Gagrule.net

Gagrule.net News, Views, Interviews worldwide

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • GagruleLive
  • Armenia profile

Bulgaria president arrives in Armenia

February 11, 2018 By administrator

Bulgaria president arrives in Armenia

Bulgaria president arrives in Armenia

YEREVAN. – The airplane of the Bulgarian president Rumen Radev has landed in Yerevan.

The President was welcomed by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. Rumen Radev arriived in Armenia on a state visit at the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

Within the framework of his visit, the President of the Republic of Bulgaria is due to meet with the leadership of the Republic of Armenia – the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister. President Rumen Radev will also be hosted by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. After the meeting with His Holiness, the President of Bulgaria will call at the Mother Cathedral and the Treasury.

At the end of the Armenian-Bulgarian top-level talks in the residence of the President of Armenia, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Rumen Radev will sum up the results of their meeting before the media.

The Presidents will then attend a document signing ceremony, at which several documents will be signed aimed at expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation between Armenia and Bulgaria.

In the framework of his visit, the President of Bulgaria will call at Matenadaran, the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and Secondary School N131 in Yerevan named after Peyo Yavorov.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Armenia, arrives, Bulgaria, president

Bulgarian president planning state visit to Armenia

February 10, 2018 By administrator

Official press release by the office of President of Armenia

On February 11, President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev will arrive in Armenia on a State visit at the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan.Within the framework of his visit, the President of the Republic of Bulgaria is due to meet with the leadership of the Republic of Armenia – the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister. President Rumen Radev will also be hosted by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. After the meeting with His Holiness, the President of Bulgaria will call at the Mother Cathedral and the Treasury.

At the end of the Armenian-Bulgarian top-level talks in the residence of the President of Armenia, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Rumen Radev will sum up the results of their meeting before the media.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Armenia, Bulgarian, president, visit

It would be insulting for Armenian people to make unilateral concessions to establish relations with Turkey

January 24, 2018 By administrator

It would be insulting for the Armenian people to make unilateral concessions to establish relations with Turkey, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said at the PACE winter session on Wednesday commenting on the question over the Armenian-Turkish relations.

“We do not understand well the demand of the Turkish side to do something. In 2008, after I got elected, I initiated the publicizing of the Armenian-Turkish relations, as a result of which a meeting was held between the Armenian and Turkish presidents,” he said.

The president reminded that Armenia and Turkey signed two documents on establishment of relations between the two countries in Zurich, Switzerland in 2009 at the presence of the foreign ministers of permanent members of the UN Security Council.

“Those documents clearly stated that these relations are to be established without any preconditions, but unfortunately the Turkish side has continued to come up with preconditions. In the international experience we have not come across similar examples, all terms are negotiated before signing a document. Nine years down the road we keep hearing from the Turkish side about allegedly taking a step. While the document very clearly states that the relations are to be established after which all the existing wrinkles between the two countries should be discussed,” Mr Sargsyan said.

Serzh Sargsyan stressed Armenia can never accept any preconditions.

“Turkey is a powerful state indeed, it has enormous potential, but this does not mean Turkey should speak from the position of power or in the language of preconditions. We do not accept such a stance,” he stressed.

The president observed that there are more powerful states with larger population than Turkey, adding if they spoke from the position of power with Turkey, the latter would never accept such an attitude.

“It would be insulting for our people to make unilateral concessions to establish relations [with Turkey,” he stressed.

Serzh Sargsyan once again announced that the Armenia-Turkey Protocols will be voided by Armenia before spring, urging Turkey to abandon its policies.

“I believe it would be appropriate and correct for the Turkish side to give up such a position and its support for Azerbaijan to maintain the fragile stability in the region. I want to remind that during the hostilities in April 2016 Turkey was the only state to publically voice support for Azerbaijan’s military actions,” he said.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Armenian, PACE, president

Armenian President Nominates Ex-PM As His Successor

January 19, 2018 By administrator

Former Armenian Prime Minister Armen Sarkisian (pictured here with Britain’s Prince Charles on the left) is currently Yerevan’s ambassador to London. (file photo)

YEREVAN — Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has named former Prime Minister Armen Sarkisian as the ruling Republican Party’s nomination for the next president.

Armen Sarkisian, who is no relation to the outgoing president, was Armenia’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 when he resigned from the post because of a respiratory illness.

He currently is Armenia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and, in accordance with recent constitutional reforms regarding the presidency, is not a member of any political party.

President Sarkisian, who heads the Republican Party, announced the nomination on January 19.

Earlier in January, President Sarkisian said the Republican Party’s candidate should be a person who is not involved in politics and is highly regarded by Armenian society.

Following a referendum in December 2015, Armenia changed its form of government from a semipresidential to a parliamentary republic.

As a result, presidential veto powers are being stripped from the post and the presidency is being downgraded to a figurehead position elected by parliament every seven years rather than a direct popular vote.

The constitutional reforms coming into effect also limit an Armenian president to a single seven-year term.

Sceptics see the constitutional reforms as a way for incumbent President Sarkisian to maintain political control in Armenia by becoming prime minister when the mandate for his second five-year presidential term expires on April 9.

Armenia’s Republican Party controls a simple majority in Yerevan’s 113-seat, single-chamber legislature and is expected to approve President Sarkisian’s nominee in an early March vote.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Armen Sarkisian, new, president

Stella Kyriakides of Cyprus elected new PACE president

October 11, 2017 By administrator

Stella Kyriakides (Cyprus, EPP/CD) has been elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe following the resignation of Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) on 6 October 2017.

She obtained a large majority over the other candidate, Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD), in the third round of voting. She will remain in office until the opening of the next ordinary session (Strasbourg, 22-26 January 2018), the Assembly’s website reprts.

Kyriakides will be the 30th President of PACE since 1949, the first Cypriot, and the third woman to take up the post.

“This election comes during extraordinary times for this Assembly, times that have seen our credibility and integrity questioned. Times that have led to the often wrong type of publicity for the work done in this Assembly, leading to the questioning of the principles of transparency and integrity of the institutions of the Council of Europe. These are challenges and responsibilities for us all. But mostly, for myself as a newly elected President of this Assembly,” said Ms Kyriakides.

“My decision to run for the Presidency stemmed solely from my firm belief in the Parliamentary Assembly, in democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and my passion to work tirelessly. Today you have given me the opportunity, with the trust you have placed in me, to work towards these. In the upcoming few months my priority is to bring about calmness, consensus, credibility and unity. To work tirelessly and openly against corruption. To raise the bar so that we all follow the same principles and code of ethics. To do this, I will need the support of all political groups, of the Secretary General and the staff of the Council of Europe. Because this is why we are all here,” she concluded.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Cyprus, PACE, president, Stella Kyriakides

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in tense election for new president

October 10, 2017 By administrator

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is holding a third round of voting today to elect a new president with an intense competition between the proposed candidates Stella Kyriakides (Cyprus, EPP/CD) and Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD).

“The Armenian delegation gives preference to the candidate from Cyprus as an objective and impartial MP. The outcome of the previous two rounds of voting showed that Kyriakides has a greater chance,” head of the Armenian delegation to PACE told Panorama.am.

None of the candidates receives unilateral support from the EPP/CD as well. According to some news, the Azerbaijani and Turkish delegations voice support to Zingeris. The voting results will be announced today.

To note, none of the candidates received an absolute majority of the votes as a result of the second round of voting held on Monday. Stella Kyriakides gained 121 votes and Emanuelis Zingeris – 69 votes.

A candidate is required to receive 152 votes for absolute majority.

 

Source Panorama.am

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Election, PACE, president

Turkey’s pervasive president may be wearing out his welcome

July 28, 2017 By administrator

Turkey's pervasive presidentBy Pinar Tremblay

Celebrities sometimes suffer the consequences of overexposure, when their audiences turn away, tired of seeing them everywhere. Turkey’s ubiquitous president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appears to be feeling the effects of something similar: Erdogan fatigue.

Erdogan watches public opinion polls closely. His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) routinely employs polling agencies to check the pulse of the nation, particularly those who identify with the party: That’s one of the reasons why Erdogan has been able to claim and supposedly sustain his popularity. These polls are usually just for party insiders’ eyes. However, in mid-July, Nuray Babacan from the daily newspaper Hurriyet reported that the results of two polls conducted after the April 16 constitutional referendum were leaked to the press.

One of the polls was about AKP voters’ choice on the April 16 referendum, which greatly expanded the powers of the presidency. The poll showed that about 4% to 12% of the AKP base voted against the referendum. Also, Erdogan’s fear of losing the youth vote was real: Only 35% of the AKP youth voted for the constitutional amendments.

The overall results of the April 16 referendum weren’t pleasant for Erdogan, either; his dubious victory came with a significant loss of major cities, including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Out of 30 major cities, 17 voted no. Also, about 60% of first-time voters voted no. The long-dreaded truth has become clear: Erdogan lost the support of urban youth between the ages of 16 and 25.

The second poll aimed to compare the main opposition party’s 25-day-long Justice March to the 2013 Gezi Park protests. About 60% of the overall population and 35% of AKP voters said they supported the Republican People’s Party march, which ended earlier this month, and about 25% of AKP voters said they had no opinion.

Even more worrisome for Erdogan is that 76% of the population polled doesn’t trust the justice system.

Hence, on May 30, after becoming AKP chairman once again, Erdogan said, “We will review and update all our provincial organizations in the cities, districts and villages because there is a metal fatigue that we need to [overcome]. We have to get ready for the 2019 elections with more dynamic and hardworking teams.”

The strongest response to Erdogan’s words came from Temel Karamollaoglu, chairman of the Islamist Felicity Party. Karamollaoglu said changing the cadres of the AKP will be useless as long as the mentality — the fatigued metal — does not change.

Is it fair for one man to claim a victory as his own accomplishment while blaming the loss on the party? Since the end of May, Erdogan has used various opportunities to tell AKP members to be ready for a shakeup. Meanwhile, pro-AKP columnists keep busy explaining ways to overcome this exhaustion.

Yet, is altering the party ranks sufficient to shake off the exhaustion? The Cabinet was shuffled recently, but it didn’t cause much excitement. People know well that Cabinet members, the prime minister or senior bureaucrats are only a means to serve Erdogan’s agenda — or as it is commonly referred to in Ankara, the palace’s wishes. So, are the party cadres really the problem, or is the entire country feeling Erdogan fatigue?

The phrase “Erdogan fatigue” has been used now and then since he became president in 2014, after serving as prime minister since 2003. It’s unlikely that any political leader who serves longer than a decade will have consistently high popularity ratings. It’s normal for people to demand new figures in politics.

No one is mentioning potential challengers to Erdogan for the 2019 elections; still, Turks are increasingly exhausted by Erdogan’s omnipresence. The AKP’s leaked post-referendum polls are one indication. Another came during late-night ceremonies marking the one-year anniversary of the failed coup July 15. Before mobile phone users could make calls, they were subjected to a 16-second automated anniversary statement from Erdogan, prompting an outburst by annoyed social media users. As emergency law becomes the new normal in Turkey, with arbitrary acts by law enforcement and courts, people are growing weary.

Plus, political snitching is encouraged and surveillance of ordinary people is becoming common in Turkey. For example, the AKP’s Istanbul metropolitan municipality will start a program in that requires all taxis to have audio and visual recordings of passengers. As public discontent increases, so does the surveillance.

When faced with criticism, Erdogan is not known to avoid confrontation. To the contrary, his popularity once thrived on displays of angry outbursts and macho tantrums. Yet, the returns on Erdogan’s anger are diminishing. So another reason for Erdogan fatigue is the high cost Turks have accrued due to unsuccessful policies. This is most visible on the international front, where hiding facts may not be so easy for the AKP government.

For example, the EU Parliament has voted to suspend Turkey’s accession talks. Germany and Greece are only a few of the countries that refuse to extradite Turkish soldiers and other alleged coup participants. Even though Turkey is a fellow NATO member, Germany is not only relocating its troops from Incirlik air base to Jordan; it just warned its citizens against traveling and investing in Turkey. After Turkey suffered sanctions for shooting down a Russian jet, Erdogan took numerous measures to make amends, but he still hasn’t even managed to get Moscow’s permission to resume tomato exports to Russia. The financial and human cost of Turkish involvement in Syria is still unknown. Despite all promises about drying mother’s tears, Erdogan has failed to provide a sustainable peace with the Kurds. Plus, he wasn’t able to convince the United States to stop providing military aid to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units in Syria.

There is no credible data to compile a complete picture of Turkish gains and losses. But, given that Turkey ranks sixth in the world in number of diplomatic missions abroad, Turkish foreign policy has not been able to deliver most of its stated goals. To the contrary, just the above-mentioned few facts cost various segments of Turkish society dearly, from farming to hospitality industries. As Turkey’s credibility in the international realm melts like ice cubes in the desert, Turks find it rather difficult to blame anyone but Erdogan.

As for domestic politics, just looking at the wild and generous promises Erdogan made before the April 16 referendum is sufficient to see how big the disappointment must be for those who supported him. Erdogan promised the world to his voters if the referendum passed. Now, however, with a razor-thin and contested victory, the only promise is an intra-party shakeup.

A seasoned pro-AKP communications scholar told Al-Monitor, “Backbiting has reached its peak in AKP ranks after the July 15 coup. Loyalty to Erdogan is the foremost important criteria for survival.” Some people are very unhappy “despite cushy jobs in government.”

The scholar added, “However, they cannot leave. Any resignation or firing right now means you are marked as a Gulen movement supporter [and therefore part of the coup attempt]. No one can afford that. Yet, ‘yes men’ do not help produce sound policies. They are only good to generate save-the-day sound bites. This leads to an extremely lonely Erdogan, without access to wise guidance or opportunity to see his errors.”

Given all his fears, we can only expect Erdogan to keep increasing the pressure on any critic, domestic or international.

Erdogan gained and sustained his popularity to an extent by projecting the image of an underdog. He has situated himself and his Islamist movement as victims of a staunchly secularist system. Yet, this routine has been wearing thin for quite some time. Erdogan has proved that he can flip-flop on his promises and most endearing commitments — as he did with Israel over the Gaza flotilla dispute. Abuse of state power as well as increasing nepotism are only a few of the mounting problems adding to Erdogan fatigue.

Most people in Turkey are tired of listening to Erdogan’s undeliverable promises and angry rhetoric. Yet, when you turn off the television or the internet, he appears on your phone at midnight. The fatigue cycle continues.

Tremblay is a columnist for Al-Monitor’s Turkey Pulse and a visiting scholar of political science at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is a columnist for Turkish news outlet T24. Her articles have appeared in Time, New

 

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: pervasive, president, Turkey's

Nagorno-Karabakh elections: Major parties endorse incumbent president

July 3, 2017 By administrator

The major political parties in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) have decided to back the incumbent president in the election scheduled later this month.  

Members of the ruling Free Fatherland party unanimously agreed at a recent board meeting to endorse Bako Sahakyan as their favored candidate. “We haven’t considered any other candidacy. The 77-member board voted in favor of proposing Bako Sahakyan’s candidacy as a president,” Atur Sahakyan, the leader of Fatherland faction in Nagorno-Karabakh’s National Assembly, told Tert.am.
The country’s top legislative body will be conducting a voting in three weeks to elect the president of the transitional period. Nagorno-Karabakh adopted the presidential model in the wake of the February 20 constitutional referendum. Under the new legislation, a president elected by the National Assembly will govern the country in the coming three years.

 

Sahakyan receives support also by the Artsakh Democratic Party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D).

 

Asked why the political forces’ choice focused on the incumbent, Tovmasyan replied, “He is the best – politically and in all other respects.  We have practically no discontent when it comes to his personality. I would like recognized countries too, to have presidents like him.”

Under procedures enshrined in the country’s new Constitution, Sahakyan’s candidacy will be nominated at a National Assembly session which will later conduct a voting to approve the proposal. All the three political forces enjoy a majority of votes at in country’s chief lawmaking body.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Election, Karabakh, president

Yelk bloc: Clear roadmap necessary for removing Armenian president

July 3, 2017 By administrator

Lawmaker from Yelk bloc has said that a certain roadmap is necessary for removing president Serzh Sargsyan and ruling Republican party of Armenia (RPA) from power and promised that the alliance will publish the formula as soon as it finds it.

Yelk bloc declared earlier that it will do its best to prevent president Sargsyan from becoming prime minister in 2018. Another opposition party, Heritage has said it’s bracing for a velvet regime change.

Commenting on Heritage’s calls for joining forces, the MP said a certain roadmap is necessary to achieve their goal.

“They treat the people as a bunch of objects and tell them to take to the streets and fight, and then abandon them for some reason,” RFE/RL Armenian Service cited Mirzoyan as saying.

“We need a clear roadmap of what we’re going to do after launching our struggle.”

According to him, the bloc has never said they will submit a proposal by all means.

“Whenever we find a formula for removing Serzh Sargsyan from power, we’ll publish it, because openness and transparency are the fundamental principles of our activity,” the lawmaker added.

Related links:

RFE/RL Armenian Service. Japan PM’s party suffers historic defeat in Tokyo poll, popular governor wins big

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: president, roadmap, yelk

Kazakh president starts official visit to Armenia

June 14, 2017 By administrator

The president of Kazakhstan on Wednesday started his two-day official visit to Armenia.

Arriving at the Zvartnots International Airport, Emomali Rahmon  was greeted by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The presidential press service said earlier that the Kazakh leader is scheduled to have meetings with top government officials in the course of the visit.

After high-level talks at the Presidential Palace in Yerevan, the Armenian and Kazakh leaders will join a ceremony of signing bilateral interstate documents.

They will later hold a joint press conference to sum up the meeting.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Armenia, Kazakh, president, visit

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 10
  • 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