- Russia’s largest telecommunications company sold off its Armenian subsidiary. The new Cyprus-based owner then said it plans to cede a 20% stake in the mobile network operator to the Armenian government.
- One of Armenia’s largest hydroelectric power plants came under new ownership two years ago. CivilNet broke the story this week.
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Armenia protest leaders call for acts of civil disobedience
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian Protesters from the “Tavush for the Motherland” movement gathered in Yerevan’s central Republic Square for a second evening after a day of marches and student boycotts. The demonstrators are demanding an immediate halt to ongoing work in Armenia’s bordering region of Tavush to legally define part of Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. The deal is expected to result in Armenia ceding control of four villages to Azerbaijan. At yesterday’s rally, the movement’s leader Archbishop of Tavush Bagrat Galstanyan also demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. More than 30,000 people attended yesterday’s rally, per the […]
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Unpacking The Tavush To Yerevan Protest Movement
In this episode of the Civilnet Podcast, host Patrick Elliott and Eric Hacopian unpack the protest movement led by archbishop Bagrat Srpazan Galstanyan, sparked by the delimitation agreement with Azerbaijan over sections of the border in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush region. They explore the movement, its leaders, their demands, as well as who is taking part and why, and finally analyze whether or not this movement poses a real threat to the current government.
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Stirrings of Solidarity: Assessing Protests and Demands in Georgia
On this week’s edition of Insights, Eric Hacopian discusses the latest anti-government protests in Georgia and what they mean for democracy in the region. He also analyzes new positive developments regarding the International Criminal Court case against Israel and what that means for Azerbaijan and the progress being made towards accountability. Eric also analyzes the implications of Hungary’s blocking of EU military aid to Armenia, and what Yerevan’s options are amid challenging geopolitical situations.
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LIVE BLOG: ‘Tavush for the Homeland’ protest in Yerevan
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian A protest march led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, which began Saturday from Kirants village in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush region, is culminating Thursday with a rally in Yerevan’s central Republic Square. The demonstrators are demanding the immediate halt to ongoing work in Tavush to legally define part of Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, which is expected to result in Armenia ceding control of four abandoned border villages to Azerbaijan. In addition to senior church leadership, a number of political groups opposed to the current government have lent their support to the protesters, who have dubbed themselves “Tavush for […]
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Anti-government protests grow in Armenia amid border deal with Azerbaijan
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian A second senior clergyman of the Armenian Apostolic Church has started a march to Yerevan in opposition to a controversial border delimitation deal with Azerbaijan. Protesters led by Mikael Adjapahyan, Archbishop of the northwestern Shirak region, left Gyumri today with plans to join Archbishop of Tavush Bagrat Galstanyan’s march as it approaches Yerevan. The Diocese of Artsakh, led by Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, has also encouraged its followers to join the marches. Upon reaching Yerevan, the protesters will rally at four in the afternoon in the city’s central Republic Square. Meanwhile, the border delimitation process they are […]
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Armenia hopes to normalize relations with Baku by November, says
By Mark Dovich Yerevan hopes to sign a normalization deal with Baku by November and expects steps in that direction at talks later this week in Kazakhstan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has indicated. “I share the idea of signing a peace agreement by November…and I hope that progress will be made at the upcoming meeting in Almaty,” Pashinyan told reporters during a lengthy and wide-ranging press conference in Yerevan Tuesday. November is the month Azerbaijan is set to host this year’s United Nations climate talks. That arrangement came about after Baku agreed last year to hand over nearly three […]