Tag Archives: Armenia

Kyrgyzstan and the Eurasian Union

DEC. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Alongside Armenia, Kyrgyzstan will finally join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union in 2015 despite few analysts deeming it ready or suited to full membership.

Bishkek will sign accession documents on Dec. 23, although it could be May before it adopts the protectionist taxes slapped on goods from outside the union, Kyrgyz PM Djoomart Otorbayev told journalists.

Eurasian Economic Union officials have even said they will allow Chinese goods “for domestic consumption” to enter Kyrgyzstan according to pre-existing Kyrgyz tariffs for an unspecified period of time, a concession that suggests other members view Kyrgyzstan’s membership as symbolic.

Kyrgyzstan first agreed in 2010 to enter a trade bloc with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan — the current members of the Customs Union which will morph into the Eurasian Economic Union next year — so it has been a long wait.

But Kyrgyzstan has an economy a tenth the size of Belarus’, an unresolved row over ownership of the Kumtor gold mine, its single largest industrial unit, and worries about rising inflation. This makes it a potential weak link.

Arkady Gladilov, editor of local analytical website polit.kg noted that Kyrgyzstan has had three prime ministers in the time it has been committed to joining the bloc. He said the government may have been dragging its feet over Eurasian Economic Union accession.

“Russia is facing a difficult time with sanctions, and Kyrgyzstan’s own picture is far from rosy. If I were them, I would probably do the same in their position,” he told the Conway Bulletin.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 212, published on Dec. 10 2014)

Armenia’s parliament approves EaEU

DEC. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a treaty to join the Russia- led Eurasian Economic Union in 2015. The vote rubber stamps earlier decisions taken by President Serzh Sargsyan. Alongside Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are members of the Customs Union which will morph into the Eurasian Economic Union in 2015.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 212, published on Dec. 10 2014)

Uruguay VP visits Armenia

DEC. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uruguay’s vice-president Danilo Astori visited Armenia, highlighting a little-known but important global relationship.

According to media reports of Mr Astori’s visit, Uruguay was the first country in the world to recognise the Armenian Genocide.

Armenia and Turkey have been rowing for decades over the death of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in eastern Turkey at the end of the First World War. Armenia has said that the deaths were part of an organised genocide by the Ottoman Turks. Turkey has said that the deaths were part of general fighting.

It remains a thorn in Armenia-Turkey relations and forms a major part of Armenia’s foreign policy.

Uruguayan officials were clear on the significance of the trip.

“The trip will have official status and will be important to strengthen the bonds of solidarity, fraternity and cooperation that unite the two countries for decades, when 1965 Uruguay became the first country in the world to recognise the Armenian Genocide and thus inaugurated a long list of agreements and acts of solidarity with the Armenian people that has continued to expand,” they said according to press reports.

The importance of this is that it underlines just how much emphasis Armenia puts on promoting the genocide.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 212, published on Dec. 10 2014)

Armenian lecturers quit

DEC. 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Roughly 120 university lecturers in Armenia born since 1974 have quit their jobs because of government plans to change the pension system, the London-based NGO Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) said. IWPR said this equalled about a quarter of the total number of university academics under the age of 45 in Armenia.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 211, published on Dec. 3 2014)

Bolivia passes Armenia genocide denial declaration

NOV. 26 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Bolivia’s parliament passed a law condemning denial of the alleged genocide of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago.

Although Bolivia hasn’t made genocide denial a crime, the statement will be seen as a diplomatic victory by Armenia. It has been locked in a long-running row with Turkey over the allegations of genocide. Turkey denies the allegations and says that Armenians died in confused fighting in eastern Turkey.

Media quoted the resolution passed by the Bolivian parliament as saying: “It declares its firm commitment to human rights, truth, justice, solidarity and condemnation against all denialist policy regarding the genocide and crimes against humanity suffered by the Armenian nation.”

The declaration may be clear but the motivation behind it is far less clear. Armenia and Bolivia haven’t particularly strong ties and it may simply be a piece of posturing by the Bolivian parliament. Still, Armenia is short of friends and happy to take any vote of support.

Turkish-Armenian relations also caught the attention of Pope Francis this week during his three-day trip to Turkey.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 211, published on Dec. 3 2014)

Lavash belongs to Armenia

NOV. 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural division, declared that lavash was a cultural icon belonging to Armenia. Lavash is a thin white bread used to wrap cheese, vegetable or meat. UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List, compiled since 2008, appears to delight and infuriate nations in equal measure.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 211, published on Dec. 3 2014)

Armenia returns dead servicemen

NOV. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia brought back the bodies of three crew members of a helicopter shot down by Azerbaijan earlier this month, media reported. The shooting down of the helicopter over the disputed region of Nagorno- Karabakh has heightened tension between the two neighbours.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Armenia to defend currency

NOV. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s Central Bank said it was prepared to spend millions of dollars propping up its currency, the dram, despite increased pressure to devalue.

Like other currencies across the South Caucasus and Central Asia region, falling oil prices and a devaluation in Russian rouble are pressuring the dram.

On Monday, Nov. 24, the dram was trading at 435 to $1, down 4% from Friday.

“The Central Bank reserves are enough to prevent any artificial fluctuations of the rate and secure financial stability,” the Central Bank said in a statement.

Perhaps but the warning signs are increasing and even the Central Bank’s statement smacks of desperation.

In the last three weeks, Reuters reported, the Armenian Central Bank has spent over $60m defending its currency.

Armenia is tied into Russia, politically, economically and emotionally. It has agreed to join the Kremlin’s Eurasian Economic Union in January and Russian business virtually runs the economy.

With oil prices and the rouble falling further it can only be a matter of time before currencies such as the dram also tumble again.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Azerbaijanis support shooting down of helicopter

BAKU/Azerbaijan, NOV. 26 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kamal Hasanov is the owner of small tea house in a back street of Baku. His thick eyebrows and grey hair make him appear older than his 42 years. As a war veteran he’s holds particularly strong views on the Armenian helicopter shot-down by Azerbaijan on November 12.

“My TV set here is always on,” he said. “We come together for every news bulletin to see what’s going in Garabagh (Azerbaijani new for the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh). The helicopter incident made us even angrier at Armenians. Why did they dare to fly over our territory? What’s there purpose? They well-deserved this lesson.”

Baku said the helicopter was probing Azerbaijani defences along the frontline, while Armenia insists it was on a training mission. The truth, as is usual around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, is hard to decipher but, wherever it lies, the incident has triggered one of the most serious crises between Azerbaijan and Armenia for years.

In Azerbaijan, there was an air of triumph. On social media some people changed their profile pictures to the photo of the officer who shot downed the helicopter.

Vahid Guliyev, 28, was drinking tea. He said that he was sorry for the incident and for the officers who died, but that it was the fault of the Armenian government. “Armenia should be more careful,” he said.

Gulzar Muradova, 54, said he hoped the incident would not provoke conflict. He said: “Armenia should consider that Azerbaijan’s military budget is growing but, of course, nobody wants war.”

However, some people are expecting Armenia to retaliate. Arzu Quliyeva, 34, said that even if Armenia decided to retaliate, was within its rights to shoot down the helicopter. He said: “Why should the helicopter come that close? Isn’t there enough space in Armenia for training sessions?”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Weak rouble hits Armenia wine

NOV. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The falling value of the Russian rouble is hitting vital wine exports to Russia, the head of the Armenian wine-making union, Avag Harutyunyan, told media. Russia is the biggest market for Armenian wine and brandy. Mr Harutyunyan said that Armenia would export 30% less wine this year than last year.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 209, published on Nov.19 2014)