21 YEAR The #7 Noah’s Ark (1047) 16 February 2015 Published Since 1993 Weekly Newspaper HIGHLIGHTS ÜáÛÛ³Ý î³å³Ý ß³μ³Ã³Ã»ñà (³Ý·É. / ýñ³Ýë.) Serzh Sargsyan begins crackdown on Tsarukyan In a dramatic riposte to mounting the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) possibility of his prosecution on February pressure from Gagik Tsarukyan, leader out of parliament, ordered tax 12 President Serzh Sargsyan moved to kick audits of his businesses and warned of the continued on page 3 In This Issue Armenian opposition leaders Noyan Tapan Printing House in crisis talks p.2 is offering coloured and black and white offset and digital Curbing Inflation: CB raises key interest printing of books, brochures, booklets, journals, etc with rate to check price increases p.5 high quality and low prices Tel: 060 27 64 62 Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan 0009 Armenia ranked 78th in 2015 World Press Freedom Index p.7 ETIHAD AIRWAYS Named 'Airline Of The Noyan Tapan Video Studio Year' At Aviation 100 Awards p.15 is offering professional video and photography for indoor and outdoor events such as weddings, birthday parties, Charles Aznavour talks about official events, seminars and conferences. Tel: 060 27 64 62 his parents and his past p.20 Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan 0009 16 February #7 (1047) 2015 2 www.nt.am The Noyan Tapan Highlights POLITICS Embattled Tsarukyan calls for 'immediate' regime change Responding to a government crackdown, Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukyan on February 13 urged supporters to take to the streets and topple President Serzh Sargsyan with sustained protests. Tsarukyan said he is undaunted by the prospect of losing his parliamentary immunity from prosecution and tax inspections of his numerous businesses which were ordered by Sargsyan the previous night. "I am taking up the gauntlet and am going to fight till the victory," he told an emergency meeting with senior BHK figures. "A new situation has emerged since yesterday and it requires a solution. I believe that the only solution is a complete regime change by means of pre-term presidential elections," he declared in uncharacteristically straightforward remarks publi- selves have "stolen billions of dollars from the people" during cized by the BHK after the meeting. their seven-year rule which he called disastrous for the country. "I am now calling for a nationwide mobilization pursuing a Tsarukyan also claimed that Serzh Sargsyan declared a single goal: to achieve Serzh Sargsyan's resignation and get rid "war" on him after he refused to back Sargsyann's plans to of this government of evil through all legal political methods amend the constitution and turn Armenia into a parliamentary such as nonstop rallies, marches, demonstrations, disobedience republic. He said Sargsyan has gone as far as to offer him to and so on," he said. become the country's next, largely ceremonial president in "This regime must be immediately ousted and we must turn return for his endorsement of the constitutional reform. this inglorious and shameful page of our history," added "I categorically rejected this anti-state approach because the Tsarukyan. man responsible for Armenia's regress cannot have such ambi- The tycoon, who leads Armenia's second largest parliamen- tions," Tsarukyan went on. The planned reform is aimed at tary force, did not set any dates or give other details of street enabling Sargsyan to stay in power in a different capacity for the protests planned by him. He said he will meet with his two main rest of his life, he charged. opposition allies, former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Serzh Sargsyan lashed out at the BHK leader, reputed to be Zharangutyun party leader Raffi Hovannisian, later in the day to close to his predecessor Robert Kocharyan, just days after discuss "a full set of joint steps." The meeting began in the after- Tsarukyan publicly warned him to drop the reform plans or face noon. an opposition push for "regime change." In a statement circulat- In his speech, Tsarukyan also brushed aside Sargsyan's ed earlier this week, the BHK and several other, smaller oppo- claims that he is unfit to govern Armenia and has long evaded sition groups said that a referendum on Sargsyan's constitution- taxes. He said the Armenian president and his cronies them- al amendments would spark nonstop anti-government protests. Armenian opposition leaders in crisis talks The leaders of three leading Armenian opposition parties announced no joint moves on February 13 after discussing their possible response to a harsh govern- ment campaign unleashed against one of them, Gagik Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan met separately with the leader of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), Levon Ter-Petrosian, and Zharangutyun (Heritage) party leader Raffi Hovannisian the day after President Serzh Sargsyan ordered a crackdown on his extensive business interests and demanded his ouster from the parliament. None of the three opposition leaders jointly campaign- ing for regime change in Armenia made the trio will present its further actions to the Tsarukyan, Ter-Petrosian and public statements after those meetings. public," a spokeswoman for Tsarukyan, Hovannisian decided to hold a trilateral "Discussions in this format will contin- Iveta Tonoyan, told RFE/RL's Armenian meeting on Sunday even before Sargsyan ue for one or two more days, after which service . continued on page 4 16 February #7 (1047) 2015 POLITICS The Noyan Tapan Highlights www.nt.am 3 Serzh Sargsyan begins crackdown... From page 1 lous that Gagik Tsarukyan has big polit- enforcement officials and other mem- ical ambitions," he went on. "Surely bers of the presidential National Serzh Sargsyan lashed out at his for- intelligent people in his entourage Security Council will meet on Friday to mer coalition partner in a speech full of understand deep down that such an indi- decide "what to do about those rumors." derogatory descriptions of Tsarukyan, vidual's being part of the political elite Tsarukyan has also been a member including his infamous "Dodi Gago" of a country at war poses a real danger. of the council mainly comprising top nickname, delivered before senior "Can you imagine Gagik Tsarukyan state officials. Sarkisian ousted him members of the ruling Republican Party reading a speech at the Council of from the body in a decree that was made of Armenia (HHK). Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, public immediately after the HHK The unusually harsh attack marked a which is followed by questions from meeting. further escalation of tensions between deputies, including Azerbaijani and Senior HHK figures who attended the Sargsyan administration and the Turkish ones? It's difficult and terrible the meeting voiced strong support for BHK that began after a gathering of to imagine that." the president's open confrontation with opposition forces organized by Sargsyan claimed that he now feels Tsarukyan that may also lead to a show- Tsarukian last week. The tycoon used sorry for having for years ordered his down with Kocharyan as well. Eduard the gathering to step up his criticism of loyalists to tone down their reactions to Sharmazanov, the HHK spokesman, the government's track record and, more "nonsense" coming from Tsarukyan. said that the tycoon has "crossed the importantly, warn Sargsyan against "My mistake must be corrected," he line." "Ignorance, populism and dema- amending the Armenian constitution. said. "Quickly, thoroughly and clearly. goguery have no place in politics," Sargsyan again defended his desire Nobody has the right to stop or hesitate Sharmazanov told a late-night news to turn Armenia into a parliamentary anymore." conference. republic, dismissing allegations by the The president stated in that regard "Gagik Tsarukyan is a political dis- BHK and other opposition groups that that Tsarukyan has attended only 4 of ease which must be cured as soon as the reform is aimed at enabling him to the 145 parliament sittings held in 2013 possible," charged Karen Avagyan, an stay in power after the end of his second and 2014. The absenteeism seems to be HHK lawmaker. and final presidential term in 2018. But sufficient grounds for stripping him of Both Avagyan and other presidential he stopped short of explicitly announc- his parliament seat, he said, adding: allies insisted that the crackdown ing the next stage of the reform process "Our deputies tomorrow will start tak- ordered by Sargsyan does not amount to that would pave the way for a national ing steps necessary for ending this ludi- political persecution. They were also referendum on constitutional amend- crous situation." careful not to attack Kocharyan. ments. Sargsyan went on to cite long-run- The ex-president too has been Instead, a furious Serzh Sargsyan ning "unverified reports" implicating increasingly critical of the Sagsyan made clear his intention to drive Tsarukyan in large-scale tax evasion. "I administration. The Armenian media Tsarukyan, who controls the second am calling on the prime minister of has for years speculated about his immi- largest faction in the Armenian parlia- Armenia to instruct corresponding bod- nent political comeback. ment, out of politics. He said the former ies to thoroughly and meticulously Education Minister Armen arm-wrestler, who became one of the check the veracity of those reports and Ashotyan, who is also the HHK's country's richest men during his prede- publicize their findings," he said. deputy chairman, said that unlike cessor Robert Kocharyan's rule, lacks Serzh Sargsyan said the BHK leader Tsarukyan, Kocharyan is a true "politi- the intelligence, skills and education to is also rumored to have set up a "mech- cal figure." But Ashotyan also pointedly govern Armenia. anism for a professional cover-up of echoed a widely held belief that "The political actor Gagik many crimes." He did not specify those Kocharyan was behind the establish- Tsarukyan has become a scourge for our crimes, saying only that senior law- ment of Tsarukyan's party in 2006.