered at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. The state of Kansas has reportedly
expressed interest in cooperating with the Armenian military under
the Pentagon’s “National Guard State Partnership Program,”
which pairs Eastern European countries with U.S. states’ national
guards for civil-military training. (Sources: Arminfo 6-16; R&I
Report 6-20) |
| June
30 |
Some
400 officers and soldiers from 19 countries are currently in Armenia
for two-week exercises conducted under NATO’s Partnership for
Peace (PfP) program. These are the first NATO games to be held in
Armenia, this is also the first time that a Russian military unit
is participating.
Italian
Lieutenant General Antonio Quintana, head of NATO’s Joint Command
South based in Verona, Italy, is in charge of the overall conduct
of the exercises. Turkish Colonel Ahmet Kabak and Colonel Murad
Isakhanian from the Armenian Defense Ministry will co-direct the
games. It is the first time Armenian and Turkish officers have trained
together. Only three staff officers represent Turkey, while other
NATO members, including Canada, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland,
the United Kingdom and the United States, sent larger contingents.
In addition to Russia, participating PfP nations include Austria,
Bulgaria, Macedonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia
and Uzbekistan.
Armenia
views cooperation with NATO as an important component of its national
security. Next month, Armenia will sign an agreement with Greece
providing for joint peacekeeping and Armenia’s first deployment
under NATO command will commence later this year. (Sources: Armenia
This Week 4-25, 5-16; NATO Press Advisory 6-12; Arminfo 6-16; Canadian
News Wire 6-16; RFE/RL Armenia Report 6-16; IWPR Caucasus Reporting
Service 6-19)
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