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Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Armenian Utility Posts Soaring Profits Despite Drop In Power
Generation
Armenia -- A power distribution facility.
18.01.2011
Sargis Harutyunyan, Ruben Meloyan
Armenia's Russian-owned national power distribution company, once a
big drain on state finances, claims to have become increasingly
profitable in recent years despite a sizable reduction in domestic
electricity production shown by official statistics.
Financial documents provided to RFE/RL's Armenian service by the
Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA) on Tuesday show the company
making 25.1 billion drams ($69 million) in profits last year, sharply
up from 16.7 billion drams posted in 2009 and 11 billion drams in
2008.
The figures indicate a remarkable turnaround in the ENA's
operations. The power grids incurred significant financial losses,
estimated at $50 million each year, before being sold by the Armenian
government in 2002 to Midland Resources, an obscure British-registered
firm. Most of them were believed to have resulted from widespread
theft among various-level employees of the network.
ENA, which is now one of Armenia's largest corporate taxpayers, has
undergone significant restructuring and received large-scale capital
investments since then. Midland announced that it has ended the losses
and moved the company into profit in 2004, before selling it to a
subsidiary of Russia's RAO Unified Energy Systems (UES) power giant.
ENA profits have soared despite dwindling electricity production in
Armenia. According to the National Statistical Service (NSS), it was
down by 9 percent and 14 percent in January-November 2010 and 2009
respectively.
Besides, the price of electricity for Armenian households, has not
changed significantly for over a decade, suggesting that the increased
ENA earnings were the result of a greater efficiency of power
distribution. The price was raised from 24 to 30 drams (8 U.S. cents)
per kilowatt/hour in early April 2009, the first such increase
approved by state utility regulators in eleven years.
ENA's parent company, Inter RAO UES, decided on Monday to replace
ENA's longtime chief executive, Yevgeny Gladunchik, by another Russian
official. An Armenian pro-opposition newspaper claimed the next day
that Gladunchik will return to Russia because an ind ependent audit of
ENA books uncovered large-scale financial abuses.
Armenia -- Yevgeny Gladunchik, former CEO of the Electricity Networks
of Armenia.
An Inter RAO UES spokesman, Nikolay Gorelov, flatly denied this,
however, saying that Gladunchik was promoted to a higher company
position in Moscow. `If a person does a bad job, he can't be
promoted,' he told RFE/RL's Armenian service. `On the contrary,
[Gladunchik] has achieved big successes, as a result of which Inter
RAO UES decided to transfer him to its head office.'
Armenian electricity tariffs have remained largely stable despite a
steady rise in the price of Russian natural gas supplied to
Armenia. It is used for generating roughly one-third of the country's
electricity.
The gas price rose by 14 percent in 2009 and by another 17 percent, to
$180 per thousand cubic meters, in April 2010. The Russian monopoly
Gazprom plans to raise it further starting for next April.
The Armenian government said late last month that it still hopes to
prevent the price hike. But in an interview with the German magazine
`Der Spiegel' this week, Gazprom chief Alexei Miller insisted that the
gas tariff for Armenia will reach a `market-based' level in the near
future.
Gazprom currently sells gas to Europe at an average of $300 per
thousand cubic meters.
The increased cost of the gas, the main source of winter heating for
Armenians, has caused gas consumption in the country to fall at an
annual rate of about 20 percent since 2008. Analysts say it will dip
further if Gazprom presses ahead with its plans.
A Gazprom spokeswoman, Olga Moreva, made clear on Tuesday that this
will not deter the state-owned conglomerate. `The only thing we take
into account is the oil basket peg,' Moreva told RFE/RL's Armenian
service. `We set prices for our consumers abroad on the basis of
that.'
Council Of Europe Official Concerned About Jailed Armenian
Oppositionists
Armenia -- Opposition supporters demonstrate during a visit to Yerevan
by Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human
rights, 18Jan2011.
18.01.2011
Ruzanna Stepanian
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human
rights, expressed concern about the continuing imprisonment of
Armenian opposition members on Tuesday as he began a fact-finding
visit to Yerevan.
Hammarberg held separate meetings with Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian, opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, human rights
campaigners and representatives of Armenia's leading media
associations on the first day of the three-day trip. He is also
scheduled to meet with President Serzh Sarkisian, other senior
government officials and leaders of the political parties represented
in the Armenian parliament.
The discussions were expected to focus on the Armenian authorities'
human rights record and, in particular, their compliance with
resolutions adopted by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly
(PACE) following their 2008 post-election crackdown on the
Ter-Petrosian-led opposition. The PACE demanded the release of all
oppositionists arrested on `seemingly artificial or politically
motivated charges' and an objective inquiry into the March 2008 deadly
clashes in Yerevan.
`Of course, I think it's a problem that there are still people
imprisoned because of what happened in March 2008,' Hammarberg told
RFE/RL's Armenian service, referring to about a dozen Ter-Petrosian
loyalists remaining behind bars.
Hammarberg planned to meet some of those oppositionists as well as
relatives of people killed during the unrest. `We are concerned about
the fact that ten people were killed during the demonstrations and so
far no one has been held to account for that,' he said.
Several dozen supporters of Ter-Petrosian's Armenian National Congress
(HAK) demonstrated outside a Yerevan hotel where the Council of Europe
official spoke with local human rights activists. Holding banners and
chanting `Freedom!' they demanded that the Council of Europe exert
stronger pressure on Yerevan.
`We want our brother Hammarberg, if he is our brother, to demand
legitimate governance from these authorities in accordance with
principles accepted in Europe,' said one protester.
Ter-Petrosian has repeatedly accused the Council of Europe and the
West in general of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in
Armenia for geopolitical reasons. He has said Western powers do not
want to undercut a government which they hope will solve Armenia's
disputes with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
The HAK's central office coordinator, Levon Zurabian, claimed that the
Council of Europe and the European Union are now running out of
patience with the Sarkisian administration because it has still not
complied with the PACE resolutions. `We can say that the international
community is again becoming active on this issue,' he told RFE/RL's
Armenian service.
Hammarberg was cautious in assessing that compliance, though. He said
he will draw conclusions only after the trip.
Greece, Armenia Slam Turkey
Greece -- President Karolos Papoulias (L) greets his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Athens, 18Jan2010.
18.01.2011
Presidents Karolos Papoulias of Greece and Serzh Sarkisian of Armenia
strongly criticized Turkey as they met in Athens on Tuesday.
Papoulias told Sarkisian that the two nations were `butchered' by
their common arch-foe in their past. `We were butchered by the same
barbarian,' he said, according to the AFP news agency.
Papoulias added that `many things have changed' since the early 20th
century when the killings of Armenians and Black Sea Greeks in the
Ottoman Empire occurred, and criticized a decades-old arms race with
Ankara that has cost Athens billions of euros.
`If we did not have the economic burden of arms balance we would not
need the International Monetary Fund," 81-year-old Papoulias said. `We
give the most money in NATO for armament, this is unfair for a people
that is peaceful,' he added.
Sarkisian, for his part, again blamed Ankara for the collapse of the
Western-backed Turkish-Armenian agreements that envisaged the
normalization of bilateral ties.
He also said Athens and Yerevan support Turkey's membership in the
European Union so long as it addresses its troubled past and forges
`civilized partnership with neighbors.' `When Turkey meets European
standards, we will have a more predictable neighbor,' he said.
The Armenian leader criticized Ankara's stance on the Turkish-Armenian
normalization in even stronger terms as he addressed the parliament of
Cyprus on Monday. He proceeded to the Greek capital on a state visit
the next day.
One of the agreements signed during Sarkisian's trip to Athens calls
for continued cooperation between the Armenian and Greek defense
ministries. Sarkisian stressed the importance of that agreement at his
joint news conference with Papoulias.
Armenian `Oligarchs' Sue Opposition Paper
Armenia -- Ruben Hayrapetian, one of three businessmen who have taken
legal action against "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily.
18.01.2011
Irina Hovhannisyan
Three of Armenia's wealthiest government-connected businessmen have
filed a libel lawsuit against a pro-opposition daily that implicated
them in criminal activity in Russia, it emerged on Tuesday.
The legal action stems from a report that was published by the
`Haykakan Zhamanak' daily in October and based on claims made by Smbat
Karakhanian, a Moscow-based Armenian opposition figure.
Karakhanian was quoted as alleging that Russian authorities suspect
eight senior Armenian officials and businessmen, including President
Serzh Sarkisian, of involvement in drug trafficking, money laundering
and other grave crimes committed in Russia. Russian officials never
confirmed that.
Three of the implicated `oligarchs' -- Samvel Aleksanian, Ruben
Hayrapetian and Levon Sargsian -- are now seeking a combined 7.5
million drams ($20,500) in compensatory damagers for what they say are
false claims amounting to defamation of character.
`After we published that report they demanded a refutation,' said Anna
Hakobian, the `Haykakan Zhamanak' publisher. `In a manner defined by
law, our editor-in-chief Nikol Pashinian replied to them with a letter
that presented the grounds on which the refutation will not be
published.'
`The grounds were that our source is confirming that such a
conversation took place and that these names do figure [in Russian
criminal cases,]' Hakobian told RFE/RL's Armenian service. He pointed
to a follow-up interview with Karakhanian that appeared in the paper
later in October.
None of the plaintiffs could be reached for comment. All three men
holding seats in Armenia's parliament have long faced opposition media
allegations of illegal activity, electoral fraud and violence against
government critics. Sargsian is particularly notorious for reportedly
violent conduct.
Armenia's best selling daily, `Haykakan Zhamanak' is known for its
hard-hitting coverage of successive governments and strong support for
the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK). Its editor, Nikol
Pashinian, was one of the main speakers at anti-government rallies
staged by HAK leader Levon Ter-Petrosian following the February 2008
presidential election. Pashinian is currently serving a highly
controversial prison sentence for his alleged role in deadly
post-election violence in Yerevan.
The paper was already taken to court and fined 3.6 million drams in
late 2009 for alleging that former President Robert Kocharian's
younger son, Levon, provoked a drunken brawl in the United Arab
Emirates.
`This is yet another step against the newspaper, the instruments of
which are now oligarchs,' Hakobian said, commenting on the latest
libel suit. `If some people think they can make `Haykakan Zhamanak'
cave in by initiating such a lawsuit against the newspaper and turning
oligarchs against us ... I can guarantee that they won't achieve
anything.'
Press Review
18.01.2011
Lragir.am tries to explain why former President Robert Kocharian would
want to return to the political arena. `One factor is a lust for
power,' writes the online journal. `The guy just doesn't want to be
far away from real power and is trying to come back as soon as
possible. Another factor could be a sense of responsibility for the
country. He [presumably] sees that Serzh Sarkisian is unable to govern
efficiently, that there are problems on the domestic and external
fronts, dangers hanging over state interests -- and regards the main
opposition also as a danger -- and is therefore trying to return and
rectify the situation. And finally, it could be that Robert Kocharian
is simply concerned about his future.' Kocharian may be worried that
Sarkisian could eventually `sacrifice' him, speculates the paper.
`Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun' says that the Armenian authorities are
doing everything to prevent civic and other non-governmental
organizations from achieving any results. `Therefore, both our
analysts and individuals coming up with civic initiatives must admit
that solutions to all problems in Armenia hinge on one very important
issue: the formation of a legitimate government,' the pro-opposition
daily says, attacking those intellectuals who do not want to openly
support the opposition. Their `neutrality' plays into the regime's
hands and delays solutions to problems facing the country. `One must
not be afraid of having political views because that is the
constitutional right of all citizens and not just a privilege of
politicians,' it says.
`Hraparak' comments on nationwide rallies organized by businessman and
politician Tigran Karapetian, whose ALM television will be taken off
the air this week. `One can certainly argue over the numbers [of rally
participants,] but the fact is that ALM has surprised us with its
street activity,' editorializes the paper. `It's not that people are
eager to see ALM remain on air. It's just that the extent of public
disaffection is so great that anyone can now get people to take to the
streets.'
Interviewed by `Hayots Ashkhar,' a spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh
President Bako Sahakian seeks to disprove Freedom House claims that
Karabakh is `not free' anymore. Davit Babayan specifically dismisses
the New York-based group's argument that none of the parties that
contest the last Karabakh parliamentary elections is in opposition to
the Stepanakert government. Babayan argues that the Karabakh
authorities did not prevent anyone from contesting the polls which he
says were free and fair. There are simply no parties opposed to them
at present, he says.
But as Gegham Baghdasarian, a former Karabakh parliamentarian, tells
`Aravot,' the Freedom House characterizations are not quite
unfounded. `There were fantastic conditions for our development and
you have to be inept to achieve such results from that starting
point,' he says.
(Aghasi Yenokian)
Reprinted on ANN/Groong with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2011 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
From: A. Papazian
Armenian Utility Posts Soaring Profits Despite Drop In Power
Generation
Armenia -- A power distribution facility.
18.01.2011
Sargis Harutyunyan, Ruben Meloyan
Armenia's Russian-owned national power distribution company, once a
big drain on state finances, claims to have become increasingly
profitable in recent years despite a sizable reduction in domestic
electricity production shown by official statistics.
Financial documents provided to RFE/RL's Armenian service by the
Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA) on Tuesday show the company
making 25.1 billion drams ($69 million) in profits last year, sharply
up from 16.7 billion drams posted in 2009 and 11 billion drams in
2008.
The figures indicate a remarkable turnaround in the ENA's
operations. The power grids incurred significant financial losses,
estimated at $50 million each year, before being sold by the Armenian
government in 2002 to Midland Resources, an obscure British-registered
firm. Most of them were believed to have resulted from widespread
theft among various-level employees of the network.
ENA, which is now one of Armenia's largest corporate taxpayers, has
undergone significant restructuring and received large-scale capital
investments since then. Midland announced that it has ended the losses
and moved the company into profit in 2004, before selling it to a
subsidiary of Russia's RAO Unified Energy Systems (UES) power giant.
ENA profits have soared despite dwindling electricity production in
Armenia. According to the National Statistical Service (NSS), it was
down by 9 percent and 14 percent in January-November 2010 and 2009
respectively.
Besides, the price of electricity for Armenian households, has not
changed significantly for over a decade, suggesting that the increased
ENA earnings were the result of a greater efficiency of power
distribution. The price was raised from 24 to 30 drams (8 U.S. cents)
per kilowatt/hour in early April 2009, the first such increase
approved by state utility regulators in eleven years.
ENA's parent company, Inter RAO UES, decided on Monday to replace
ENA's longtime chief executive, Yevgeny Gladunchik, by another Russian
official. An Armenian pro-opposition newspaper claimed the next day
that Gladunchik will return to Russia because an ind ependent audit of
ENA books uncovered large-scale financial abuses.
Armenia -- Yevgeny Gladunchik, former CEO of the Electricity Networks
of Armenia.
An Inter RAO UES spokesman, Nikolay Gorelov, flatly denied this,
however, saying that Gladunchik was promoted to a higher company
position in Moscow. `If a person does a bad job, he can't be
promoted,' he told RFE/RL's Armenian service. `On the contrary,
[Gladunchik] has achieved big successes, as a result of which Inter
RAO UES decided to transfer him to its head office.'
Armenian electricity tariffs have remained largely stable despite a
steady rise in the price of Russian natural gas supplied to
Armenia. It is used for generating roughly one-third of the country's
electricity.
The gas price rose by 14 percent in 2009 and by another 17 percent, to
$180 per thousand cubic meters, in April 2010. The Russian monopoly
Gazprom plans to raise it further starting for next April.
The Armenian government said late last month that it still hopes to
prevent the price hike. But in an interview with the German magazine
`Der Spiegel' this week, Gazprom chief Alexei Miller insisted that the
gas tariff for Armenia will reach a `market-based' level in the near
future.
Gazprom currently sells gas to Europe at an average of $300 per
thousand cubic meters.
The increased cost of the gas, the main source of winter heating for
Armenians, has caused gas consumption in the country to fall at an
annual rate of about 20 percent since 2008. Analysts say it will dip
further if Gazprom presses ahead with its plans.
A Gazprom spokeswoman, Olga Moreva, made clear on Tuesday that this
will not deter the state-owned conglomerate. `The only thing we take
into account is the oil basket peg,' Moreva told RFE/RL's Armenian
service. `We set prices for our consumers abroad on the basis of
that.'
Council Of Europe Official Concerned About Jailed Armenian
Oppositionists
Armenia -- Opposition supporters demonstrate during a visit to Yerevan
by Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human
rights, 18Jan2011.
18.01.2011
Ruzanna Stepanian
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human
rights, expressed concern about the continuing imprisonment of
Armenian opposition members on Tuesday as he began a fact-finding
visit to Yerevan.
Hammarberg held separate meetings with Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian, opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, human rights
campaigners and representatives of Armenia's leading media
associations on the first day of the three-day trip. He is also
scheduled to meet with President Serzh Sarkisian, other senior
government officials and leaders of the political parties represented
in the Armenian parliament.
The discussions were expected to focus on the Armenian authorities'
human rights record and, in particular, their compliance with
resolutions adopted by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly
(PACE) following their 2008 post-election crackdown on the
Ter-Petrosian-led opposition. The PACE demanded the release of all
oppositionists arrested on `seemingly artificial or politically
motivated charges' and an objective inquiry into the March 2008 deadly
clashes in Yerevan.
`Of course, I think it's a problem that there are still people
imprisoned because of what happened in March 2008,' Hammarberg told
RFE/RL's Armenian service, referring to about a dozen Ter-Petrosian
loyalists remaining behind bars.
Hammarberg planned to meet some of those oppositionists as well as
relatives of people killed during the unrest. `We are concerned about
the fact that ten people were killed during the demonstrations and so
far no one has been held to account for that,' he said.
Several dozen supporters of Ter-Petrosian's Armenian National Congress
(HAK) demonstrated outside a Yerevan hotel where the Council of Europe
official spoke with local human rights activists. Holding banners and
chanting `Freedom!' they demanded that the Council of Europe exert
stronger pressure on Yerevan.
`We want our brother Hammarberg, if he is our brother, to demand
legitimate governance from these authorities in accordance with
principles accepted in Europe,' said one protester.
Ter-Petrosian has repeatedly accused the Council of Europe and the
West in general of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in
Armenia for geopolitical reasons. He has said Western powers do not
want to undercut a government which they hope will solve Armenia's
disputes with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
The HAK's central office coordinator, Levon Zurabian, claimed that the
Council of Europe and the European Union are now running out of
patience with the Sarkisian administration because it has still not
complied with the PACE resolutions. `We can say that the international
community is again becoming active on this issue,' he told RFE/RL's
Armenian service.
Hammarberg was cautious in assessing that compliance, though. He said
he will draw conclusions only after the trip.
Greece, Armenia Slam Turkey
Greece -- President Karolos Papoulias (L) greets his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Athens, 18Jan2010.
18.01.2011
Presidents Karolos Papoulias of Greece and Serzh Sarkisian of Armenia
strongly criticized Turkey as they met in Athens on Tuesday.
Papoulias told Sarkisian that the two nations were `butchered' by
their common arch-foe in their past. `We were butchered by the same
barbarian,' he said, according to the AFP news agency.
Papoulias added that `many things have changed' since the early 20th
century when the killings of Armenians and Black Sea Greeks in the
Ottoman Empire occurred, and criticized a decades-old arms race with
Ankara that has cost Athens billions of euros.
`If we did not have the economic burden of arms balance we would not
need the International Monetary Fund," 81-year-old Papoulias said. `We
give the most money in NATO for armament, this is unfair for a people
that is peaceful,' he added.
Sarkisian, for his part, again blamed Ankara for the collapse of the
Western-backed Turkish-Armenian agreements that envisaged the
normalization of bilateral ties.
He also said Athens and Yerevan support Turkey's membership in the
European Union so long as it addresses its troubled past and forges
`civilized partnership with neighbors.' `When Turkey meets European
standards, we will have a more predictable neighbor,' he said.
The Armenian leader criticized Ankara's stance on the Turkish-Armenian
normalization in even stronger terms as he addressed the parliament of
Cyprus on Monday. He proceeded to the Greek capital on a state visit
the next day.
One of the agreements signed during Sarkisian's trip to Athens calls
for continued cooperation between the Armenian and Greek defense
ministries. Sarkisian stressed the importance of that agreement at his
joint news conference with Papoulias.
Armenian `Oligarchs' Sue Opposition Paper
Armenia -- Ruben Hayrapetian, one of three businessmen who have taken
legal action against "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily.
18.01.2011
Irina Hovhannisyan
Three of Armenia's wealthiest government-connected businessmen have
filed a libel lawsuit against a pro-opposition daily that implicated
them in criminal activity in Russia, it emerged on Tuesday.
The legal action stems from a report that was published by the
`Haykakan Zhamanak' daily in October and based on claims made by Smbat
Karakhanian, a Moscow-based Armenian opposition figure.
Karakhanian was quoted as alleging that Russian authorities suspect
eight senior Armenian officials and businessmen, including President
Serzh Sarkisian, of involvement in drug trafficking, money laundering
and other grave crimes committed in Russia. Russian officials never
confirmed that.
Three of the implicated `oligarchs' -- Samvel Aleksanian, Ruben
Hayrapetian and Levon Sargsian -- are now seeking a combined 7.5
million drams ($20,500) in compensatory damagers for what they say are
false claims amounting to defamation of character.
`After we published that report they demanded a refutation,' said Anna
Hakobian, the `Haykakan Zhamanak' publisher. `In a manner defined by
law, our editor-in-chief Nikol Pashinian replied to them with a letter
that presented the grounds on which the refutation will not be
published.'
`The grounds were that our source is confirming that such a
conversation took place and that these names do figure [in Russian
criminal cases,]' Hakobian told RFE/RL's Armenian service. He pointed
to a follow-up interview with Karakhanian that appeared in the paper
later in October.
None of the plaintiffs could be reached for comment. All three men
holding seats in Armenia's parliament have long faced opposition media
allegations of illegal activity, electoral fraud and violence against
government critics. Sargsian is particularly notorious for reportedly
violent conduct.
Armenia's best selling daily, `Haykakan Zhamanak' is known for its
hard-hitting coverage of successive governments and strong support for
the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK). Its editor, Nikol
Pashinian, was one of the main speakers at anti-government rallies
staged by HAK leader Levon Ter-Petrosian following the February 2008
presidential election. Pashinian is currently serving a highly
controversial prison sentence for his alleged role in deadly
post-election violence in Yerevan.
The paper was already taken to court and fined 3.6 million drams in
late 2009 for alleging that former President Robert Kocharian's
younger son, Levon, provoked a drunken brawl in the United Arab
Emirates.
`This is yet another step against the newspaper, the instruments of
which are now oligarchs,' Hakobian said, commenting on the latest
libel suit. `If some people think they can make `Haykakan Zhamanak'
cave in by initiating such a lawsuit against the newspaper and turning
oligarchs against us ... I can guarantee that they won't achieve
anything.'
Press Review
18.01.2011
Lragir.am tries to explain why former President Robert Kocharian would
want to return to the political arena. `One factor is a lust for
power,' writes the online journal. `The guy just doesn't want to be
far away from real power and is trying to come back as soon as
possible. Another factor could be a sense of responsibility for the
country. He [presumably] sees that Serzh Sarkisian is unable to govern
efficiently, that there are problems on the domestic and external
fronts, dangers hanging over state interests -- and regards the main
opposition also as a danger -- and is therefore trying to return and
rectify the situation. And finally, it could be that Robert Kocharian
is simply concerned about his future.' Kocharian may be worried that
Sarkisian could eventually `sacrifice' him, speculates the paper.
`Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun' says that the Armenian authorities are
doing everything to prevent civic and other non-governmental
organizations from achieving any results. `Therefore, both our
analysts and individuals coming up with civic initiatives must admit
that solutions to all problems in Armenia hinge on one very important
issue: the formation of a legitimate government,' the pro-opposition
daily says, attacking those intellectuals who do not want to openly
support the opposition. Their `neutrality' plays into the regime's
hands and delays solutions to problems facing the country. `One must
not be afraid of having political views because that is the
constitutional right of all citizens and not just a privilege of
politicians,' it says.
`Hraparak' comments on nationwide rallies organized by businessman and
politician Tigran Karapetian, whose ALM television will be taken off
the air this week. `One can certainly argue over the numbers [of rally
participants,] but the fact is that ALM has surprised us with its
street activity,' editorializes the paper. `It's not that people are
eager to see ALM remain on air. It's just that the extent of public
disaffection is so great that anyone can now get people to take to the
streets.'
Interviewed by `Hayots Ashkhar,' a spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh
President Bako Sahakian seeks to disprove Freedom House claims that
Karabakh is `not free' anymore. Davit Babayan specifically dismisses
the New York-based group's argument that none of the parties that
contest the last Karabakh parliamentary elections is in opposition to
the Stepanakert government. Babayan argues that the Karabakh
authorities did not prevent anyone from contesting the polls which he
says were free and fair. There are simply no parties opposed to them
at present, he says.
But as Gegham Baghdasarian, a former Karabakh parliamentarian, tells
`Aravot,' the Freedom House characterizations are not quite
unfounded. `There were fantastic conditions for our development and
you have to be inept to achieve such results from that starting
point,' he says.
(Aghasi Yenokian)
Reprinted on ANN/Groong with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2011 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
From: A. Papazian