Day: October 14, 2024
Yerevan celebrates its 2,806th birthday
By Sophie Holloway Yerevan celebrated its 2,806th birthday on Sunday. From 12am until 11pm, the…
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Armenia’s international legal representative refrains from commenting on the withdrawal
Yeghishe Kirakosyan, who represents Armenia’s government in international tribunals, declined to comment on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement about potentially withdrawing mutual claims from international courts as part of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. Kirakosyan assured reporters that no such withdrawal is currently under discussion, stating, “The cases continue to proceed, along with necessary procedural steps to ensure their examination.” Azerbaijan has been pushing for the withdrawal of legal claims as part of peace negotiations. Pashinyan recently suggested that Yerevan and Baku could withdraw their mutual claims from international courts once “real peace is achieved.” Kirakosyan declined to comment when […]
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A missed diplomatic opportunity at the OSCE: Armenia’s silence on
Op-ed by Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s former foreign minister (1998-2008) The annual OSCE Council of Ministers meeting serves as a unique platform for the foreign ministers of 57 member states to highlight national priorities, confront urgent regional issues, and shape international dialogue. For Armenia, this forum holds particular significance given the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the ongoing regional challenges it confronts. Unfortunately, the recent address by Armenia’s Foreign Minister at the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council in Malta represented a missed opportunity and a stark failure of leadership. The speech was characterized by a tone of appeasement and notable omissions on critical […]
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Public office, private gains: The controversial record of Yerevan’s mayor
By Tatev Baghdasaryan #DemocracyWatch A week ago, it was reported that last month, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan took off on a week-long official visit to Los Angeles, USA, accompanied by a delegation of nine people. To organize the trip, the Yerevan Municipality signed a direct, non-competitive procurement contract worth around USD 31,800 with Luxury Voyage LLC. The expenses included eight economy-class tickets totaling roughly USD 12,300, while Avinyan’s single business-class ticket cost an eye-watering USD 19,560. The Municipality has a history of engaging with Luxury Voyage LLC; records indicate at least seven transactions with that company during 2023-2024. These repeated […]
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Armenia’s anti-corruption efforts show limited progress, says watchdog
By Zhanna Avagyan Transparency International Armenia assessed the country’s anti-corruption efforts on International Anti-Corruption Day, pointing to stagnating reform progress and raising concerns about selective prosecution. Despite Armenia’s ambitious 2023-2026 Anti-Corruption Strategy, the organization notes that results remain disappointing. The country scored 47 points on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2023, showing minimal improvement from the previous year and marking a significant slowdown compared to the progress achieved in 2018-2019. The watchdog highlights several critical concerns. Most notably, there appears to be selective enforcement in corruption cases, with officials from the ruling Civil Contract party facing limited scrutiny despite […]
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Armenian universities remain under political control: Infocom’s investigation
By Lia Avagyan Despite promises to eliminate political influence from universities, Armenia’s government has maintained significant control over the country’s higher education institutions, an investigation by Infocom reveals. The investigation found that 8 out of 12 chairs of state university boards of trustees in Yerevan are political appointees, with three being ruling party members. This starkly contrasts with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s 2018 pledge that “no party member should have the right to be a university rector” and that universities should be “100% self-governing.” According to the investigation of the board members appointed by the Prime Minister: – 22% hold […]
