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| July
1, 2003 |
President
Robert Kocharian issues a decree dismissing Robert Nazarian from the
post of mayor of Yerevan, which he had held since January 2001. Nazarian's
pro-presidential "Hzor Hairenik" (Mighty Fatherland) party
garnered only 3 percent of the vote in the May parliamentary elections,
failing to win a single seat in the new legislature. Kocharian appoints
Yervand Zakarian, who previously headed the government's tax-collection
agency, as the new mayor of Yerevan. Zakarian is succeeded in that
post by Feliks Tsolakian, a senior member of the presidential staff.
(Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
2, 2003 |
Garen
Mkrtchian, the dean of the Russian Language Department at Yerevan
State University, is fatally shot in a brazen attack in broad daylight
on a street in downtown Yerevan. The killer reportedly escapes in
a car with foreign license plates. The son of a famous literary critic,
Mkrtchian, who was 43, was characterized by colleagues as "a
peaceable and polite man" with no connections to either politics
or business. Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian expresses
outrage at the killing. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August
2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
10-12, 2003 |
The
recently elected Parliamentary Chairman, Artur Baghdasarian, meets
with Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad-Farhad Koleini and calls
for the broadening of mutual cooperation between Armenia and Iran.
Baghdasarian states that a new inter-parliamentary group on Armenian-Iranian
relations was recently formed in accordance with the Armenia's desire
to expand bilateral cooperation in various political and economic
fields. The Iranian ambassador calls on the parliamentary speaker
to secure approval of new legislation safeguarding Iranian investment
in Armenia promised that the Iranian government would accelerate its
efforts to improve "regional security and cooperation."
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian holds a separate meeting with the
Iranian ambassador and expresses his government's hope that Iranian
President Mohammad Khatami would visit Yerevan. The Armenian foreign
minister briefs the Iranian ambassador on the status of the international
mediation effort negotiating a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and reviews plans for further bilateral cooperation between
Iran and Armenia. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003,
Vol XII No 8) |
| July
11, 2003 |
A
Russian soldier posted as a sentry at the main entrance of the Russian
military base in the Armenian town of Gyumri shoots and kills two
and injured another local Armenian man as they attempted to enter
the base. A third person involved is not injured and flees the scene.
Unlike Russian military bases elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), security at the Russian base in Armenia has been stable
and without incident for much of the past decade. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
11, 2003 |
A
brazen gunfight in broad daylight between rival organized crime groups
leaves two dead and two wounded. The clash occurred in a public park
in Gyumri, Armenia's second largest city. Although organized crime
has been growing in recent years, such outright violence has only
recently become a more common occurrence. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
11, 2003 |
Azerbaijan’s
ailing leader Heydar Aliyev and his son and would-be successor Ilham
have both registered as candidates for president last week. Observers
in Azerbaijan believe the arrangement will serve as a kind of “insurance
policy” should the elder Aliyev be physically unable to stand
for a third term. This week, Aliyev, joined by his son, returned to
the Ankara military hospital, where he had undergone treatment in
the past. Ilham
Aliyev has had difficulty explaining his own nomination and claimed
that he would be backing his father in the polls. Opposition-leaning
Azerbaijani analysts say that the Aliyevs are setting an international
precedent where a neo-monarchical power transfer is disguised with
electoral veneer. The President’s Chief of Staff Ramiz Mekhtiyev
tried to play down these claims, saying that there was nothing unusual
in the nomination of two pro-establishment figures while the opposition
parties also advanced more than one candidate. The
government-dominated Central Election Commission has so far registered
fifteen candidates. They include at least six pro-Aliyev individuals
who might, as in past elections, serve as token alternatives should
most opposition candidates boycott the polls. The commission rejected
a nomination of one of the main Aliyev opponents, exiled politician
Rasul Guliyev on the grounds that he has a U.S. Green Card. (Ilham
Aliyev was registered despite having a second, Turkish citizenship.)
Other opposition groups have so far failed to agree on a joint candidate.
(Sources: Armenia This Week 5-9, 6-6; Zerkalo 7-5; Ekho 7-9, 11; RFE/RL
7-9) |
| July
11, 2003 |
Following
an increase in cease-fire violations along the Line of Contact, the
Defense Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Serge Sargsian and Safar
Abiyev, held a rare meeting earlier this week. According to a highly
placed source in Azerbaijani military, quoted by a local paper, the
meeting was requested by Azerbaijan after its forces suffered significant
casualties when they attacked and failed to dislodge an Armenian unit
in the southern portion of the Line of Contact. A statement by the
Nagorno Karabakh Defense Ministry warned the Azeri side to desist
from such provocations in the future or continue to face countermeasures.
According to informed sources in Armenia, the incident is a reflection
of broader instability in Azerbaijan that has in recent months led
to lower discipline in its armed forces and frequent breakdowns in
the chain of command. President Heydar Aliyev’s infirmity and
some uncertainty about his successor are at the heart of this instability.
While Defense and Interior Ministers have already pledged their loyalty
to the President’s son, Ilham Aliyev, the more powerful National
Security Minister Namik Abbasov has not and the allegiance of some
of the army commanders in not yet clear. Meeting near the border of
Armenia’s north-eastern Tavush province, Sargsian and Abiyev
agreed to strengthen the cease-fire that has largely held since 1994.
(Sources: Arminfo 7-2; Azat Artsakh 7-7; Ekho 7-9; R&I Report
7-9) |
| July
11, 2003 |
Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian said this week that an agreement has not
been reached on the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, calling
news reports to that effect an overreaction. But Oskanian said that
during the meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, they
agreed to begin moving towards normalization, by taking smaller steps.
Reports indicate that such “small steps” may include a temporary
border opening for visits to the historic Armenian capital of Ani,
now located on Turkish territory, or another initiative. The two ministers
plan to discuss such steps at their next meeting in September. In
comments late last month, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
said that his country would not open the border unless Armenians around
the world stop the campaign for international affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide. Responding to these comments, the Armenian Assembly’s
Executive Director Ross Vartian said that “if that’s their
expectation, then it just not going to happen.” Meanwhile,
a statement by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), which
is part of the coalition government, said that normal relations with
Turkey were impossible until it acknoweledges the Genocide. The official
Armenian position does not put forward any preconditions for normalization,
however. ARF again warned that Turkey’s recent steps were only
a smokescreen designed to create an appearance of “good will.”
And an Armenian opposition daily, which supports normalization with
Turkey, said that opening of the border without establishing diplomatic
relations would make normal commerce problematic. U.S.
officials at all levels continue to impress on Turkey the importance
of opening the border. Undersecretary of State Alan Larson stressed
last month that an open border with Armenia would benefit Turkey.
David Phillips of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, in an article
published in the Turkish press last week, argued that opening the
border was both in Turkey’s national interest and part of its
international obligations. (Sources: Armenia This Week 6-13; Washington
File 6-28; Anadolu 6-29; Yerkir 6-29; RFE/RL Armenia Report 6-30,
7-8; Aravot 7-1; Arminfo 7-3; Radikal 7-4) |
| July
12, 2003 |
Prime
Minister Andranik Markarian opened the 8th party congress of his ruling
Republican Party (HHK) in Yerevan. After reviewing the party's achievements
in the past year, Markarian affirms Armenia's desire for fuller integration
with European structures but stresses that he will continue to oppose
the passage of Protocol Six of the European Convention on Human Rights
which calls for a ban on capital punishment. According to Markarian,
the abolition of the death penalty in Armenia "would jeopardize
the country'
s interests." Commenting on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the
premier added that "Karabakh must not be subordinated to Azerbaijan
and its population's security must be ensured with Armenia and Karabakh
sharing a common border." The Republican Party is the dominant
party in the parliament, holding 40 of the 131 seats in the recently
elected parliament, and controls the local governments of roughly
400 smaller towns and villages in Armenia. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
12, 2003 |
Speaking
at a Yerevan press conference, Armenian Parliamentary Deputy Chairman
Vahan Hovannisian warns that the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border
"places Armenia's interests under direct threat." Hovannisian
explains that an unrestricted opening of the border with Turkey would
lead to irreparable harm to Armenian agriculture and would spur a
"flood of cheaper products in the Armenian market" leading
to "serious losses" for Armenian farmers. The deputy speaker
recommends that Armenia should place higher priority n the reopening
of the railway link through Abkhazia, suggesting that the Abkhaz route
would "enable Armenia to export competitively priced products."
The Armenian-Turkish border has been closed for a decade after Turkey
joined in the Azerbaijani-imposed trade and transport blockade of
Armenia. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII
No 8) |
| July
14, 2003 |
The
independent Armenian television station A1+ renews its application
for its broadcast frequency in a new tender. According to Mesrop Movsesian,
the head of the A1+ station, the National Commission for Television
and Radio is preparing to review proposals from seven private television
stations that are competing for five broadcasting frequencies in the
current tender. A1+ was forced to cease broadcasting in April 2002
after losing a tender for the frequency on which it broadcast. The
frequency once used by A1+ was awarded to Armenia TV, owned by a U.S.
Armenian businessman who strongly supported President Kocharian in
his recent reelection. An earlier attempt to regain a frequency failed
last month after Commission Chairman Grigor Amalian rejected a seven-year,
$5 million proposal by A1+. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology,
August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
15, 2003 |
The
Armenian Constitutional Court rules that the restrictions on capital
punishment set forth in Protocol 6 of the Council of Europe's Convention
on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms are in
compliance with the Armenian constitution. The ruling effectively
negates any legal justification for not imposing an outright ban on
capital punishment and returns the issue to the agenda of the new
parliament. The European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms' protocol restricts the application of the
death penalty to exceptional cases such as in times of war or national
emergency. The abolishment of capital punishment is a major obligation
under Armenia's membership in the Council of Europe but the Armenian
government has repeatedly extended the deadline for implementing a
full moratorium, attempting to impose the death penalty on five suspects
currently on trial for the October 1999 attacked on parliament that
killed several senior government officials. Senior officials have
expressed reluctance, including Prime Minister Andranik Markarian
who openly derided calls for such a ban, arguing that such a move
"would jeopardize the country's interests." (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
15-17, 2003 |
President
Robert Kocharian arrives in Paris leading an official delegation including
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian and Armenian Ambassador to France
Eduard Nalbandian. Kocharian meets with French Senate President M.
Christian Poncelet and reviews bilateral relations. The Armenian president
also meets with French President Jacques Chirac, as well as officials
from the French ministry of economy, finance and industry and members
of the France-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group. Additional meetings
are held with French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin and National
Assembly President Jean-Louis Debr?. The Armenian president hurriedly
departed for France after attending his son's wedding to the daughter
of parliamentarian Vladimir Badalian. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology,
August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
17, 2003 |
An
Argentine judge issues an international arrest warrant for Eduardo
Eurnekian, the operator of Armenia's international airport. The Armenian
government awarded a thirty-year contract to Eurnekian's Aeropuertos
Argentina 2000 consortium to manage Yerevan's Zvartnots airport. The
award was criticized for alleged favoritism and for its closed bidding
process although the Armenian government dismissed these objections
and claimed that group would invest in the modernization and upgrade
of the airport facility. The arrest warrant for Eurnekian, suspected
of having evaded more than $5 million in taxes, followed his failure
to return to Argentina from a vacation in Italy, thereby violating
a court summons. Officials of the Armenian justice ministry argue
that the incident will have no bearing on the airport management contract.
(Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8)
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| July
17, 2003 |
The
Armenian Central Election Commission (CEC) adopts a proposal by Commission
Vice Chairman Hamlet Abrahimian to file administrative lawsuits against
a group of 141 parliamentary candidates. Most of the candidates were
defeated in the May election, although five candidates, Hovik Azoyan,
Nahapet Gevorgian, Hakob Hakobian, Mekhak Mkhitarian, and Arshak Sadoyan,
were elected as deputies in the new parliament. The candidates failed
to submit detailed financial statements of their campaign finances,
as legally required. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
19, 2003 |
Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian states that recent speculation over
possible negative economic effects from an opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border is incorrect and explains that "in principle, I do not
suppose that the possible lifting of the blockade from the Armenian-Turkish
border will have any negative consequences for our
country's economy... I am absolutely sure that the opening of the
border is beneficial not only to the two countries, but also to the
region as a whole." The comments follow recent statements by
Deputy Parliament Speaker Vahan Hovannisian warning that the opening
of border trade would inflict serious damage on the Armenian economy.
(Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8)
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| July
19, 2003 |
Armenian
security forces, in conjunction with their U.S. counterparts arrest
three men suspected of producing and selling child pornography. The
suspects are caught with more than fifty pornographic videotapes containing
pornographic material. National Security Service spokesman Armenak
Manukian reveals that the group's leader worked for an Armenian-U.S.
joint venture and had contacts with criminal groups in Russia and
the United States. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
19, 2003 |
The
chairman of the Ramkavar-Azatakan (Liberal-Democratic) Party, Ruben
Mirzakhanian, submits his resignation to a party convention after
his party failed to garner any seats in the new parliament elected
in May. The convention of the small, center-right party also resolves
to replace the chairman position with a new three-member board to
lead the party. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
19, 2003 |
Tigran
Torosian, the deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament, expresses
his surprise at the recent decision by the National Television and
Radio Commission to reject three bids for broadcasting frequencies
submitted by the independent A1+ television company. The deputy speaker
states that it "was clear that the TV companies that will continue
broadcasting by the commission's decision are much more inferior to
the A1+ TV company both in
professional and creative terms" and notes it was "strange"
for the commission to justify its denial solely on financial grounds.
The A1+ station was stripped of its original broadcasting frequency
in April 2002 and lost another bid for an alternative frequency last
month. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII
No 8) |
| July
20, 2003 |
Armenian
State Atomic Energy Inspection Service chief Ashot Martirosian announces
that the country's nuclear power plant can safely operate for at least
another 14 years. The official explains that Medzamor facility, located
just outside Yerevan, is subject to constant monitoring and safety
inspections. Security at the Soviet-era plant has also been increased
in recent weeks. The plant provides more than 40 percent of the country's
energy. It was first opened in 1979 but was shut down in 1989 after
a devastating earthquake. The European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD) financed the reactivation of Medzamor in 1995 on
the precondition that the plant close by 2004. In December 1998, Armenian
officials confirmed their readiness to comply with the deadline, but
have argued in recent years that the plant cannot be shut down until
an alternative source of energy is available. The European Union is
pressuring the Armenian government to close the aged plant, promising
some 100 million euros ($117) to assist in the transition to alternative
energy sources. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003,
Vol XII No 8) |
| July
21-22, 2003 |
During
talks in Yerevan with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian and
other senior officials, visiting OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice
President Giovanni Kessler and Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights Director Christian Strohal urge the Armenian authorities
to
implement "sweeping reforms" of the election system. The
two OSCE officials reiterate earlier criticism of procedural violations
during the February-March presidential elections and the May parliamentary
ballot. Kessler adds that the OSCE wants amendments enacted to the
Election Code and any people responsible for alleged fraud during
the two ballots this year to be identified and punished. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
22, 2003 |
Mher
Sedrakian, the prefect of Yerevan's southern Erebuni District, is
injured by an explosive device concealed under his Mercedes limousine.
Sedrakian was immediately hospitalized. A district prosecutor reveals
that
the explosion was probably a botched assassination attempt. Sedrakian
is a senior member of Prime Minister Andranik Markarian's Republican
Party of Armenia and campaigned actively for incumbent President Robert
Kocharian's in the recent reelection. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology,
August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
29, 2003 |
The
trial of thirteen men accused of the murder of Tigran Naghdalian,
chairman of Armenian National Television and Radio, convenes in Yerevan
district court but is immediately adjourned until 5 August due to
the absence of one defense lawyer. Naghdalian was shot to death in
a December 2002 attack while leaving his parents' apartment. The defendants
include businessman Armen Sarkisian, the brother of former prime minister
Aram, and a leader of the opposition Republican party. Prosecutors
allege that the two men who actually committed the killing were hired
by Hovannes Harutiunian, a distant relative of the Sarkisian family,
who has admitted to receiving $75,000 from Armen Sarkisian. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
29, 2003 |
Major-General
Levon Stepanian is dismissed from the position of commander of Armenia's
border-guard troops, one day after his deputy, Colonel Vahan Mkhitarian,
was arrested on charges of large-scale bribery. Stepanian has served
as the head of the border guard force since its
formation in 1992. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003,
Vol XII No 8) |
| July
30, 2003 |
The
Armenian government approves a parliamentary bill under which young
men aged 27 and over who have consistently avoided military service
may obtain immunity from prosecution by paying a large fee. The bill
was first passed in the first reading last November, and its author,
parliament deputy speaker Vahan Hovannisian, states that he will push
for its passage in the second and third readings before the end of
this year. A Defense Ministry lawyer, Sedrak Sedrakian, reports that
his ministry favors the bill and hopes it will permit a large number
of young men who left Armenia to avoid military service to return
home. (Sources:Transcaucasus: A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No
8) |
| July
30, 2003 |
The
state official overseeing lottery and gambling issues, Manuk Vardanian,
reports that since the beginning of the year the number of gambling
houses and casinos in Armenia has tripled. The expansion of casinos
follows new legislation enacted last year to impose new oversight
on gambling in the country and to improve measures to tax these enterprises.
With only five such casinos officially in operation in Armenia last
year, there are now fifteen currently registered casinos in operation,
with their gambling revenue reportedly now comprising over one percent
of total external sources of revenue for the state budget. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
| July
30, 2003 |
A
new Anti-Corruption Information Center, a project supported by the
Armenian branch of Transparency International and the Swiss Development
and Cooperation Agency, opens in Yerevan. The aim of the Center is
to raise
public awareness and to provide information and analysis of corruption
as part of a larger effort to improve efforts to combat corruption
in Armenia. The Yerevan Anti-Corruption Center is the seventh such
facility in the
former Soviet Union and offers the public unfettered access to its
library. The center also has a database on corruption statistics and
will conduct training courses and seminars for specialists and non-governmental
organizations. The Center has also announced an award for the best
contribution in the fight against corruption struggle for public servants,
political figures, journalists and international organizations. The
first award was recently given to outgoing head of the OSCE Yerevan
office ambassador Roy Reeve. Another five branches of the center are
to be opened in other districts next year. (Sources:Transcaucasus:
A Chronology, August 2003, Vol XII No 8) |
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