EU ‘Still Committed’ To Closer Ties With Armenia
Azatutyun.am, October 23, 2014, https://www.azatutyun.am/
Armenia can forge closer links with the European Union even after joining a Russian-led alliance of former Soviet republics, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said during a visit to Yerevan on Thursday.
Steinmeier also insisted that the conflict in Ukraine will not cause the EU and Germany in particular to lose interest in other ex-Soviet states involved in the EU’s Eastern Partnership program.
“We want good cooperation within the Eastern Partnership framework, including with Armenia. It is essential that these good relations endure crises,” added Steinmeier.
“We respect Armenia’s decisions, including the decision to join the Eurasian Economic Union,” Steinmeier told a joint news conference with Nalbandian. “I think that Armenia doesn’t view that as an obstacle to developing and deepening relations with Europe.”
“We will continue making efforts with our European partners to create a new legal basis for Armenia-EU ties,” agreed Nalbandian.
Armenia-EU Relations
Francois Rochebloin: Europe should learn to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh
News.am, October 23, 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/
France-Karabakh Friendship Circle welcomes creation of a Nagorno-Karabakh group in the European Parliament.
The event dedicated to the 23rd anniversary of Nagorno-Karabakh's independence brought together over dozen of members of the European Parliament, representatives of international structures based in Brussels.
“It is an important step in the right direction. To contribute to greater presence of Nagorno-Karabakh in the European institutions means to contribute to fundamental recognition of the country by these institutions,”said Francois Rochebloine, chairman of the Friendship Circle.
“Nowadays it is impossible to prevent communication of any state with the world. Europe should learn to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh. By learning much about the country, Brussels will recognize it,” Rochebloine added.
President Sargsyan receives French Ambassador Henri Reynaud
Aysor.am, October 23, 2014, https://www.aysor.am/en/news/
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received today the outgoing French Ambassador to Armenia Henri Reynaud, according to the presidential press service.
On behalf of the authorities and himself, the president thanked Henri Reynaud for his activities in the past four years and his personal contribution to the strengthening of Armenian-French relations, which is reflected in the further deepening of cooperation in various spheres.
The president stressed that the professional activities of Henri Reynaud were appreciated highly by state and public organizations of Armenia as well as by the Armenian people. He expressed hope that the next French ambassador will continue his mission with the same enthusiasm for the good of the two friendly countries and peoples, while Henri Reynaud will remain a great friend of the Armenians.
Henri Reynaud expressed his gratitude to Serzh Sargsyan for appreciating his work, noting that in the past four years he made every effort to promote the Armenian-French relations and he enjoyed his work as he saw the friendly and warm attitude of Armenia’s authorities and citizens, for which he is grateful.
Lithuanian FM to visit Armenia
News.am, October 23, 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/
Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius will visit Armenia on Friday at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian.
Lithuanian Minister will be received by President Serzh Sargsyan, Armenian MFA said in a statement. On the same day the foreign ministers will hold talks followed by a media conference.
Minister Linkevičius will visit Memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims (Tsitsernakaberd).
General News on Armenia
The New York Times posts article on Armenia
Armenpress.am, October 23, 2014, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/
The New York Times has published an inset on Armenia, presenting the country’s history, as well as has posted interviews with the Armenian President, Foreign Minister, Ministers of Economy and Agriculture, Central Bank Chairman, Argentinean-Armenian businessman Eduardo Ernekyan and with a number of other figures.
Armenia continues to develop into a stable and democratic state, resolute in its march toward prosperity and confident in both its people and its place in the modern age, The New York Times reports.
In his interview, Serzh Sargsyan dwells on Armenian-American relations, USA’s role in regulation process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, USA’s steps taken in the direction of recognizing of the Armenian Genocide at the threshold of the centenary.
“We believe that the whole of mankind should be consistent in the recognition, condemnation and exclusion of denialism of this crime of crimes. This is our message to the international community, including the government and society of the United States, on the eve of the centenary of the Armenian genocide. The Armenian genocide is an indisputable fact, documented by the international community when it provided refuge to the hundreds of thousands of Armenians that fled the massacres carried out by the Ottoman Empire. Today, even educated circles of Turkish society have reconciled with their own past, opposing the official denialist position of their state,” Serzh Sargsyan states.
Azeri delegation refuses to attend Euronest session in Yerevan
Panarmenian.net, October 23, 2014, https://www.panarmenian.net/
The 4th plenary session of the Euronest parliamentary assembly will be held in Yerevan March 16-20, 2015, the chairman of parliamentary committee on foreign relations stated.
According to Artak Zakaryan, the decision was confirmed at the meeting of the Euronest PA Bureau in Brussels, with a parliamentary working group to be formed to organize the event on a proper level, the National Assembly press service reported.
The chair of Azeri delegation to Euronest Elkhan Suleymanov expressed his indignation over the abovementioned. As he noted, Azeri delegation refuses to attend the session until Yerevan fulfils a number of conditions.
“Yerevan’s hosting the session is an affront to Azerbaijan, with the fact proving practice of double standards by Euronest and European organizations, as well as biased attitude toward Azerbaijan,” Trend quoted Suleymanov as saying.
Government Plans To Cut Maternity Benefits Spark Protests
Azatutyun.am, October 23, 2014, https://www.azatutyun.am/
Dozens of angry young women rallied in Yerevan on Thursday to protest against government plans to cut maternity benefits paid by the state in Armenia.
The protesters, some of them pregnant, demanded that the Armenian government annul its recent decision to seek corresponding amendments to a law that entitles pregnant working women to financial support during 140 days preceding and following the birth of a child.
The law currently stipulates that the monthly allowances must fully match the salaries of women employed by public or private entities. The government bill submitted to the parliament this month would cut their amount by at least 20 percent. Pregnant women with work experience of up to 1 and 3 years would be paid sums equivalent to only 40 percent and 60 percent of their wages respectively.
Armenia condemns Ottawa attacks
Armradio.am, October 23, 2014, https://www.armradio.am/en/
Armenia condemns the attacks in the Canadian capital.
“We condemn October 22nd terrorist attacks in Ottawa, the target of which was the Canadian Parliament,” Spokesman for the Ministery of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Tigran Balayan said in a statement.
“We are convinced that such actions will not undermine the determination of the international community in the fight against terrorism,” he said.
Armenian President visited the 6th Expo Russia-Armenia 2014 international industrial exhibition
Times.am, October 23, 2014, https://www.times.am/?p=98132&
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan today visited the 6th Expo Russia-Armenia 2014 international industrial exhibition being held on October 22-24 at Yerevan Expo Exhibition Complex within the grounds of Yerevan Scientific Research Institute of Mathematical Machines. Press service of Armenian President informs about this.
The purpose of the exhibition is to promote economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation between the RA and the RF, strengthen ties between the two countries, as well as to develop joint business, trade and economic and investment relationships.
Edgar Ghazaryan relieved of marzpet post and appointed Ambassador
Mediamax.am, October 24, 2014, https://www.mediamax.am/en/
By the decree of President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan Edgar Ghazaryan was appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Poland (residence Warsaw).
It should be recalled that yesterday the government accepted Edgar Ghazaryan’s resignation from the post of Vayots Dzor Governor.
Ex-ECHR judge sworn in as member of Constitutional Court
Tert.am, October 23, 2014, https://www.tert.am/en/news/
Armenia’s former judge-representative to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has officially assumed her duties as member of the Constitutional Court.
Alvina Gyulumyan was sworn into office at the National Assembly’s session today, based on an earlier decree signed by President Serzh Sargsyan.
Her term in office at the ECHR expired in September.
General News on Karabakh
France-Presse publicized place and date of meeting of Armenian, French and Azerbaijani Presidents
Armenpress.am, October 23, 2014, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/
The summit of the Presidents of Armenia, France and Azerbaijan will be held on October 27 in Élysée Palace, Armenpress reports citing Agence France Presse (AFB).
As AFB reports, the goal of the meeting is to provide the dialogue of the two sides on the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict regulation after the tension registered two months ago.
Besides the trilateral meeting, French President Francois Hollande will hold separate meetings with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Within the frameworks of the visit, the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents with OSCE Minsk Group American, Russian and French co-chairs will be held as well. Dinner is expected to give in honor of the presidents of the three countries.
News from International Sources
Germany set to play a more prominent role in the South Caucasus
Commonspace.eu, October 24, 2014, https://www.commonspace.eu/eng/
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Azerbaijan and Armenia on 22 and 23 October. The short but high profile visit is seen as a sign of increased German and European engagement with the South Caucasus. Earlier this year Steimeier also visited Georgia, accompanied by the French Foreign Minister, Roland Fabius.
n Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Steinmeier on Wednesday (22 October) met President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. In Baku Steinmeier discussed with the Azerbaijani leadership the current state of EU-Azerbaijan relations, as well as bilateral issues The following day in Armenia, Steinmeier held talks with President Serzh Sargsyan and his opposite number, Edward Nalbandian. The visit was the first by a senior western politician to Yerevan since Armenia signed the accession treaty to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union.
Azerbaijan: Commissioner for Human Rights confirms conference no-go
Council of Europe, Ocotber 23, 2014, https://www.humanrightseurope.
Human rights commissioner Nils Muižnieks says he is visitingAzerbaijan to meet with jailed human rights activists and not to attend a two-day international justice conference starting on 24 October.
In a Facebook message published earlier today, Muižnieks wrote : “I have not come to Azerbaijan to participate in aconference, but to meet with human rights defenders in detention, their defense lawyers and families, and to continue my dialogue with the authorities on ways to improve freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of assembly in the country.”
Yesterday (22 October), a Joint Working Group on Human Rights Issues, composed of 18 human rights defenders, Members of Parliament and officials of the Presidential Administration, met for the first time since 2008 in Baku, following an agreement between Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev.
No prize for Leyla Yunus
The Economist, October 22, 2014, https://www.economist.com/
Leyla Yunus did not win the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought this year—it went to Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist who has battled sexual violence against women—but she was one of the three finalists. That gives me an excuse to write about her, and to put it bluntly, she needs the attention. Ms Yunus is one of Azerbaijan's leading civil society activists, known among other things for documenting the government's forced evacuations of Baku residents to make way for gleaming new oil-financed real-estate developments. Since July 30 she has been in jail, accused by prosecutors of the fanciful-sounding charge of spying for Armenia. Her real offence appears to have been angering the government of president Ilham Aliev.
During a visit to Brussels early this year, Mr Aliev claimed that his country had no political prisoners. Ms Yunus and fellow activist Rasul Jafarov responded by publishing a list of such prisoners on the internet, which (as of its last update in early July) totaled 109 names, including one of Mr Aliev's chief political rivals. (This may help explain why Mr Aliev won re-election last year with 85% of the vote, without running a campaign.)
Arrests and Pardons in Azerbaijan
Eurasianet.org, October 22, 2014, https://www.eurasianet.org/
Azerbaijan’s government had been pushed hard to free several jailed young activists, but their release last week left a bitter aftertaste in the repressive Caucasus republic. The European Union welcomed the October-17 amnesty, but government critics say Azerbaijani officials made an unsavory show out of it.
Four young democracy activists had to address a letter of repentance to their President Ilham Aliyev to be included in the list of 80 prisoners pardoned by the president. Upon release, two of the young men, Bahtiyar Guliyev and Elsevyar Mursalli, brought flowers to the grave of President Aliyev’s father and predecessor, Heydar Aliyev.
The civil-rights group NIDA said its members were pressured to write the apology-letter since the authorities are trying to exonerate themselves for arresting “young people, political activists, rights defenders, bloggers for their civil activism.”
There is hardly an international democracy watchdog left that has not accused the Azerbaijani government of rounding up critics on trumped-up charges. Its chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s committee of ministers notwithstanding.
News on Turkey
German Foreign Minister pays tribute to the memory of Armenian Genocide victims
Armradio.am, October 23, 2014, https://www.armradio.am/en/
German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier visited the Tsitsernakaberd today to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian genocide victims.
Frank Walter Steinmeier was accompanied by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Director of the Armenian genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan.
The German FM laid a wreath at the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims and paid tribute to their memory with a minute of silence.
Hayk Demoyan presented a copy of his most recent book titled “Armenian Genocide: Front page coverage in the world press” and a stamp dedicated to Johannes Lepsius, a German missionary, Orientalist, and humanist with a special interest in trying to prevent the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
Armenian FM: Ball is in Turkey's court
News.am, October 23, 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/
Turkey has not found strength to fulfill arrangements in connection with normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said during his joint press conference with German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The process initiated by President Sargsyan started five years ago and was ended by signing of Armenia-Turkey protocols to normalize relations, to open the border and create opportunities to have contacts on all matters, Nalbandian said.
Armenian FM said Turkey had not found strength to ratify the documents and fulfill arrangements signed with participation of representatives of international community.
“The key principle of international law is respect for arrangements. Turkey could not display respect, and the ball is in Turkey court,” he added.
National Archive Chief Says Enough Documents to Bring Turkey to Court
Asbarez.com, October 23, 2014, https://asbarez.com/128170/
Director of Armenia’s National Archive Amatuni Virabian said Thursday that there are enough necessary documents on the Armenian Genocide in the archive to initiate an international court trial against Turkey.
Ahead of the Armenian Genocide centennial, the National Archive is going to publish collections on Armenia’s material and cultural losses over the Genocide years, Mediamax reports.
“We are willing to publish in the upcoming years all the documents on the Genocide preserved in the archive. It will be a few years’ work,” said the Director of the Archive.
In 2015, the Archive will also publish a collection of documentary materials on the property owned by the Armenian Church, including Western Armenian churches.
“We have a large number of documents on the ownership of our churches even in the Ottoman Turkish language. Now we aim to translate them into Armenian or English,” said Virabian.
According to him, work on creating an e-vault of names of Armenian Genocide victims is underway. “I don’t think we will be able to collect the names of 1.5 million victims. A long time has passed and we just started the work. But I think we will be able to publish around 300 thousand names. Presently, the Archive preserves files of around 30 thousand Armenian orphans whose murdered parents’ names are known,” said Virabian.
OECD ‘seriously concerned' about how Turkey investigates bribery
Todayszaman.com, October 23, 2014, https://www.todayszaman.com/
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said it is “seriously concerned” about Turkey's ability to detect and investigate foreign bribery, according to a report published on its website on Thursday.
The report directly mentioned the corruption investigations that went public in December of last year, referencing the controversial decisions to reassign large numbers of police officers and members of the judiciary and the passage of legislation that increased the powers of the executive branch over the judicial. It also said that it was concerned that political interference had impacted its enforcement of foreign bribery.
The OECD said the report is also based on information obtained by an evaluation team from the organization during its four-day on-site visit to Ankara and İstanbul on May 13-16. The OECD team met representatives of Turkey's public and private sectors, media and civil society during this visit, the organization says.
Kobane aid triggers Turkey-US debate
Harriyetdailynews.com, October 23, 2014, https://www.hurriyetdailynews.
Washington took the initiative to airdrop ammunition and weapons to Kurdish fighters battling jihadists in Kobane despite Turkey’s objections, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğanhas said, in a bid to underline that Ankara does not consider the Democratic Union Party (PYD) a legitimate counterpart, regardless of U.S. views.
“Did Turkey view this business positively? No it didn’t. America did this in spite of Turkey, and I told [Obama] that Kobane is not currently a strategic place for you; if anything, it is strategic for us,” Erdoğan said during a news conference in Riga on Oct. 23, referring to his latest telephone conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama that took place at the latter's initiative on Oct. 19.
The Turkish government views the PYD with deep suspicion because of its ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has previously turned down requests for it to open a land corridor so that Kobane could be resupplied from other Kurdish areas of northern Syria.
News from Azerbaijani Sources
Karabakh conflict resolution depends on presidents’ political will – Minsk group co-chair
Trend.az, October 23, 2014, https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/
A resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict depends on the political will of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and not on treaties or alliances, US co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick told Trend on Oct.23.
He was commenting on the possible impact of Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The co-chair said the government of Armenia has made its decision, which he respects.
“We hope with the recent contacts between the presidents they will commit themselves to a settlement,” Warlick said.
“Conditions along the line of contact and Armenian-Azerbaijani border have stabilized after the outbreak of violence this summer. But the situation remains tense,” he added.
Chairman of Supreme Court: Over last 12 years, European Court recorded 85 violations concerning Azerbaijan
Apa.az, October 23, 2014, https://en.apa.az/xeber_
Baku. Ramiz Mikayiloglu - APA. “Azerbaijan is a member of the Council of Europe since 2001. Since 2002, the European Court of Human Rights has been considering the cases submitted by Azerbaijan. From 2002 till early October of 2014, only 85 violations of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms concerning Azerbaijan were recorded,” Chairman of the Supreme Court Ramiz Rzayev told APA.
Mr. Rzayev said that there are some countries that they face over 200 or 300 judicial violations every year.
He said 85 facts of violations over the last 12 years is not the highest figure.
“Azerbaijan is taking measures and holding seminars regarding this matter. We also analyze the cases of violation. The most facts of violations are related to violation of the Article #6 of the Convention which protects the right to a fair trial. The court must avoid violations by all executive authorities as it is the court of last resort. The second highest number of violations is related to the Article #1 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention – protection of property”, Rzayev said.