Police Clear Yerevan Streets of Protesters

22 YEARS The Noah’s Ark #33 (1073) 14 September 2015 Published Since 1993 Weekly Newspaper HIGHLIGHTS ÜáÛÛ³Ý î³å³Ý ß³μ³Ã³Ã»ñÃ (³Ý·É. / ýñ³Ýë.) Police clear Yerevan streets of protesters see page 3 In This Issue U.S. 'deeply troubled' by Noyan Tapan Video Studio Armenian-Azeri escalation p.4 is offering professional video and photography for indoor Armenian PM wants and outdoor events such as weddings, birthday parties, more tourists from Russia p.6 official events, seminars and conferences. Tel: 060 27 64 62 Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan 0009 Brazil Marks its 193rd Independence Day p.p.10-13 Armenian FM: Noyan Tapan Printing House Azerbaijan continues to jeopardize is offering coloured and black and white offset and digital conflict resolution process p.13 printing of books, brochures, booklets, journals, etc with high quality and low prices Tel: 060 27 64 62 Pope Francis remembers Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan 0009 Armenian 'Christian Martyrs' p.16 14 September #33 (1073) 2015 2 www.nt.am The Noyan Tapan Highlights POLITICS Armenian Foreign Armenian President receives President Minister starts of JSC Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov visit to London President Serzh Sargsyan received on September 10 Oleg Belozerov, the Within the framework of an official newly-appointed president of JSC visit to the United Kingdom, Armenian Russian Railways which has assumed the Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had trust management of the Armenian rail- a meeting with Philip Hammond, UK way. Armenia's president congratulated Secretary of State for Foreign & him on his appointment, wished him suc- Commonwealth Affairs. The avenues for cess and expressed the hope that Mr. the expansion of cooperation in different Belozerov will use his professional expe- spheres were discussed. rience and organizational skills to strengthen allied partnership between aimed at the development of the railway Armenia and Russia. infrastructure in Armenia and the The president attached importance to increase of its security level. promoting close multi-sectoral coopera- Oleg Belozerov assured the Armenian tion, e.g. transport, to develop and rein- president that he will continue the good force inter-state relations, and expressed traditions of effective joint working and his confidence that under the leadership will maintain and develop the positive of new President Sergey Valko, South dynamics of improving Armenia's rail- Caucasus Railway CJSC will continue to way infrastructure, in which his compa- consistently implement the works out- ny, according to him, is greatly interested lined in the concession agreement, there- and has clearly-defined projects. The Ministers referred to Armenia-EU by maintaining close cooperation on the At the meeting, the interlocutors relations, the steps toward creating new implementation of promising and mutu- touched upon the works carried out hith- legal framework for cooperation. ally beneficial projects. erto aimed at the modernization of the The interlocutors exchanged views on President Serzh Sargsyan thanked the Armenian railway, its technical re-equip- the situation in the Middle East, the Syrian General Director of South Caucasus ment and at the increase of its security crisis and the ways of its resolution, the Railway CJSC, Victor Rebets, on the end level, as well as discussed the current international community's fight against of his tenure and for his constructive and programs, the existing problems and terrorism and the agreements on Iran's effective work during his time in office development prospects. nuclear program. Minister Nalbandian briefed his British counterpart on the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Issues of border security Genocide. In this context the Armenian FM expressed gratitude to for co-author- to be discussed at CSTO summit: ing the Resolution on the Prevention of Armenian Deputy FM Genocide submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in March. "The Eurasian Economic Union is a we have agreements with." Minister Nalbandin had a working din- purely economic structure and has noth- The Deputy Foreign Minister stressed ner with UK's Minister for Europe David ing to do with security. Therefore, no that the settlement of the Karabakh con- Lidington. The parties referred to issue of border security can be dis- flict proceeds within the framework of Armenian-British relations, Armenia-EU cussed," Armenian Deputy Foreign the OSCE Minsk Group. He said cooperation, the Ukrainian crisis and the Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told progress is absent because Azerbaijan ways of its settlement, and a number of reporters on September 10. He added that puts the emphasis on issues favorable to other issues on international agenda. the issue will be raised at the forthcoming itself. "There will be no progress unless The interlocutors discussed the ways CSTO summit on September 15. Azerbaijan changes its behavior, while of solving the regional conflicts. Minister Does Armenia expect concrete speaking about unilateral concessions is Nalbandian presented the joint efforts of actions from the CSTO? Shavarsh simply strange." Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co- Kocharyan said that we "first and fore- Referring to reports on the expected Chairs toward the peaceful settlement of most rely upon ourselves on issue of our visit of Crimean leader Sergey Aksenev the Karabakh conflict. David Lidington security and defense." to Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan assured of his country's commitment to the "We should understand that if a coun- declared that "the Armenian Foreign activity of the OSCE Minsk Group Co- try relies upon others, the outcome may Ministry has not sent any official invita- Chairs. be sad," he said. He added, however, that tion to the leadership of Crimea, but Minister Nalbandian also gave an "the role of any country is important to added that "any person with a Russian extended interview to the BBC. us, and this first of all refers to countries passport is free to visit Armenia." 14 September #33 (1073) 2015 POLITICS The Noyan Tapan Highlights www.nt.am 3 Police clear Yerevan streets of protesters electricity prices. Police units cleared Marshal Bagramyan Avenue 30 minutes after the expiry of a police ultimatum that was issued to the protesters late on Friday. The national police service said the protest is illegal and can therefore be broken up. Colonel Valery Osipyan, a deputy chief of Yerevan's police department, reit- erated this warning before security forces swept aside several dozen activists who remained at the blocked section of the avenue early in the morning. They did not use batons, water cannons or other riot gear. "Policemen, stay calm," Osipyan repeatedly shouted through a megaphone as his officers dragged away activists. Most of the protesters appeared to be Hundreds of mostly young people re- of riot police at an avenue section that detained on the spot. Those included occupied a central Yerevan avenue and was the scene of a two-week standoff leaders of the No To Plunder movement faced off with riot police late on Friday in between youth activists and security that resumed this month its vocal cam- renewed protests against the recent forces in late June and early July. They paign against the more than 17 percent increase in electricity prices in Armenia. sat on the ground after failing to break electricity price rise. The protesters blocked a section of through the police cordon. Some of them Rima Sargsyan was apparently the the Marshal Bagramyan Avenue leading danced and sang songs in scenes reminis- only No To Plunder leader to avoid arrest. to the presidential palace after their lead- cent of the summer protests dubbed She condemned the police actions. ers accused the Armenian government of "Electric Yerevan." Several protesters suffered minor reneging on its pledge to fully subsidize Senior police officers urged the crowd injuries during the crackdown. the tariffs. to unblock the street, saying that the Ambulance cars were on hand to provide No To Plunder, a youth group that demonstration was not sanctioned by them with first medical assistance. organized the protest, argued that the municipal authorities and can be forcibly Traffic through the avenue resumed temporary subsidy does not cover the broken up. But the police did not imme- moments later, after a police water can- vast majority of businesses and other cor- diately act on those threats. non washed the site of the overnight porate consumers. It also claimed that The protesters, for their part, protest. even households in some Armenian remained defiant, with Sargsian saying The same street section was the scene regions are being forced to pay more for that they will not disperse until their of bigger nonstop protests against the electricity. demands are met by the Sargsyan admin- price hike in late June. They forced "This is obvious fraud. All govern- istration. The youth leader acknowledged President Serzh Sargsyan to promise that ment statements suggest that electricity that No To Plunder has attracted fewer his government will subsidize the tariffs will very soon become more expensive demonstrators this time around. He said pending an international audit of for all of us," one of the group's leaders, he hopes that more Armenians will join Armenia's loss-making power distribu- Maxim Sargsyan, said at a rally held in the protest later in the evening. tion network. Yerevan's Liberty Square earlier in the In a quick pre-dawn operation, riot No To Plunder decided to resume evening. police dispersed on Saturday youth protests after the government made clear Sargsyan said No To Plunder is there- activists blocking a major street in central last month that the subsidy will apply fore demanding that the Armenian Yerevan to demand that the Armenian only to households and some small busi- authorities formally and fully scrap the authorities formally annul a recent rise in nesses.

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