Armenia-EU: Yerevan, Brussels to identify areas of future cooperation
Armenia Now, November 05, 2014, https://www.armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/58238/armenia_european_union_support_program
After new European Union commissioners took office on November 1, negotiations between the EU and Armenia resumed. Armenia is still among the countries participating in the Eastern Partnership program of the EU. However, after the signing by three of the six participants of association agreements with the EU (Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) the program has lost its meaning. And now the matter can concern bilateral cooperation.
Nevertheless, the negotiations resumed and the first agreement has already been signed. Over the next three years, the EU will give Armenia 140-170 million euros private-sector, public administration, and justice reforms. The relevant document was signed in Brussels on Monday by newly appointed Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and Armenian Economy Minister Karen Chshmaritian.
EU-Armenia Relations
Government intends promoting fish and honey export to EU market
Armenpress, November 04, 2014, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/782673/government-intends-promoting-fish-and-honey-export-to-eu-market.html
The project on “2015-2017 EU examination of fish and honey through reference test methods” was submitted for the government’s approval. As Armenpress reports, this is included in the agenda of the government’s session for November 6.
Currently Armenia does not export fish or honey to European Union countries. The food safety authorized body of Armenia submitted to the EU Commission Food Safety Office the national plan on control of the compounds of fish and honey, which was approved.
Armenian opposition MP warns against supporting Eurasian integration deal
Tert.am, November 05, 2014, https://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/11/05/armenia-postanjyan8/
Any parliament member who supports Armenia's treaty to accede to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will commit a treachery against the country, an opposition MP has said, considering Eurasian integration an attempt to annex Armenia to Russia.
“Error must have no place in National Assembly; everybody must be sober-minded enough to evaluate the situation,” Zaruhi Postanjyan of the opposition Hertiage faction told a news conference on Wednesday.
She said that Heritage lawmakers are going to convene a special session before the voting day to address the issue in detail.
“Those who vote in favor for the EEU will commit treachery,” she said.
General News on Armenia
Armenia ranked 95th in Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index
PanArmenian, November 04, 2014, https://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/184386/
The London-based Legatum Institute has issued its latest Prosperity Index, with Armenia placed 95th in rankings that aim to reflect overall wealth, health, and happiness.
Armenia took the 129th spot for economic situation, 49th for education, 87th for healthcare, 126th for personal freedom, 56th for safety and security, 68th for entrepreneurship & opportunity, 88th for governance, 124th for social capital.
The index assesses 142 countries.
Legatum Institute's 2014 Prosperity Index reveals Norway as the most prosperous country in the world, followed by Switzerland and New Zealand, while the Central African Republic finishes bottom of the rankings.
France came 21st in the list, Spain 26th and Italy 37th, while Russia is the worst performing country in Europe, falling seven places to 68th.
Top Armenian Court To Examine EEU Accession Treaty
Azatutyun, November 04, 2014, https://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/26674194.html
The Constitutional Court in Yerevan is due to examine later this month the correspondence of the treaty on Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) to the country’s basic laws.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Court said the hearing is scheduled for November 14 and will be held in a ‘written procedure’.
Earlier, the leader of the ruling Republican Party’s parliamentary faction, Vahram Baghdasarian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) that a special session of the legislature to discuss the treaty is likely to be convened on November 17-18 if the Constitutional Court provides its conclusion by then.
The treaty that Armenia signed on October 10 in Minsk, Belarus, implies the country’s membership in the trade bloc of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan beginning in January. Kyrgyzstan has also made a bid to become a member of the emerging union by the end of the year.
Armenia to have new electricity transmission lines toward Iran and Georgia
News.am, November 05, 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/237643.html
Armenia will complete, by 2017, the construction of a new electricity transmission system in the direction of Georgia and Iran.
The Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia, Ara Simonyan, noted the aforesaid at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
He informed that the construction of the third electricity transmission system toward Iran was discussed yet again during Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan’s most recent visit to Iran. Simonyan added that the construction of this transmission line will take eighteen months.
In addition, the deputy minister stated that a loan agreement is being prepared with the German government-owned KfW development bank, to fund the Armenia-Georgia electricity transmission project.
Government ready to assist IT programs implementation
Armenpress, November 05, 2014, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/782753/government-ready-to-assist-it-programs-implementation.html
A consultation was held at the Government, headed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan, devoted to the development of the information telecommunication technologies sector. The Department for Mass Media and Public Relations of the Government of the Republic of Armenia informed Armenpress that Hovik Abrahamyan stated that the information telecommunication technologies sector has a great potential in our country and is in the center of attention of the Government.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia emphasized that the Government is ready to assist the further progress of the sector, the training of high-level specialists and the implementation of
the new programs.
Armenian parliamentary delegation heads to Moscow
Aysor.am, November 05, 2014, https://www.aysor.am/en/news/2014/11/05/parliament/
A delegation led by Edward Sharmazanov - the Armenian parliament’s vice speaker, head of the Armenian delegation to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – left for Moscow on November 5, according to the press service of the parliament.
The Armenian delegation will participate in the field session of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly. The delegation is composed of MPs Khosrov Harutyunyan and Koryun Nahapetyan.
Edward Sharmazanov is expected to meet with State Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin on November 5.
General News on Karabakh
Azerbaijani side doesn't lead OSCE mission to its front-lines
Armenpress, November 05, 2014, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/782746/azerbaijani-side-doesnt-lead-osce-mission-to-its-front-lines.html
On November 5, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the east direction of the Seisulan settlement of the NKR Martakert region.
The Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic informed “Armenpress” that from the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Yevgeny Sharov (Ukraine) and Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria).
From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic) and Personal Assistant to the PR of the CiO Simon Tiller (Great Britain).
The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered. However, the Azeri side did not lead the OSCE mission to its front-lines.
From the Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the NKR Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense.
Karabakh panoramic map is introduced
News.am, November 04, 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/237583.html
One more map has been added to the series of maps devoted to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), or Artsakh. The official presentation of this map was held on Tuesday. The event brought together NKR Foreign Karen Mirzoyan, numerous other guests, and members of the media. But the new map is the first one which, according to its creator Ruben Atoyan, is panoramic. “The panoramic map of Artsakh is one of my best works. Manuscript and computer mapping methods were combined in the creation of this map. Artsakh’s terrain is accurately represented on the map,” Atoyan said.
Sarkisian, Aliyev Want Negotiated Peace, Says Warlick
Asbarez, November 04, 2014, https://asbarez.com/128508/sarkisian-aliyev-want-negotiated-peace-says-warlick/
”Whenever the Presidents have the opportunity to meet, they are able to clarify their positions and narrow differences on key issues, as they did in Paris,” OSCE Minsk Group US Co-Chair James Warlick said to Azerbaijani news agency Report, commenting on the meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris on Oct. 27.
“I was encouraged that both Presidents want a negotiated end to the conflict. They clearly signaled to each other that the time has come for peace and that the hostility between Armenians and Azerbaijanis should give way to a new era of cooperation,” the Co-Chair stated.
According to him, meetings of the Presidents also help to stabilize the situation along the Line of Contact and Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
“French President Hollande said the time has come to prepare a comprehensive peace agreement. I hope the sides will consider this step seriously. The U.S. and the Co-Chairs stand ready to assist. He also proposed measures to build trust that could lay the basis for peace,” said US Co-Chair.
News from International Sources
Azerbaijan: Debating GONGO vs. NGO
Eurasianet, November 04, 2014, https://www.eurasianet.org/node/70761
Azerbaijan’s efforts to use its energy wealth to win friends and influence opinion in the United States and European Union are well documented. Far less attention has been paid to Baku’s suspected efforts aimed at co-opting rights advocates inside Azerbaijan.
An entity in Azerbaijan called the Joint Working Group for Human Rights has become a focal point in a brewing debate over possible Azerbaijani government meddling in the non-governmental sector. Many independent rights activists believe the Joint Working Group to be a sham, contending that some of the purportedly non-governmental organization representatives on the panel are actually dependent on the government for funding. They also assert that many civil-society organizations listed as taking part in the discussions are not genuine non-governmental organizations (NGOs), but are, more accurately, GONGOs, or government-organized non-governmental organizations. The joint working group resumed holding sessions in October, after Azerbaijanfaced criticism from US and EU officials.
There are indications that the blurry line separating NGOs and GONGOs in Azerbaijan is paying dividends for the government in Baku. Officials in recent months have broadened a crackdown on rights activists and independent journalists. Yet, the United States and the Council of Europe, the intergovernmental body whose Committee of Ministers Azerbaijan heads until November 13, both hailed the working group’s reemergence as a promising sign that the Azerbaijani government may be ready to turn a corner on rights-related issues.
Iran and Jordan, alienated from Turkey, warmly welcome Armenian Leaders
The California Courier, November 05, 2014, https://nebula.wsimg.com/2aab2edb1e9a3c05622880707b015703?AccessKeyId=CAEA6237ACF321EDB6BB&disposition=0&alloworigin=1
Armenians boosted their historical ties with the Arab and Muslim world last month with the simultaneous visits of Armenia’s President and Jerusalem’s Armenian Patriarch to the Kingdom of Jordan, and visits by the Armenian Prime Minister and Aram Catholicos of Lebanon to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
While such foreign visits are commonplace, the exceptionally warm reception accorded by Shia Iran and Sunni Jordan to four Armenian leaders reflects these Islamic countries’ close relationship with Christian Armenians and displeasure with the Turkish government’s radical Islamist policies.
Only a few years ago, many Arabs and Muslims hailed Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan — now President — as a modern-day Sultan who was championing their national and religious aspirations. In 2010, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey decided to form a joint free trade zone to strengthen their economic cooperation. Soon after, by siding with the Muslim Brotherhood and Jihadists’ murderous rampage against Kurds, Yazidis, Shias, Alawites, and Christian minorities, Erdogan’s hegemonic and erratic behavior alienated almost every state in the Middle East. Turkey’s love-fest with Syria quickly turned into outright hostility, and Ankara’s relations with Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and especially Israel, became antagonistic.
News on Turkey
Hrant Dink Memorial Lecture to Be Held at Harvard Nov. 13
Armenian Weekly, November 04, 2014, https://armenianweekly.com/2014/11/04/hrant-dink-memorial-lecture-held-harvard-nov-13/
It’s been nearly eight years since Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was gunned down in the streets of Istanbul in what has become known as an act against humanity.
Yet his memory perseveres.
To say it saddened Armenians worldwide is putting it mildly, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Turks who attended his funeral.
Hrant Dink’s death shook the world. And time has not diluted the influence he carried as an editor, journalist, and columnist for the bilingual “Agos” newspaper.
“His death resonates to this day and carries with it a vengeance that underscores man’s inhumanity toward man,” said Harry Parsekian, president of Friends of Hrant Dink. “His legacy will never fade. Justice still has not been served.”
A Hrant Dink Memorial Peace and Justice lecture will take place on Thurs., Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at Yenching Auditorium, 2 Divinity Ave., on the campus of Harvard University.
Turkey warns of threat to Aleppo from Assad, fears new refugee influx
Hurriyet Daily News, November 05, 2014, https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-warns-of-threat-to-aleppo-from-assad-fears-new-refugee-influx.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73901&NewsCatID=510
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has accused Syrian forces of committing massacres in and around Aleppo and said Turkey would face a major new refugee crisis if Syria's second city were to fall into his hands.
As U.S. warplanes bomb Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces in parts of Syria, President Bashar al-Assad's military has intensified its campaign against some rebel groups in the west and north that Washington sees as allies, including in and around Aleppo.
Ankara has been pushing for the U.S.-led coalition to broaden its campaign to tackle Assad as well as ISIL, arguing there can be no peace in Syria if he remains in power.
"We are watching the developments in Aleppo with concern. Though the city is not on the verge of falling, it is under extreme pressure," Davutoğlu told reporters late on Nov. 4 after meeting Turkey's top generals.
News from Azerbaijani Sources
Azerbaijan: the price of fame...
Trend, November 04, 2014, https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/politics/2329392.html
Azerbaijan is a country that became the most significant player in the region’s political and economic arena in recent years, and is attracting the attention of various powers more and more.
In the past two days, the European media outlets have made two unrelated reports, which used Azerbaijan’s name as an argument.
The first report is related to the Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, who brought Azerbaijan as the argument while responding to a statement of the UK Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling on the UK’s intention to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights.
Today, Azerbaijan has become such a serious political player in Europe and the world, that the CoE uses Azerbaijan to persuade the UK not to leave the European Court. Well, thank you sirs for the recognition!
*[article by Thorbjorn Jagland: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/03/azerbaijan-human-rights-uk-tory-echr ]