2021 December 24

Daily news wrap-up

Dec/24/2021: Pashinyan reveals details from Karabakh negotiation process | 2011 Kazan | 2013-2015 escalation | 2016 war and the "deal" for Serj | UN Security Council | Border demarcation, trade route, enclaves __ Parliament chamber for diasporans? __ Covid vaccine stats __ Agricultural insurance
by ar_david_hh

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This is your 16-minute Friday report in 4115 words.

Pashinyan about the Nagorno Karabakh negotiation process and the "diplomatic disaster" of 2016:

Throughout the negotiation process, NK has never been viewed as a territory where only Armenians would live. The issue of the Azeri population has been part of the negotiations.

The referendum was never going to be held according to our liking, but even if it were, NK's Azeri population would also take part. Now the question is, would the Azeris of NK, in their turn, be allowed to [break away from NK via a similar process]. What would happen if that question was raised? These are not abstract questions. It's based on the nuances of what was on the negotiation table, which has never been discussed in public.

Today we hear voices, thoughts, and cherrypicked sentences that, in fact, have nothing to do with the package of negotiations that we had as of 2018.

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3 packages were offered in 2016, and for the first time since 2011, NK's interim status was not part of it. Sure, NK would have a legislature, judiciary, etc. But no one is mentioning that the issue of clarifying NK's interim status, according to that negotiation logic, was transferred to the UN Security Council. What is the problem with that?

Throughout the entire negotiation process, Armenia attempted to keep the final resolution within the OSCE Minsk Group framework. In 2016 the parameters to solve the issue were transferred to the UN Security Council.

Pay attention to Levon Ter-Petrosyan's 2017 interview to H1. He mentions that the international community will decide NK's status.

[What decision would the UN Security Council make?] The question is, part of which country will NK remain before its final status is resolved? When it's the UN Security Council handling it, the outcome is very predictable, because in 1993 they adopted a resolution stating that NK is part of Azerbaijan and that they recognize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

This is the 2016 disaster. Under this logic, NK's final resolution must be handled per the Azerbaijani constitution.

Reporter: NK has never been part of independent Azerbaijan. Are you saying the UN Security Council accepts NK as part of Azerbaijan?

Pashinyan: Yes. The documents are open for everyone to read.

Reporter: what happened between 2016-2018, and after 2018?

Pashinyan: Serj Sargsyan revealed that the negotiation process didn't inspire hope, more specifically it had been suspended, because Azerbaijan's expectations were unrealistic and unacceptable for us.

Reporter: is the issue about UN Security Council still on the table?

Pashinyan: there are OSCE meetings to continue the negotiations. After the war, we must develop an agenda. Co-chairs proposed one that is acceptable to us.

Pashinyan about 2011-2016 process getting progressively worse for Armenia:

Kazan documents were quite good for us, and they included an interim status for NK. Armenia went to sign it. Azerbaijan refused, and started purchasing lots of weapons instead.

In 2013 Azerbaijan escalates the conflict. In 2014 the conflict deepens. We start to see the first signs of OSCE pressuring Armenia to reject interim status for NK, but Armenia refuses. Military clashes get worse in 2015.

And in January of 2016, OSCE officially present a new package to Armenia, which officially excludes NK's interim status. This was January. Armenia refuses. The war begins in April. OSCE makes a similar proposal in July. Armenia rejects again. In August the OSCE presents a new and disastrous document about the UN Security Council that I spoke about.

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Serj could have avoided the 2016 war had he at least responded with a more flexible "okay I'll think about it" when pressured about removing NK's interim status in January. They had experienced diplomats.

After the April 2016 war, an event was held in Sayat Nova (Ararat) dedicated to disabled people. I was invited. Arkadiy Ter-Tadevosyan (General Komandos) was also there. I offered him a ride to Yerevan. During the trip, I asked for his opinion as an army expert about the 2016 war. He believed it wasn't a real war but rather a "test" before a big war.

Serj could have stopped the war in 2016 under the same conditions that I was facing in 2020.

Serj was offered a better deal, actually. If you compare January 2016 (no interim) to August 2016 (no interim, plus UN Sec Con.), he had a better deal in front of him. But it was dragged to the point that Serj declared that the negotiation process was suspended because Azerbaijan's stance was unacceptable for us.

Could I stop the war? Yes, by accepting whatever Serj referred to as "unacceptable for Armenia".

This is a legitimate complaint against me. In hindsight, I should have analyzed the situation and told the public that we needed to make all those concessions. But I wasn't sure at that time that that would be the right decision, because the army at the time was reporting that we would be capable of standing our ground per "not one inch back" principle. Had I known, I would have handled it differently. The same about 2016. Serj could have prevented the war. //

https://youtu.be/kS9Nr9oGpkM https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071665.html https://factor.am/458080.html https://youtu.be/BORnU8FjP20

Tags: #KarabakhNegotiations #KarabakhConflict

Pashinyan: there won't be any communication route without border checks and customs procedures

Pashinyan: under no circumstances will Armenia agree to provide a road to Azerbaijan without customs inspections and customs duty. In Sochi and Brussels, we agreed to build railways.

Publicly voiced positions are the tip of the iceberg, but there are other reasons and issues behind our positions. Aliyev and I tried to delve deeper into the issue. I saw some opportunities for reaching agreements here as well. But we do not have any agreement on this, I just saw some opportunities after that meeting, we should try to use the opportunities to find a real compromise solution to this issue, which does not cross the red lines I have already mentioned about the [vehicle highway] roads.

The road that Azerbaijan gains to Nakhijevan isn't just for Azerbaijan. We view it as an international cargo route. It has to be appealing to international players so it can bring revenues to Armenia. We need not only North-South but also East-West.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071651.html https://youtu.be/cSLL1Co4txw

Pashinyan about the safety of cargo transfers:

If Armenian cargo doesn't travel through Azerbaijan, the Azeri cargo won't travel through Armenia. There won't be transfers without security measures.

It won't make sense to build a railway and not use it. Why would you make large investments? [Railway is expected to cost very approximately $1B for Azerbaijan and $200M for Armenia.]

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071654.html

Pashinyan about a possible peace agreement with Azerbaijan:

Armenia is interested in signing a peace treaty. OSCE Minsk Group recently proposed a Karabakh negotiation agenda, one of the points of which was the issue of a peaceful and comprehensive settlement. We have never and will never refuse to discuss that.

You cannot open a peaceful era without a peace agreement. We need a comprehensive resolution. The purpose of negotiations is to eventually have a peace agreement.

There is propaganda and constant attempts to create the impression that the Armenian government is against border demarcation and delimitation. Armenia supports a peace agreement and a comprehensive resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071656.html

Pashinyan about Azerbaijan's possible membership in EAEU trade bloc:

[Will Armenia veto?]

If we see a general normalization of relations, it is a topic that we will take seriously. Our stance will depend on our conversation. If it is a step that will contribute to peaceful era, settlement of Artsakh issue, the possibility of compromises, etc. The EAEU membership topic is in the general context of these issues.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071657.html

Pashinyan about the results of the first 3+2 platform meeting in Moscow:

It left a positive impression. They discussed technical and organizational issues on how often to meet, what to discuss, etc. The 3+2 corresponds to our position that Armenia wants to participate in regional talks.

If we already hold talks with Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, and will soon hold talks with Turkey separately, it wouldn't make sense not to talk within 3+2. So far we have an understanding that 3+2 won't be used to discuss topics that are already being discussed as part of other platforms [i.e. OSCE for Karabakh].

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071659.html

Pashinyan about relations with Turkey & Azerbaijan:

Unreasonable optimism should not be expressed over discussions with Turkey and Azerbaijan, as there is no basis for that optimism, but the parties express a desire to discuss, talk, try to create a basis for optimism. We are ready to pursue that path.

Armenia and Turkey have appointed special envoys. The first meeting has not been scheduled yet, but I hope it will take place soon. There are talks about reopening air and railway communication. Our expectation is the normalization of relations but this is a complex and sensitive problem. The emotions are high in Armenia.

We are ready to normalize relations without preconditions. The recognition of the Armenian Genocide has never been a precondition for normalizing relations and opening borders. Our stance remains the same regarding the issue of international recognition of the Genocide.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071660.html

Pashinyan about a need to reroute Kirants-Voskepar Tavush road after border demarcation:

[It's about a section that's similar to the southern Syunik road that was recently replaced with a new road that doesn't cross the border.]

We are discussing which maps to use for the border delimitation. We are meticulously examining maps from different years to see where our roads cross the border. We are examining various scenarios.

For example, per the 1975 map, 90% of Berkaber village's arable lands are currently under Azeri control. A very large part of Vazashen village land is under Azeri control since the 1990s. Most of Paravakar's arable lands are also under Azeri control.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071662.html

Pashinyan believes the Armenia-Azerbaijan enclaves were formed "illegally"

Pashinyan: we have not found a legal basis for the existence of enclaves. In my previous interviews, I spoke about what a "map" is. You can draw anything, but it has to have a legal basis. We have already studied all the possible documents in the past year. So far we haven't found a legal basis for them.

[Pashinyan earlier said they are discussing the possibility of each country keeping the "enclaves" that are in its territory.]

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071663.html

Pashinyan about returning two Azeri soldiers "without anything in return":

Armenia is not "dealing" with people. Armenia demonstrated full adherence to international norms by returning two border-crossing Azeris.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071652.html

Pashinyan and Aliyev will meet on December 28

Pashinyan: there will be contact with Aliyev during the December 28 CIS conference in St. Petersbourg. It's not an official two-way meeting, but there will be contact.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071653.html

Pashinyan about Parliamentary vs Presidential system:

President Armen Sarkissian believes that Armenia should switch to a presidential system, but I believe that Parliamentary is better.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071666.html

Pashinyan about the politicization of university leadership:

Events in 2020 proved that we did not "hijack" universities with our party members. But it turns out that 90% of universities were secretly already politicized.

During the most difficult times for our state, the universities threw themselves into the arms of the former regime, thinking that our government will soon collapse and they could return to the 2000s.

Today, when MOD Suren Papikyan is the chairman of the YSU council, he is there to ensure the non-partisanship of universities. Many people were given a chance to change but did not use it. We are entering university councils to ensure the principle of non-partisanship.

Diplomats also stabbed us in the back during the crucial time. They gave me written reports around topics, then publicly claimed they were unaware of those topics while holding the opposition's flag during the June elections.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071668.html

TASS: Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society members met in Moscow for the first time since the 2020 war

It was a tripartite meeting organized by Kremlin.

https://tass.ru/politika/13295399 https://factor.am/457995.html

anti-corruption: former mayor of Armavir is found guilty of voter bribery to help Serj-Vanetsyan alliance in June 20 elections

Prosecutors report: PU alliance ballot's #16 candidate was the former Armavir mayor R. Khlghatyan. He reached an agreement with a resident to distribute bribes to over 147 residents to help the PU alliance.

The ex-mayor went to the accomplice's home and gave him ֏9M to be distributed as a bribe. The house was raided by police during the transaction. [NSO cough Pegasus cough]

The ex-mayor and his accomplice plead guilty. We decided to downgrade their arrest to bail.

The court gave a guilty verdict on Thursday. They were sentenced to 4 years, but it was replaced with 5-year probation.

The ֏9M bribe money was confiscated and deposited to state coffers. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071617.html

Diaspora Office chief Sinanyan details the efforts to repatriate Armenian experts, and programs to make diasporans play a more active role:

database of volunteer experts

A database was created as part of a program to map the diaspora's potential. It includes the names of those who can contribute to the development of various sectors in Armenia. For years we've wondered what diaspora's true potential is. This program aims to answer that questions.

iGorts hires diasporans to help the government

50 experts arrived to volunteer in 2020. Over half of them have repatriated. 14 got a permanent job in state offices, including in management positions. Examples are the director of the National Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a deputy Economy Minister, organizers of Expo 2020 Dubai, etc. Another diasporan has moved to Artsakh and founded the "Hub Artsakh" organization.

Another 50 experts were invited this year. They are currently working in 26 various departments. This year we allowed them to work in more types of offices. They work in Science Committee, Finance Ministry, Constitutional Court, President's office, Artsakh government, etc.

The average age is 33.

Step Towards Home program

It launched in June and invited 400 diasporan teenagers from 24 countries. The goal is education and culture. They were enrolled in language, dance, and culture classes. Trips were organized to historical sites.

about complaints from diaspora about lack of cooperation

Reporter: some traditional diaspora representatives complain that the cooperation isn't as good after Diaspora Ministry was [converted as an office under executive branch]. They say they need better guidance from the Office on what to do.

Sinanyan: we can talk several hours around this topic, but I'll say this: There are such perceptions but it's not like they have ever received any serious guidance from Armenia in the past. Two things are happening:

1) After the war, some of the old traditional diasporan structures took a hostile stance towards Armenia and its government for political reasons. That is a big mistake and it harms our national interests. Some are playing into the hands of Turkish propaganda that's trying to poison Armenia-diaspora relations.

2) There is a "monopoly" status in regard to traditional diasporan structures. For decades they were the only ones cooperating with the government. We have a more open approach. We are open to cooperating with more diasporan structures. We are willing to work absolutely with everyone, including those that have a very critical stance towards Armenia and the government after 2018.

But they must accept that there won't be "monopolies". That "monopoly" status hasn't led to anything good. We should be united around the state. That state is in Armenia, and not diaspora. We need to work together for Armenia.

expanding Diaspora Office with the appointment of foreign commissioners

[It's about recruiting local activists around the world who know how their system works to help with promoting stuff.] Our office is very small to cooperate with 7 million diaspora, so we need to expand.

This program is new so we have not yet made appointments, but there are candidates. We are currently in the process of planning how to geographically divide countries to achieve our goal.

make the diasporans' voices heard in Armenia

One option is to have a two-chamber parliament, with one being a Diaspora Consultative Chamber. The options are yet to be discussed in Armenia. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. There are working models around the world. There are various options.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071563.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071567.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071569.html https://factor.am/457643.html

Tags: #diaspora

the goal is to increase the share of processing industry in GDP to 15% by 2026

Economy Ministry: we're developing a strategy for the development of 5 priority industrial sectors. They are diamond & jewelry, light & heavy industries, machinery, and pharma.

There will be subsidy/leasing support programs for each sector. New technologies will be introduced in the heavy industry to increase automation.

💎 🙌 diamond industry 💎 🙌

Armenia has always had potential in the diamond field. Up until 2003 we had growth in diamond processing and export. The numbers began to gradually drop due to unfavorable import conditions. Last week the government decided to form Hay Almast state company to aid the diamond industry.

Hay Almast will sign contracts with Russian "Alrusa" and "Gokhran" companies to import raw materials for Armenian producers. Individual Armenian firms have difficulty signing long-term contracts with Russian firms. I believe we will see rapid growth in the industry after this.

Our goal is to bring the processing industry's GDP share to at least 15% by 2026.

As for pharma, this year we began producing the Sputnik Lite vaccine. This is one of the first steps towards developing local pharma and exports. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071574.html https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/rcqlsz/dec92021_expolice_chief_gasparyan_family_charged/

Armenia will choose a "Best Employer of the Year" starting next year

A memorandum was signed today between government agencies and worker's unions to launch a new annual initiative to choose the best employer of the year, starting 2022. Top-10 rating list will be created.

Inspection agency: we travel a lot and penalize companies for breaking rules but we want to encourage the good ones, too.

The criteria will be developed in 1H2022. It'll take into account violations, complaints, physical working conditions, retraining programs, safety rules, and positive measures taken by the employer to protect worker rights.

The labor shortage and competition have contributed to a significant change in the mindset of employers. They don't want to exploit their workers. It's better to keep workers healthy and happy to maintain productivity. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071598.html

Russia wishes peace and patience to Armenia and Azerbaijan

Russian MFA: NK conflict is one of the most complex ones. I wish peace and patience to AM and AZ, as well as to all those experts who are working, including from the Russian side. Everything can be solved if all sides make maximum efforts. //

Spokeswoman Zakharova said the Brussels meeting further develops the trilateral agreements of Sochi. There are efforts to unblock communication routes and delimit the borders.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071606.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071615.html

Day-4: Armenian trucks cannot import/export products to Russia via land

The Upper Lars checkpoint between Georgia and Russia, more specifically the road that leads to it, has been closed for 4 days due to bad weather. Trucks are currently removing the snow. The cleanup process is slow because of snow landslide risk.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071623.html

temperature near Ashotsk (north) is expected to drop to -34C (-29F) on Friday

Remember to use only wooden spoons outdoors.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071634.html

what's the status of the agricultural insurance industry?

In 2019 the government decided to give subsidies to farmers to help insure their crops.

Economy Ministry: we're ending 2021 with an increased activity compared to 2020. There were more contracts, more types of crops, more insured lands:

2020: 2,300 hectares | 1,546 contracts

2021: 5,830 hectares | 4,300 contracts

The types of crops that are covered by insurance went from 2 to 11. This year the insurance expanded to cover all provinces.

This year the three insurance firms collected ֏475M from farmers and paid ֏320M in compensation. The [loss ratio] was 67%, which is great because we were expecting to reach that level in 2023.

This is still a pilot program. In the near future we plan to expand the types of crops that are covered. //

More: https://youtu.be/anJMzZZhVXE https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071614.html

United States sanctions Ilham Aliyev's associates over corruption

The targets are the former energy minister of Malta and the former chief of staff of Malta's premier. The report does not mention Aliyev.

You may remember the Maltan journalist who was assassinated in 2017. She was investigating the two aforementioned individuals, among others. Wikileaks and Panama Papers had revealed corruption schemes between Azerbaijan's SOCAR and Maltan officials.

More: https://www.state.gov/public-designation-of-former-maltese-public-officials-konrad-mizzi-and-keith-schembri-due-to-involvement-in-significant-corruption/ https://factor.am/457823.html

prosecutors want Dilijan National Park to restore state ownership of some lands

Prosecutors examined land transaction records and discovered that between 2006-2015, several companies signed contracts with Dilijan park to receive pieces of land for construction projects, but the lands weren't used as intended. Prosecutors want the park to return the lands to the state.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071590.html

Artsakh will not reduce the number of non-working holidays

Armenia recently adopted a law to make January 2-6 working days "to help the economy". Artsakh initially planned the same but had a change of heart. December 31 to January 7 will be non-working days.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071641.html

PHOTO: recovering soldiers presented their handicraft during an annual exhibition

The Homeland Defender Rehabilitation Center organized an annual exhibition to present the latest art by veterans. The proceeds will go to the rehabilitation center.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071646.html

COVID stats

6.2k tested. 135 infected. 407 healed. 3 deaths.

==Shirak province stats: vaccination rate is still low, but it's rising

27% is fully vaccinated. 39% have taken at least one dose.

95% of government, medical, and school workers.

dozens of thousands of unused expired vaccines had to be thrown away

Ministry: Some AstraZeneca and Moderna shots had to be purged. Covid vaccines have a shorter lifespan compared to measles and flu vaccines that can last 1-2 years.

Covid vaccine lifespan has improved from 1 to 9 months since its creation. A lot depends on how fast the vaccine is shipped to the country after it's manufactured.

In April-May, we received AstraZeneca vaccines as a gift but the demand wasn't high enough to use all of them within the 1-month expiration date. 27,000 shots had to be purged. You need to gather 10 people for the vaccine. It should be used within 6 hours of opening the vial. The leftover must be purged.

About as many Moderna shots were purged after the November 28 expiration date.

Moderna is kept at -20C in the main storage. Once you transfer it to clinics, it's kept at +2C to +8C, but you cannot bring it down to -20C again. We had to use it or throw it within 30 days.

EU has extended Moderna's lifespan by 2 months, to 8. Pfizer and Sputnik have also extended lifespans. They are studying how effective the vaccine's protection will be after six months if the expiration date is extended.

not so fast, says Healthcare Ministry after Constitutional Court ruling

The top court ruled yesterday that the Ministry has no authority to require unvaccinated workers to pay for PCR tests out of pocket.

Ministry official: the ruling does not require the state or employer to pay for the PCR test. The unvaccinated workers are still expected to submit PCR results. The part about "worker pays for PCR" was struck down, but the employer or other individuals can pay for it. //

In other news, the Parliament recently approved a law to allow employers to fire unvaccinated workers who refuse to present PCR results.

flu is sending people to hospitals

There are more emergency calls and hospitalizations relating to acute respiratory infections. It's especially active in Yerevan and the northern provinces.

Doctors are recording a 2x increase from last year. There is an increase in the <4 and 5-14 age groups.

Influenza A (H3) variant is circulating and has resulted in the hospitalization of dozens of pregnant women in the past 4 weeks.

Healthcare Ministry: take your seasonal flu vaccine, limit the contact with individuals who have symptoms, stay home if you're sick, don't treat yourself with antibiotics at home, wear warm clothes, etc.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071586.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071605.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071640.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071592.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071600.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071629.html

today in history

1914: soldiers pause hostilities during WW1 to celebrate Christmas

1951: Libya declares independence from UK and France

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071571.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agulis_massacre

top-10 bestseller children's book in Noyember

5) Tom & Jerry, by Hovhannes Tumanyan

4) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

3) Շաղգամը, by Atabek Khnkoyan

2) kolobok

1) Ով է ապրում տնակում, by Vladimir Suteev

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071580.html

interview with High-Tech Minister Khachaturyan | State venture fund for startups | Economic Complexity Index | Retraining experts | Military drones & weapons made in Armenia

English: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/rnbl08/interview_with_hightech_minister_khachaturyan/

Russian: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArmDailyReports_RUS_/comments/rni1bt/интервью_с_министром_высоких_технологий/

end of report

The accused are innocent unless proven guilty in the court of law, even if they "appear" guilty.

News archive: http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Daily_Anti-Corruption_Reports

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/rnvx18/dec242021_pashinyan_reveals_details_from_karabakh/