Gagrule.net

Gagrule.net News, Views, Interviews worldwide

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • GagruleLive
  • Armenia profile

Moscow ‘angered’ by new Armenian government’s actions against ex-officials – paper

August 2, 2018 By administrator

The new Armenian authorities’ actions against former government officials have driven a wedge between Moscow and Yerevan, threatening a deepening spat between the two strategic allies, the Russian Kommersant reports.

In an analytical article commenting upon the recent developments in the country, the paper addresses particularly the prosecution of Yuri Khchatrov, the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) secretary-general, describing the criminal case against him as a major blow to the intergovernmental military alliance’s reputation.

“The Kremlin does not rule out the possibility that another country’s representative may take over the CSTO’s management. What’s even more, it [the criminal proceeding] calls into question the [$]100 million worth weapons supply deal for Armenia,” the paper says, citing top managers of two Russian major arms industry companies

Noting that Khachaturov was released on bail shortly after his arrest ruling last week (unlike Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia, also indicted on similar charges), the paper further says that Yerevan had not given an earlier warning to its partners in the CSTO of the possibility of such criminal cases.Sources close to the Organization reportedly told the paper that “non-regional players” may have their hand in the matter.

Khachaturov’s attorney, Mihran Poghosyan, is quoted as telling RIA Noosti that he has personally submitted a motion to the Special Investigative Service of Armenia, requesting consent to permit his client’s departure from the country “as the head of an important international organization”. But the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Tigran Balayan, told Kommersant that “Yerevan has already sent a request to the CSTO Secretariat for initiating a process for replacing Khachaturov.” Representatives from the CSTO’s central office, however, say they haven’t so far received any document from Yerevan.

Khachaturov’s possible replacement is unlikely to be on the agenda until November 8, the date when the CSTO’s top body, the Collective Security Council, convenes its regular meeting, bringing together the leaders of all the member states.

Citing its sources from different Russian government agencies, the paper says that no automatic procedure is going to be applied for appointing the Armenian candidate. A source close to the Russian presidential administration said the Armenian authorities’ steps “tremendously harm the Organization’s reputation” and reportedly expressed a strong surprise that they  “have not so far developed the proper understanding of the situation”. If no candidate from Armenia is appointed, Belarus will be the next country in alphabetical order to nominate a candidate to head the organization, says the paper.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Angered, Moscow

Moscow Kremlin hopes everything in Yerevan stays within the law

April 18, 2018 By administrator

Kremlin follows the events happening in Armenia with the hope that the actions stay peaceful and within the law in the country. This statement was announced by the spokesman of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov.

“We are following everything that is happening in Armenia. Most importantly we hope that everything stays within the law”, said Peskov as reported by RIA Novosti.

Peskov also reminded that the Russian president Vladimir Putin had earlier sent a congratulatory message to the newly elected Prime Minister of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. “Later in the evening, Putin had a telephone call with Sargsyan and congratulated him for being elected as a Prime Minister. Undoubtedly they have exchanged opinions”, said Peskov.

The President of Russia and the Armenian Prime Minister expressed mutual willingness to continue investing efforts in the reinforcement of the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership as well as towards promotion of the integration processes.

Meanwhile the demonstrations of opposition against Armenian Prime Minister continue in the center of Yerevan.

Related links:

Ria.ru. В Кремле следят за ситуацией в Армении

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: kremlin, Moscow, Protest

Russia: Snow Apocalypse in Moscow: Power Outage, Flight Delays, Casualties

February 4, 2018 By administrator

Snow Apocalypse in Moscow

Snow Apocalypse in Moscow

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Heavy wet snow and strong wind have hit Moscow for the second day in a row, resulting in damage to power lines and trees, hazardous driving conditions, delays of dozens of flights, as well as casualties.

Earlier in the day, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that on Saturday one person was killed and several others were injured after a tree fell and electric power lines had been damaged due to the natural disaster.

“According to the preliminary data, five people have already been injured. Be careful, forecasts say the weather will worsen,” Sobyanin wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Pyotr Biryukov, Moscow deputy mayor for housing, utilities and amenities, told reporters on Sunday, that around 370 trees had fallen in the city.

The Russian capital’s emergencies services have sent out warnings to the city residents about the weather situation, Biryukov noted, calling on the residents to follow the recommendations of the authorities to ensure their own safety.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Apocalypse, Moscow, snow

Moscow Exchange to start trading Armenian dram till 2020

October 9, 2017 By administrator

The Moscow Exchange plans to start trading the Armenian dram against the Russian rouble till 2020, Dmitri Piskulov, the Head of currency market development at the exchange told Vedomositi newspaper.

According to the source, the Moscow Exchange is gradually expanding a list of currencies it trades, to include national currencies of Vietnam, Iran as well as Turkish lira in 2018.

Piskulov said the decision to start trading new currencies is driven by the market demand, the economic relations and the political process with the respective states.

The exchange, previously known as Micex-RTS, now trades the Russian rouble against the dollar, the euro, the British pound, the Swiss franc, the on-shore and off-shore Chinese yuan, the Belarussian rouble and the Kazakh tenge.

 

Source Panorama.am

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Armenian, dram, Moscow, trading

Armenia joins Moscow International Army Games

July 24, 2017 By administrator

The second International Army Games taking place in Russia’s capital, Moscow, have attracted a 1,238 military personnel from 22 countries, including Armenia, Lenta.ru reports, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.

This year’s annual event is set to take place from July 29 until August 12. Some 22 polygons of Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and China have been selected as training sites.

The participant countries’ teams (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Serbia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, South-African Republic) have been moved to the playgrounds for field competitions (Tank Biathlon, Reconnaissance, Military Medical Relay Race etc).

 

The second International Army Games were held between June 30 and August 13, 2016.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: armey, Games, Moscow

Moscow Lavrov-Tillerson meeting round-up

April 13, 2017 By administrator

Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

Talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson turned out to be frank and extensive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following their meeting, TASS reports.

“We held talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, we have just had a long, two-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” he said. “The talks turned out to be frank and extensive, we covered the entire range of key issues concerning our bilateral relations and cooperation on the global level,” the Russian top diplomat added.

“We have agreed that the current stage in our relations regarding the global agenda is not calm, to say the least,” Lavrov said.

“We have numerous problems, including those, which were left as action-delayed mines from the previous US administration, which was the (ex-President Barack) Obama administration,” Lavrov said.

“We are being realistic and realize that in order to overcome such obstacles we will need to imply weighty efforts on condition that our US colleagues will meet them,” Lavrov said adding that it was a fact, reiterated by Russian President Putin on Wednesday.

“I am confident that the long hours Rex Tillerson and I spent today eye to eye with each other and together with the Russian president, were not in vain,” Lavrov said. “We now understand each other better. I hope that these contacts will continue, involving not only us but also our personnel and personnel of other Russian and US state bodies,” Lavrov added.

“As for my impression from the talks, taking into account all the current issues, both objective and artificial, the possibilities for cooperation remain open,” Lavrov said. “Russia is ready for that, ready for dialogue with the US in various spheres, and not only for dialogue but also for joint activities in both countries’ interest. Of course, we expect the United States to respond in kind.”

Rex Tillerson said both the United States and Russia believe in a unified and stable Syria and want to deny a safe haven to terrorists.

“We both believe in a unified and stable Syria and we agree we want to deny a safe haven to terrorists who want to attack both of our countries,” Tillerson said.

Washington has no evidence that Russia was involved in the suspected chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib. “We have no firm information to indicate that there was any involvement by Russian forces into this attack,” he said. “What we do know and we have very firm and high confidence in our conclusions that the attack was planned and carried out by the regime forces at the direction of Bashar al-Assad,” Tillerson added.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Lavrov-Tillerson, Moscow

Moscow Weighs in on Armenian Politics

April 1, 2017 By administrator

Summary

In a year of consequential elections, an impending parliamentary vote in Armenia could shake up the country’s political order. When Armenians head to the polls April 2, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), will find itself facing unusually stiff competition from the new alliances and political parties that emerged during the campaign. The elections, moreover, will mark the first vote since Armenia adopted a constitutional framework. This will see a transition from incumbent President Serzh Sarkisian — now entering his final year in office — to a prime minister chosen by parliamentary majority. But the country’s voters and politicians will not be the only ones watching the results with interest. For Russia, Armenia’s main economic and military partner, the elections offer an opportunity to advance its agenda in the country, not only through the ruling party, but also with the opposition.

Analysis

Compared with past races, the playing field for this election is more crowded, and competitive, than usual. Five parties and four political blocs are vying for parliamentary seats. Even so, the ruling party is polling ahead of its opponents, as it has in the past four elections. (The latest polls project that the RPA will get around 30 percent of the vote.) One of the reasons behind the party’s enduring popularity, despite the current administration’s middling approval ratings, is its new face, Karen Karapetyan, who was appointed prime minister last September as part of the RPA’s pre-election rebrand. Karapetyan is arguably the most popular figure in Sarkisian’s administration, which has weathered its share of political upheaval over the past year. Since taking office, the new prime minister has worked to improve his party’s image with voters by ousting prominent members — among them former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan — whose questionable business dealings had tarnished their reputations.

The RPA Gets a Run for Its Money

Opposition parties, meanwhile, have been busy making deals and forging alliances to shore up their prospects ahead of the elections. Traditional parties such as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Free Democrats Party are each poised to win up to 5 percent of the vote. Combined with a few emerging parties, the opposition groups could give the RPA a run for its money. On Feb. 13, Seyran Ohanyan and two former foreign ministers announced that they had formed a new political alliance. Ohanyan, who left his post as Armenia’s defense minister in October 2016 after eight years, is one of the most trusted figures in the country. Having turned down several job offers from Sarkisian, he is now trying to establish himself as a critic of and alternative to the current administration.

So far, though, his bloc is only polling at about 2.5 percent. To boost its numbers, it considered joining forces with Gagik Tsarukyan, one of Armenia’s wealthiest citizens and the founder of the Prosperous Armenia Party. Tsarukyan announced in mid-January that he would be returning to politics. Less than a month later, he was elected chairman of the Prosperous Armenia Party — the country’s second-largest opposition party — and head of its political council. Prosperous Armenia, which has strong support among poor Armenians thanks in large part to Tsarukyan’s philanthropic work, is currently polling at 28 percent, making it the RPA’s most serious challenger in the parliamentary vote.

A Win-Win for Moscow

But no matter which party comes out on top, Russia can’t lose. Karapetyan, Ohanyan and Tsarukyan alike all have close ties with Moscow, whether through business contacts or personal relationships with high-ranking Russian politicians. The prime minister, for example, has ties with several influential figures in Moscow and, as a former executive of the company’s Armenian branch, a deep rapport with Gazprom. These relationships are an asset for Russia: The country has a vested interest in the upcoming election, since the party that emerges victorious will have the most say over Armenia’s foreign policy. And because the RPA is leading the polls, Moscow isn’t worried about keeping anti-Russian parties from taking over. Instead, it is focused on promoting alternative pro-Russian politicians who could eventually challenge Sarkisian or his successor (probably Karapetyan) if necessary. The Kremlin hopes that a future administration of its engineering could quell persistent concerns in Armenia about Russia’s stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute and its arms deals with Azerbaijan.

In the meantime, however, Moscow will try to sow divisions in Sarkisian’s administration to exert its influence on Yerevan. Signs indicate that Russia holds considerable sway with Armenia’s foreign minister, Eduard Nalbanyan, through family contacts. But Nalbanyan’s ties with Moscow don’t sit well with the Defense Ministry, which has traditionally set Armenia’s policy over Nagorno-Karabakh and is reluctant to let an ally of the Kremlin lead negotiations over the dispute there. Rumor has it that the Defense Ministry has even taken over some of the Foreign Ministry’s traditional functions, such as meeting with foreign governments, as a result.

Russia will continue with its strategy to influence Armenian politics long after the upcoming parliamentary vote has passed. After all, having learned from Sarkisian’s government, which has resisted some aspects of the Kremlin’s agenda on Nagorno-Karabakh, Moscow understands the importance of having allies on all sides of the political spectrum that can pressure Armenia’s leaders when necessary.

Source: https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/moscow-weighs-armenian-politics

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Armenian, Election, Moscow

Moscow demands answers after Turkish Tyrant Erdogan vows to oust Assad

November 30, 2016 By administrator

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (File Photo: AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (File Photo: AFP)

The Kremlin on Wednesday demanded an explanation after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara intervened in Syria solely to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish forces are pressing on with a three month operation inside war-torn Syria in support of anti-Assad forces, while Russia is the chief ally of the Syrian president in the conflict that has claimed more than 300,000 lives since 2011.

Yet Turkey and Russia have also been working hard to improve relations after clinching a reconciliation deal in June to repair ties brought to a historic low by Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian jet in November 2015.

Erdogan had said Tuesday at a meeting in Istanbul in support of the Palestinians: “We went in there to put an end to the rule of the tyrant Assad who carries out state terror, not for anything else.”

His comments came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to meet Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu for talks in the Turkish resort of Alanya on Thursday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists he hoped that “clarification will come shortly from our Turkish partners”.

Peskov said Erdogan’s comment “really came as news,” adding that it “is not in harmony with previous statements” and “not in harmony with our understanding of the situation”.

Turkey is waging the operation inside Syria against Islamic State (IS) militants and also Kurdish militia to back pro-Ankara rebels, in an unprecedented military incursion.

There has so far been no indication of clashes with Assad’s forces in the operation or that Turkey plans any offensive against regime-held territory.

Russia has generally steered clear of any sharp criticism of the Turkish offensive.

But the Turkish army accused the Syrian regime last week of launching an airstrike that killed four Turkish soldiers in Syria, the first time it has made such a claim during the incursion.

Erdogan has repeatedly pushed for the ouster of Assad as the only solution to end the Syrian civil war and had, until recently, vehemently criticised Russia’s military support for his forces and even accused President Vladimir Putin of “war crimes”.

But since the deal to normalise ties between Turkey and Russia, Ankara has been remarkably muted in its criticism of Russia’s actions — in particular its backing for Assad forces in the battle for Aleppo.

Erdogan and Putin discussed the Syria conflict on Saturday by telephone for the second time in just over 24 hours.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/251103.aspx

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: assad, Erdogan, Moscow, Syria

Sargsyan’s direct message in Moscow: Issue cannot be resolved without Karabakh’s participation

August 11, 2016 By administrator

armenian-moscow-messageYEREVAN. – During the meeting with the Russian president in Moscow Armenian President sent a direct message that Karabakh issue cannot be resolved without participation of Stepanakert, Vice-Speaker of the Armenian parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters on Thursday.

According to him, Serzh Sargsyan delivered a number of important messages in Moscow. “Message number one – Azerbaijan distorts the essence of the Karabakh issue. The heart of the problem is not elimination of consequences- the issues of refugees and other issues, but the task number one is a full realization of the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for self-determination. That is, if we want to change the status quo, if we want lasting peace and stability in the region, then all parties, first and foremost, Azerbaijan, as well as the mediator countries, should realize that the Nagorno-Karabakh people should determine their own fate, there is no other option”, Sharmazanov emphasized.

He added that, unlike the president of Azerbaijan who said one thing at the negotiation table and another thing in Baku, Armenia President expressed the same thoughts in Yerevan and in Moscow: the referendum should be held and  Karabakh cannot be a part of Azerbaijan.

“In 1988, our people took to the streets for the sake of a fair fight.  And Armenia’s President showed in Moscow that the authorities will do everything possible to win in Karabakh fair fight”, Eduard Sharmazanov noted.

The second message of the Armenian President, in his opinion, was also directed to the President of Azerbaijan as the latter distorted the essence of the talks after the meeting in St. Petersburg, and “forgot” that trust mechanisms should be established.

“The president noted that the agreements reached in St. Petersburg and Vienna must be implemented. He emphasized that the Ceasefire Agreement of 1994 was tripartite. If we take the truce agreement as a basis, the number one matter is a format of the agreement which is broken today. That is, if we speak about the truce, then should remember that the truce was concluded by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh”, the Vice Speaker emphasized.

He also added that with readiness to execute all reached agreements, Armenian side also recorded that Armenia is reliable partner for the international community.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Armenia, Karabakh, Moscow, president

Ankara & Moscow from Shooting down Russian Jet to now uses Incirlik base

July 4, 2016 By administrator

Ankara MoscowTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says his country is open to allowing Russia to use the Incirlik Air Base in south-central Turkey to launch airstrikes against the positions of Daesh in Syria, as Ankara and Moscow further move to mend fences.

“We will cooperate with everybody who is fighting Daesh. Ankara has opened the Incirlik Air Base to all those wishing to join the active fight,” Cavusoglu said in an interview with the state-run TRT television network on Monday.

“Why not cooperate with Russia in the same manner? Turkey is ready for such cooperation. Terrorism is our common enemy. Joint efforts are important to avoid negative incidents,” the top Turkish diplomat said.

The Incirlik Air Base lies eight kilometers (five miles) north of the Turkish city of Adana near the border with Syria, and currently hosts military aircraft from the United States, Germany, Britain, Saudi Arabia as well as Qatar. The latter countries are involved in the US-led coalition that purports to be targeting Daesh targets inside Syria.

A crisis emerged in relations between the Ankara and Moscow after Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 fighter jet on November 24, 2015 as it was conducting an anti-Daesh mission in Syria. Turkey said the jet violated its airspace, a claim that Russia refuted.

One of the two pilots of the Russian jet — both of whom parachuted out of the aircraft — was killed by militants on the ground in Syria. The other was rescued.

Russia demanded an apology. Turkey refused, which plunged their relations into an abyss.

In late June, Russia said it had received a letter from the Turkish government in which the latter apologized for the incident. Although Ankara denied having offered an apology, saying that it had only “expressed regret” over the incident, the two sides have been engaged in efforts to normalize relations ever since.

The Russian and Turkish leaders talked on the phone, and the foreign ministers later met in person on July 1.

Russia has been carrying out an aerial campaign against militants in Syria since September 2015 on a request from the Syrian government. Moscow is currently using the Hmeimim military base in Latakia Province in northwestern Syria to launch the airstrikes in Syria.

There has been no official word from Moscow over the comments by Cavusoglu regarding Incirlik. The Turkish foreign minister did not specify whether the offer was an official one, and whether it had been conveyed to Moscow.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.

A ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia went into effect in Syria on February 27, but it does not apply to the Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups in the Arab country.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ankara, Jet Incirlik, Moscow

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Support Gagrule.net

Subscribe Free News & Update

Search

GagruleLive with Harut Sassounian

Can activist run a Government?

Wally Sarkeesian Interview Onnik Dinkjian and son

https://youtu.be/BiI8_TJzHEM

Khachic Moradian

https://youtu.be/-NkIYpCAIII
https://youtu.be/9_Xi7FA3tGQ
https://youtu.be/Arg8gAhcIb0
https://youtu.be/zzh-WpjGltY





gagrulenet Twitter-Timeline

Tweets by @gagrulenet

Archives

Books

Recent Posts

  • U.S. Judge Dismisses $500 Million Lawsuit By Azeri Lawyer Against ANCA & 29 Others
  • These Are the Social Security Offices Expected to Close This Year, Musk call SS Ponzi Scheme
  • Breaking News, Pashinyan regime has filed charges against public figure Edgar Ghazaryan,
  • ANCA’s Controversial Endorsement: Implications for Armenian Voters
  • (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, has invited Kurdish Leader Öcalan to the Parliament “Ask to end terrorism and dissolve the PKK.”

Recent Comments

  • administrator on Turkish Agent Pashinyan will not attend the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State
  • David on Turkish Agent Pashinyan will not attend the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State
  • Ara Arakelian on A democratic nation has been allowed to die – the UN has failed once more “Nagorno-Karabakh”
  • DV on A democratic nation has been allowed to die – the UN has failed once more “Nagorno-Karabakh”
  • Tavo on I’d call on the people of Syunik to arm themselves, and defend your country – Vazgen Manukyan

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in