Nikol Pashinyan not to join March 1 rally for health reasons

 

Nikol Pashinyan, an opposition MP from the Armenian National Congress, was hospitalized and operated on Thursday night, Tert.am learned from an assistant.
Lusine Aghababyan, a deputy director of the medical center Nayiri (where Pashinyan was taken) later told our correspondent that he has undergone an appendix surgery.
Asked whether the opposition MP will be in hospital on March 1 (the tragic anniversary of the 2008 post-electoral turmoil that saw 10 people killed in Yerevan), she gave a positive answer. Pashinyan will not thus join the Saturday opposition rally aimed at commemorating the victims of the March 1, 2008 tragic events.

Bako Sahakyan commemorates Sumgait victims

President of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic Bako Sahakyan has paid tribute to the Armenian victims of the 1988 Sumgait pogroms.
On Friday morning, he visited the Memorial Complex in capital Stepanakert to lay flowers in memory of the martyrs.
According to a press release by the NKR Presidential Office, Sahakyan was accompanied by Archbishop Pargev Martirossyan, the primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and top government officials.

ARF-D proposes closing ‘March 1 political chapter

Secretary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) Aghvan Vardanyan does not see any accusation against the ARF-D in Armenian MP Alexander Arzumanyan’s statement.

Arzumanyan stated on in Parliament on Thursday that all the political forces shared the responsibility for the tragic events in Armenia’s capital on March 1, 2008.

“We had a talk and I cannot say he brought an accusation against Dashnakstutyun. I have not seen any grounds for any accusations against the ARF-D over the years, including political accusations,” Vardanyan said at a press briefing. 

The only fact mentioned is that the ARF-D was part of the ruling coalition before and after the March 1 events.

“We have never reaped dividends due to political populism. Being or not part of the ruling coalition does not mean we covered the matter up, and our work in the relevant commission was evidence thereof,” Vardanyan said. 

March 1 is nearing, but no progress has been recorded. “It is right to close the political chapter,” Vardanyan said. 

The only thing that remains unsolved is “which of the policemen killed a particular person so that each one responsible can be called to account.” 

Proper investigation into March 1 murders under way, Armenia’s prosecutor general says

 

The necessary work is being done to solve the March 1 murders.

But each detail of the investigation is not to be published, Armenia’s Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan told reporters following the cabinet meeting on Thursday, as he commented on the statements in Armenia’s Parliament.

Some of the MPs have stated that no progress in the investigation has been recorded though Kostanyan has been holding the post of Armenia’s prosecutor general for a rather long period.

“Fair justice principles have nothing in common with the investigation,” Kostanyan said.

In terms of international law, it is the principle of effective investigation that should be discussed.

“In this respect, there exist standards of effective investigation. And I can assure you that all the necessary investigatory efforts are being made. I am sure you will yet be able to thoroughly discuss all the details,” Kostanyan said.

Armenia needs systemic reforms, says politician

 

 

Armenia needs systemic changes to overcome the current socio-economic crisis, an opposition politician has said, considering reforms an urgent demand by the society.
“We will fight the monopoly, the oligarchic system and the problems troubling the society,” Narek Galstyan, the leader of the opposition Social-Democrat Hnchakyan Party, told reporters on Thursday,
He said the party intends to collaborate with other political forces in an effort to achieve a progress. But he pointed out only to the Democratic Party of Armenia as the only political force with which collaboration is thought possible now.
As for other political forces, Galstyan said he thinks they are just expressing the civic discontent existing in the country, instead of guiding themselves by their own platforms and charter.

Bako Sahakyan conducts Security Council meeting

 

President of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic Bako Sahakyan convened on Thursday a meeting with the country’s Security Council.
According to a press release by the NKR Presidential Office, the combat-readiness and the organization of the Defense Army, and foreign policy issues were on the agenda of the event.
The ministers of defense, foreign affairs and agriculture, Movses Hakobyan, Karen Mirzoyan and Andranik Khachatryan, delivered corresponding reports at the meeting.
The president issued instructions to the heads of corresponding agencies.

 

The event was also attended by Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, and other government officials.

Armenian PM hosts Greek official

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received Wednesday the speaker of Greece’s parliament, Vangelis Meimarakis, reports the Government’s Press Office.
Highly praising the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Greek nations and the interstate relations built on common values, the premier said that he expects the visit to be a good stimulus in the bilateral partnership.
“That’s a big value which we are obliged to preserve and to convey to the next generations. Your visit is a new oportunity to boost the Armenian-Greek relations,” he said.
Thanking the premier for the reception, the Greek official said he attaches a big value to inter-parliamentary ties in the process of expanding partnership.
The sides stressed the importance of deepening cooperation in the frameworks of the European Union.
PM Sargsyan said Armenia is committed to continue developing relations with the EU.
Mr Meimarakis promised for his part that his country, which now presides over the EU council, will invest its best efforts in establishing closer ties between Armenia and the Union.
“My visit to Armenia, especially in this period when Greece has taken over the EU presidency, is a message that Armenia will continue developing the cooperation with the EU,” he told the premier.

Armenia-EU meeting approved agenda of three all-important issues – Artur Baghdasaryan

Secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan presented to reporters on Wednesday the main issues discussed at a meeting on Tuesday.

He stressed that the meeting approved an agenda of three most important issues.

In this context, Baghdasaryan stressed the introduction of probation service in Armenia.

“A new system of alternative punishment will actually be introduced in Armenia for minor offenders,” he said.

“About 3,900 people are now serving their punishment in Armenia, and the reform will allow about 1,300 of them to serve alternative punishment – house arrest, for example,” Baghdasaryan said.

This system has proved vital in many European countries. It also ensures social justice and inevitable punishment.

Numerous international organizations highlight the reforms and have rendered €800,000 financial assistance to the reforms.

The second issue on the approved agenda is a program of developing the military component of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Baghdasaryan said that Armenia’s cooperation with the other CSTO member-states is progressing.

“The CSTO military component is of vital importance for our country,” Baghdasaryan said.

The third issue is Armenia-EU cooperation.

“We have applied to membership in the Customs Union, but we intend to continue our close cooperation with the European Union. At yesterday’s meeting the EU’s intention to shape a common agenda with Armenia was announced,” Baghdasaryan said.

The EU has rendered €30m assistance to Armenia to implement reforms aimed at reducing corruption.

In 2014-2020, the EU will render assistance to 16 countries, including Armenia.

Ruling party MP speaks of lessons authorities, opposition must draw from March 1 tragic events

 

Armenia’s Parliament is discussing a draft proposal to set up an ad hoc committee on March 1, which has been submitted by the Armenian National Congress (ANC) parliamentary group.

Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) parliamentary group member Samvel Farmanyan asked the keynoter, ANC parliamentary group member Gagik Jhangiryan about the conclusions the authorities and the opposition should draw to rule out similar tragic events in the future.

“Of importance is not only ascertaining the facts related to the death of ten people or the investigation conducted by law-enforcement agencies, but also the lessons drawn by the parties to the political confrontation,” Farmanyan said.

He has the impression that Jhangiryan’s arguments for setting up the committee sound like claims.

“For example, the murder of three people can easily be solved and so on. As author of this initiative do not you think you would act right if you did not claim such things?”

Jhangiryan answered that he will only have a right to vote as an ANC member if a committee if it is set up.

“We agreed to the vote results by the political majority and formed the committee with a proportion similar to that of the ethics committee, to prevent issues from being pushed through due to the number of votes or pressure. If you are concerned, let the political coalition have a majority, because I hope very much that each of you, if gets acquainted with irrefutable facts and listens to experts’ opinions, cannot but defend the reality,” Jhangiryan said.

Political problems must be settled by political means. Murderers and perpetrators of crimes must be punished.

“I think and I am sure that the political majority must be interested in solving the crimes,” Jhangiryan said.

Kocharyan’s statement was warning to businesses – MP

 

An Armenian parliament member affiliated with the ruling political force has described second President Robert Kocharyan’s recent statementabout the Customs Union integration perspectives as just a warning to businesses.
“I got thoroughly familiarized with Robert Kocharyan’s speech and saw considerably serious concerns and messages calling for attention to certain problems,” Sukias Avetisyan, a member of the Republican faction in parliament, told a news conference on Tuesday.
Commenting on Kocharyan’s call for avoiding haste in the integration efforts, he said the authorities are not absolutely trying to speed up the process. “We are not making haste; that’s just a process which is under way,” Avetisyan said, dispelling all the concerns that the government might be subordinating state interests to an agreement.