Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy: "European Democracy in the 21st century: Principles and Challenges" Call for applications for the next Forum which will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 20 October 2010 Please note the deadline for receipt of applications is 18 June 2010 Application form | Background note
Please use calendar box on the right side to select news digest for the day of your interest. Please note that digests below are sorted in cronologic order.
On 23 February, the Constitutional Court examining the complaint by A1+ representatives ruled it already recognized in previous judgments the unconstitutionality of the part 1 of Art 204.28 of the Civil Procedure Code. A1+ representatives argued the clause prevented review of previous judicial acts in light of new circumstances that emerged after the decision of the European Court. A1+ representatives again intend to send the case to the Court of Cassation. A1+
The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) unveiled on Tuesday a plan of actions for a “radical transformation” of Armenia’s economic system. The 15-page program was developed by a team of economists led by former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratian. It lists 100 policy measures which the ANC believes would end the monopolization of key sectors of the economy. The opposition bloc specifically wants to shift the main tax burden from small and medium-sized enterprises to government-linked “oligarchs” whom it accused of “strangling free enterprise” in the country. Armenia Liberty
Nikol Pashinian, jailed editor of pro-opposition Haikakan Zhamanak Daily can have his prison sentence shortened by half in line with a general amnesty declared last June, Ombudsman, Armen Harutiunian, said on 23 February. Pashinian was given a seven-year jail term last month for his role in the deadly clashes between opposition protesters and security forces in the aftermath of 2008 presidential vote. A Yerevan court that handed down the ruling said nothing about the amnesty bill’s applicability to Pashinyan. His lawyers seek to reverse the judgment in the Court of Appeals. Armenia Liberty
Head of the Armenian delegation to PACE Davit Harutiunian told reporters the work on drafting a time-table of activities to address the recommendations of parliament’s ad hoc committee on March events was well in progress. At this stage, the proposed measures are being coordinated with the government and will be ready before the PACE Monitoring Committee meeting on 17 March. Azatutiun
Commenting on the applicability of the amnesty to Nikol Pashinyan, Davit Harutiunian said the amnesty should have been applied because both articles under which Pashinian was tried were included in the amnesty act. Azatutiun
Spokesman of the ruling Republican Party, MP Eduard Sharmazanov reaffirmed his party's position to ratify the Turkish-Armenian protocols after their ratification by the Turkish side. ArmInfo
The ruling of the Constitutional Court did not introduce reservations but prevented attempts to distort the essence of the Protocols, said MP Davit Harutiunian. “Ratifying the Protocols with reservations means rejecting them,” he added. Harutiunian refrained from setting specific dates for ratification. "Reasonable terms can’t imply years. It’s a matter of a couple of months,” he said. Panarmenian.net
On 23 February, Aram Safaryan, MP from Prosperous Armenia Party was elected Chairman of the Standing Committee on Human Rights. 7or
The Armenian parliament ratified on 23 February the agreement on formation of Collective Security Treaty Organisation's (CSTO) rapid reaction force. Panarmenian.net
President Serge Sargsyan will take part in the inauguration of Ukraine’s president-elect Viktor Yanukovitch on 25 February. Haiastani Hanrapetutiun
Russian Co-Chair in the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzliakov may be replaced by Igor Popov, Russia’s ambassador to Mozambique since 2005. Azg
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) high-level delegation, led by President Joao Soares and the Special Representative on Nagorno-Karabakh and Georgia Goran Lennmarker will visit South Caucasus next month. The visit will begin in Georgia (March 9- 10), continued in Armenia (March 10-13), and end in Azerbaijan (March 13-16). Panarmenian.net
On 22 February, the Council of the European Union extended until August 31 2010 the mandate of Peter Semneby, EU’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus. 7or
The Defense Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh reported cease-fire violation by the Azerbaijani side on 22 and 23 February. ArmInfo
Please use calendar box on the right side to select news digest for the day of your interest. Please note that digests below are sorted in cronologic order.
