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('node', 'news', 0, 635, 1248, 'und', 0, '<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s1600/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"231\" src=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s320/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">EU-Armenia, Foto:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">Photographic service of the Council of the EU &copy;</a></span></span> <span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">European Communities</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>Elections in the Post-Soviet space </b><b><span class=\"b4\">are i</span><span class=\"b3\">ncr</span><span class=\"b2\">easin</span><span class=\"b1\">gl</span>y an European task and respon<span class=\"b1\">si</span><span class=\"b2\">bilit</span><span class=\"b3\">y but mostly are </span><span class=\"b5\">leaving everything the</span><span class=\"b4\"> wa</span><span class=\"b3\">y it</span><span class=\"b4\"> is.</span></b><span class=\"b4\"> Just take a look on Ukraine. Armenia is also preparing to hold elections in 2013. The European Union is getting ready for surprises but is more prepared after the Ukraine&#39;s election in 2012.</span> Perhaps...<i><b> </b></i></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\">There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations. But Russia </span></b></span><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">is offering </span></b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;.</b></span> But everything depends on Armenia.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">On February 18, 2013 Armenia is going to be asked to elect a new President. </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The 2013 Presidential election campaign officially launched today (21 January 2013), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42692/presidential_election2013_candidates_campaign_officially_launched\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And the candidates are already known: <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/serzh-sargsyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (see his campaign platform <a href=\"http://www.serzhsargsyan.am/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), the Armenian President in office; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/hrant-bagratyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Hrant Bagratyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://bagratyanpresident.am/index.php/am/2013-01-14-16-16-09/2013-01-14-16-23-40#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former prime minister and the leader of Freedom party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/raffi-hovannisian/\" target=\"_blank\">Raffi Hovhannisian</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://raffi4president.am/en\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former foreign minister and the leader of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/paruyr-hayrikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Paruyr Hayrikyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://hayrikyan.com/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a prominent Soviet-era dissident and the head of the National Self-Determination Party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/arman-melikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Arman Melikyan</a>, a former foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/andreas-ghukasyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Andrias Ghukasyan</a>, a political analyst and head of Radio Hay; <a href=\"http://ru.sedrakyan.net/ob-avtore\" target=\"_blank\">Vardan Sedrakyan</a>, a specialist in epics, and <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/aram-harutyunyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Aram Harutyunyan</a>, leader of National Consent party will compete for the Presidency.</span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">However, <b>Stepa Safaryan, general secretary of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party pointed out Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovannisian as most likely vote-getters in the presidential elections</b>, cited by <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/opinion_serzh_sargsyan_and_raffi_hovannisian_most_likely_vote_getters_in_armenian_presidential_elect/\" target=\"_blank\">Arka News Agency</a>. Of course, the other candidates could seek avenues to mount a challenge to the present president. But the opposition is so fragmentated and n</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">o one of the candidates is going to back any of the eight candidates running for president in Armenia, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42641/armenia_presidential_election_2013_single_candidate_search\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.&nbsp; </span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>It is inevitab<span class=\"b1\">le</span><span class=\"b2\"> that</span><span class=\"b3\"> there </span><span class=\"b2\">would</span><span class=\"b1\"> b</span>e disputes about the outcome of the election.</b> But the Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan points out in advance that the 2013 presidential election will be most democratic in Armenia&rsquo;s history. &ldquo;I am convinced that this election will be most stainless and democratic and that it will leave behind all the previous elections,&rdquo; <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/minister_2013_presidential_election_to_be_most_democratic_in_armenia_s_history/\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>. </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop for prosecutors and defense attorneys in Yerevan stated that </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Armenia will pass the upcoming election test with brilliance, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42602/armenia_presidential_elections2013_police_chief_vladimir_gasparyan\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>.</span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b5\">Does Europe tru</span><span class=\"b4\">st</span><span class=\"b3\"> them t</span><span class=\"b2\">o pl</span><span class=\"b1\">ay</span> their part correctly as guardian of the Justice? Or does Europe trust Foreign Minister </b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>Edward Nalbandian who also <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42438/armenia_presidential_election_osce_odihr_observation_mission\" target=\"_blank\">stated</a> that the Armenian government is committed to holding next month&rsquo;s presidential election in conformity with European standards. Election in conformity with European standards will be the key, but </b><b><span class=\"b5\">it seems to me</span><span class=\"b4\"> </span><span class=\"b3\">a</span><span class=\"b2\"> </span><span class=\"b1\">ma</span>tter of great urgency that there will be another reality.</b></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Of course it is hard to expect from Non-EU member to compete with standards within the European Union, although member states faces many difficulties coming from membership. &quot;(T)he expansion of EU decision making limits the range of party policy positions at elections. Policy convergence means parties taking positions in the issue space closer to those held by their rivals and that consequently the distribution of party positions becomes more compact. EU legislation restricts the policy alternatives available to governments and, due to the electoral link, to parties and citizens. The more responsibility is assigned to the EU, the less room there is for parties to offer credible policy alternatives that differ markedly from EU legislation,&quot; <a href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2012.02063.x/pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Kyriaki Nanou and Han Dorussen argue</a>.</span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>T<span class=\"b2\">he</span><span class=\"b3\"> EU </span><span class=\"b4\">would b</span><span class=\"b5\">e well advised t</span><span class=\"b4\">o </span><span class=\"b3\">set </span><span class=\"b2\">very</span><span class=\"b1\"> a</span>mbitious targets for its Eastern Partnership policy as the evident risks to democracy in the immediate neighbourhood call for greater sustainability and consequence.</b></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">What is happening with freedoms in Armenia?</span></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><b class=\"b3\">The </b><b class=\"b2\">truth </b><b class=\"b3\">is</b><b class=\"b2\"> that </b><b class=\"b3\">time is ru</b><b class=\"b2\">nnin</b><b class=\"b1\">g</b><b class=\"b2\"> out </b></b><b><b class=\"b2\"><b class=\"b2\">and</b><b class=\"b1\"> the</b><b class=\"b2\">re is st</b><b class=\"b1\">il</b>l a lot to be done in Armenia.</b></b><span class=\"b2\"> </span>Recently <a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom House</a>, <a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/Pages/Home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Control Risks</a>, <a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Fraser Institute</a>, </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/\" target=\"_blank\">World Economic Forum</a> and <a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Price Waterhouse Cooper</a> published their recent reports on freedoms in the world. <b>But a<span class=\"b1\">ct</span><span class=\"b2\">ual r</span><span class=\"b5\">esults </span><span class=\"b4\">di</span><span class=\"b3\">ffe</span><span class=\"b2\">r fro</span><span class=\"b1\">m </span>those reflected in the forward-looking statements.</b>&nbsp;</span><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Regarding Freedom House report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom in the World 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is a partly free country, the net is partly free, but the press is not free. The regime is classified as a semi-consolidated authoritarian regime.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Due to the &quot;<a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/RiskMap/Pages/Security.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">RiskMap Report 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is presented as a country with high political and security risks. On issues related the economy for Armenia </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">is s</span><span class=\"b4\">om</span><span class=\"b5\">e light a</span><span class=\"b4\">t </span><span class=\"b3\">the</span><span class=\"b2\"> end of t</span><span class=\"b3\">he tunnel.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The Fraser Institute report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=4051\" target=\"_blank\">Economic Freedom of the World</a>&quot; ranks Armenia #53 and considers it as a relatively free country. The 2013 election should be a signal to Europe: We are carrying out our European path.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The World Economic Forum report &quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"js-wrap\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-enabling-trade-report-2012\" target=\"_blank\">The Global Enabling Trade Report 2012</a>&quot; </span>ranks Armenia #13 worldwide for market access and #59 in terms of the overall extent to which it has developed institutions, policies, and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Price Waterhouse Cooper, in its most recent &quot;<a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/am/en/assets/pdf/am_doing_business_guide_2011-2012.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Doing Business in Armenia guide</a>&quot;, reported that, &ldquo;Armenia encourages foreign trade and investment,&rdquo; and that, &ldquo;(s)urveys suggest that Armenia is a relatively easy country in which to do business.&rdquo;&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"> </span></span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Concerns are coming from other sides, too.</span></span><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Policy Forum Armenia</a> r</span>eport, entitled <a href=\"http://pfa-dr.ectostarpark.com/press-release/pfa-special-report-armenias-2012-parliamentary-election\" target=\"_blank\">&ldquo;Armenia&rsquo;s 2012 Parliamentary Election&rdquo;</a> summarizes: &quot;(The report) demonstrates that the election fraud in Armenia has taken subtle and sophisticated forms that are difficult to detect because it occurs mostly outside of the polling stations. In fact, while acknowledging some marginal improvements, we believe that the systematic fraud applied by the authorities (and uncovered in the Report via the use of statistical techniques) was sufficient to materially alter the election outcome.&quot;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has already </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">concerns mainly about the &ldquo;continuing substantial inaccuracies in the voter lists&rdquo;, as <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42643/armenia_presidential_election_2013_pace_observers\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. Head of the PACE election monitoring mission Karin Woldseth said that &ldquo;the delegation was disappointed to see that the previous recommendations regarding the voter lists have not been implemented&rdquo;, whereas &ldquo;accurate voter lists are an essential prerequisite for any proper election.&rdquo;</span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b class=\"b3\">So</b><b class=\"b2\"> ther</b><b class=\"b1\">e ar</b><b class=\"b2\">e a </b><b class=\"b3\">lot</b><b class=\"b2\"> of </b><b class=\"b1\">issues to be solved before the election. Analyzing the results&nbsp;I conclude: In terms of democratic freedoms Armenia demonstrates a lack of political commitment on democracy progress. In terms of economic freedoms Armenia is making some valuable progress.</b> These developments could have </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">consequences for the relations with the European Union and Russia. But is the European Union prepared for surprises?</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Shuttle diplomacy and reassurement over European path</span></span></b><br />&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s1600/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"221\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s320/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Shuttle Diplomacy, Graphic: <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/EU21Global/122136604509551\" target=\"_blank\">@Hristofor Hrisoskulov</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Brussels and Yerevan and vice versa in 2012 and at the beginning of 2013. On the European side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_PRES-12-315_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Herman van Rompuy</a>, <a href=\"http://www.armradio.am/en/2012/12/01/jose-manuel-barroso-it-is-amazing-to-see-what-armenia-has-given-to-the-civilization/\" target=\"_blank\">Jose Manuel Barroso</a>, <a href=\"http://eunewsletter.am/eu-armenia/stefan-fule-in-armenia-ongoing-reforms-discussed\" target=\"_blank\">Stefan Füle</a> and <a href=\"http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/131321.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Catherine Ashton</a> visited Yerevan.</span> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The EU member states Bulgaria, Sweden and Poland supported the EU in this context. In December 2012 <a href=\"http://www.mfa.government.bg/en/events/6/1/603/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski paid a visit to Armenia</a> during a trip in the South Caucasus.<b> </b>On the Armenian side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-159_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (President of Armenia), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-11-873_en.htm?locale=en\" target=\"_blank\">Tigran Sargsyan</a> (Prime Minister), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-8_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Hovik Abramyan</a> (Speaker of the Armenian Parliament), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/41688/presidential_election_gagik_tsarukyan_prosperous_armenia_party_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">Gagik Tsarukyan</a> (Leader of the Armenian political party &quot;Prosperous Armenia&quot;) and <a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=91243\" target=\"_blank\">Edward Nalbandian</a> (Armenian Foreign Minsiter) visited Brussels.</span></div><br /><p><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The question is: <b>What is hidden behind all the statemnets made after every meeting?</b> In order to answer the question I picked up four words, namely <b>elections</b>, <b>Association Agreement</b>, <b>visa </b>(agreement, facilitation and liberalization) and <b>Europ+EU</b> as repeated in the statements attached as a link behind the mentioned names above. <b>In this way a specific picture of EU-Armenia relations shifted</b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"> into t</span><span class=\"b4\">he </span><span class=\"b5\">foreground</span><span class=\"b4\"> as</span><span class=\"b3\"> a model of future relations: <u><i>There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations</i></u>.<i>&nbsp;</i></span></b></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The </span><span class=\"b3\">words<b> </b>&quot;Association Agreemnet&quot; and &quot;visa </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">(agreement, facilitation and liberalization)&quot; have been used by the officials 17 times, whereas the word &quot;elections&quot; - 19 times. <b>&quot;Association Agreement&quot; and &quot;visa&quot; appear in the context of offering something, of rewarding some performance done, whereas &quot;elections&quot; has been used in the context of advising and instructing the other part (in this sense Armenia) to be crucial on the upcoming events in the country.</b> With regard to &quot;Europe+EU&quot; (counted 66 times) I </span>should like briefly to go into the common proposals in the statements which now come wit<span class=\"b1\">hi</span><span class=\"b2\">n a w</span><span class=\"b3\">ide</span><span class=\"b4\">r context; </span><span class=\"b3\">thi</span><span class=\"b2\">s app</span><span class=\"b1\">li</span>es, for example, to the proposal on supporting the European path of Armenia and </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">c</span><span class=\"b1\">on</span>firming the appro<span class=\"b1\">ac</span><span class=\"b2\">h alr</span><span class=\"b3\">ead</span><span class=\"b4\">y taken</span>.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">It seems that &quot;European officials are still skeptical about the Armenian government&rsquo;s intention to integrate with the European community. <b>They do not completely trust these assurances as all steps taken by Armenia so far in this direction have mostly been of a declarative nature.</b> Meanwhile, democratic reforms that are a condition for European integration have not become tangible in Armenia yet. (...) Still, political analyst Levon Margaryan thinks that the relations between Armenia and the EU have been taken to a new level where Armenia should prove that it is ready to bring not only its laws, but also practices in line with European standards,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/42460/armenia_eu_hovik_abrahamyan_visit_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Growing competition between the West and Russia for influence in Armenia: Economy and democracy vs. Security?</span></span></b><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Yerevan and Moscow, too. <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Russia</a> </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">attending the <a href=\"http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_19/Moscow-to-host-three-CIS-related-summits-today/\" target=\"_blank\">summits of the CIS and the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)</a>, Vladimir Putin, </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Dmitri Medvedev and Chairman of both Chambers of the State Duma and ministers visited on their side Yerevan. And Mr. Putin goes further: &quot;I want to reiterate that the countries of the Commonwealth are our most intimate &ndash; in the true sense of the word &ndash; strategic partners. Virtually all aspects of interaction with you are vital for our country,&quot; Putin said <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">cited by Massis Post</a>. </span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b2\">I</span><span class=\"b4\">t w</span><span class=\"b5\">as not wi</span><span class=\"b4\">thout </span><span class=\"b3\">rea</span><span class=\"b2\">son t</span><span class=\"b1\">ha</span>t US Foreign Minister Hillary Clinton warned on the situation in the Post-Soviet space and the rising attempts of Vladimir Putin to get closer </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">to Russia </span>all the neighbouring countries. As she stated: <b>&quot;There is a move to re-Sovietise the region.&quot;</b> Andrew Weiss, who served on the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton and now is at the US Rand Corporation think-tank, said Mr. Putin made clear when he returned to the presidency this year that he planned to focus on bolstering Russia&rsquo;s influence in its neighbourhood. But he added: &quot;Elites in the neighbouring states show little enthusiasm for simply handing over their autonomy and sovereignty to Moscow,&quot; </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a5b15b14-3fcf-11e2-9f71-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2IUXTW3Cf\" target=\"_blank\">Charles Clover writes in the Financial Times</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">2012 has showed that Armenian authorities feel like developing closer relations with the West, but are not going to spoil relations with Russia. Moreover, a certain division of labor could be noticed &ndash; Armenia seems to have entrusted its security to Russia, as a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, but is seeking to integrate with the European Union and develop closer ties with the United States in terms of economy and democracy,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/42304/armenia_foreign_policy_karabakh_azerbaijan_russia_eu_usa_genocide_2012\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Secretary of Armenia&rsquo;s National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">believes that <b>Armenia&rsquo;s integration into the European Union (EU) should not be contrasted with its integration into the Eurasian Union</b>, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Tert.am reports</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>&nbsp;</b></span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>In relations with countries in the Post-Soviet space Russia&#39;s approach differs from the EU&#39;s approach. <u><i>There are more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;</i></u>.</b></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp; So just let me give few examples of how Russia is trying to integrate Armenia into Russian-led organizations:</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span></p><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Russian news agencies, citing the Kremlin, disseminated a slightly odd piece of information saying that &ldquo;Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with the government&rsquo;s proposal to hold talks with Armenia for the signing of the agreement on the development of military-technical cooperation&rdquo; and that &ldquo;after the conclusion of the negotiations the Government has been instructed to sign an agreement with this country&rdquo;, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/42571/armenia_russia_military_cooperation_azerbaijan_karabakh_defense_treaty\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://english.pravda.ru/world/ussr/11-01-2013/123447-russia_armenia-0/#.UPj8hbxEu1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Karpova in Pravda.ru</a>: &quot;To further develop Russian-Armenian cooperation, President Vladimir Putin&#39;s Government appointed the Russian Transport Minister, Maxim Sokolov, as co-chairman for the bilateral commission, which has the task of drafting a roadmap of Russian-Armenian economic relations until 2020.&quot;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A joint document was signed after Dmitri Medvedev visited Armenia. It envisaged Russian military presence in Armenia and joint protection of Armenia&rsquo;s borders by the Armenian and Russian armed forces, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">as Tert.am reported</a>.</span></li></ul><p><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Due to its geographic location Armenia is really concerned on security issues. For sure, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other conflicts in the immediate neighbourhood are topics that should be taken into consideration regarding Armeian foreign policy. <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/profile/gordon-n-bardos\" target=\"_blank\">Gordon N. Bardos</a> in his article <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Spectre of Separatism Haunts Europe</a></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a> in <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/\" target=\"_blank\">The National Interest</a> argues that &quot;<span class=\"b3\">Balkans and the Caucasus (are) the stuff of nightmares for cartographers and diplomats trying to reconcile competing ethnic claims to territory. In the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, the Kurds of eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, and the Turks of northern Cyprus have all declared some form of independence or autonomy&quot;.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Of course, in accordance with Russian offers the European Union is asked to do more than statements: &quot;<span class=\"nannbl\">The EU has a strong interest in a stable neighbourhood; this is the raison d&#39;etre of our European Neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership policies. The EU actively supports the mediation process of the OSCE Minsk Group, we have important assistance projects to build confidence between the parties to the conflict, while the efforts of our EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the conflict in Georgia, Ambassador Lefort, fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group in a complementary way&quot;, </span></span></span><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Jose Manuel Barroso stated in a interview with </span></span></span></span></a><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Mediamax</span></span></span></a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">It is</span><span class=\"b1\"> t</span>herefore my view that the European Union<span class=\"b3\"> would </span><span class=\"b2\">have be</span><span class=\"b3\">en </span><span class=\"b4\">well</span><span class=\"b3\">-advised </span><span class=\"b2\">to </span></span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\"><b class=\"b5\">precisely </b>f</span><span class=\"b1\">ol</span>low the thinking in Armenia, but </span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\">consequently and sustainable </span></b></span>to</span> stand up for rights, international conventions and democracy<span class=\"b3\"> and </span></b><b>als<span class=\"b1\">o </span><span class=\"b2\">stron</span><span class=\"b3\">gly</span><span class=\"b4\"> reaffirm </span><span class=\"b3\">as </span><span class=\"b2\">a pre</span><span class=\"b1\">ss</span>ing requiremen<span class=\"b1\">t </span><span class=\"b2\">of free and fair elections.</span></b></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>See the original article <a href=\"http://eu21global.blogspot.com/2013/01/armenia-reloaded-2013-elections-and.html\">here</a>.</p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'news', 0, 635, 1254, 'und', 0, '<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s1600/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"231\" src=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s320/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">EU-Armenia, Foto:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">Photographic service of the Council of the EU &copy;</a></span></span> <span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">European Communities</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>Elections in the Post-Soviet space </b><b><span class=\"b4\">are i</span><span class=\"b3\">ncr</span><span class=\"b2\">easin</span><span class=\"b1\">gl</span>y an European task and respon<span class=\"b1\">si</span><span class=\"b2\">bilit</span><span class=\"b3\">y but mostly are </span><span class=\"b5\">leaving everything the</span><span class=\"b4\"> wa</span><span class=\"b3\">y it</span><span class=\"b4\"> is.</span></b><span class=\"b4\"> Just take a look on Ukraine. Armenia is also preparing to hold elections in 2013. The European Union is getting ready for surprises but is more prepared after the Ukraine&#39;s election in 2012.</span> Perhaps...<i><b> </b></i></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\">There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations. But Russia </span></b></span><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">is offering </span></b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;.</b></span> But everything depends on Armenia.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">On February 18, 2013 Armenia is going to be asked to elect a new President. </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The 2013 Presidential election campaign officially launched today (21 January 2013), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42692/presidential_election2013_candidates_campaign_officially_launched\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And the candidates are already known: <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/serzh-sargsyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (see his campaign platform <a href=\"http://www.serzhsargsyan.am/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), the Armenian President in office; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/hrant-bagratyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Hrant Bagratyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://bagratyanpresident.am/index.php/am/2013-01-14-16-16-09/2013-01-14-16-23-40#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former prime minister and the leader of Freedom party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/raffi-hovannisian/\" target=\"_blank\">Raffi Hovhannisian</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://raffi4president.am/en\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former foreign minister and the leader of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/paruyr-hayrikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Paruyr Hayrikyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://hayrikyan.com/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a prominent Soviet-era dissident and the head of the National Self-Determination Party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/arman-melikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Arman Melikyan</a>, a former foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/andreas-ghukasyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Andrias Ghukasyan</a>, a political analyst and head of Radio Hay; <a href=\"http://ru.sedrakyan.net/ob-avtore\" target=\"_blank\">Vardan Sedrakyan</a>, a specialist in epics, and <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/aram-harutyunyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Aram Harutyunyan</a>, leader of National Consent party will compete for the Presidency.</span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">However, <b>Stepa Safaryan, general secretary of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party pointed out Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovannisian as most likely vote-getters in the presidential elections</b>, cited by <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/opinion_serzh_sargsyan_and_raffi_hovannisian_most_likely_vote_getters_in_armenian_presidential_elect/\" target=\"_blank\">Arka News Agency</a>. Of course, the other candidates could seek avenues to mount a challenge to the present president. But the opposition is so fragmentated and n</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">o one of the candidates is going to back any of the eight candidates running for president in Armenia, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42641/armenia_presidential_election_2013_single_candidate_search\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.&nbsp; </span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>It is inevitab<span class=\"b1\">le</span><span class=\"b2\"> that</span><span class=\"b3\"> there </span><span class=\"b2\">would</span><span class=\"b1\"> b</span>e disputes about the outcome of the election.</b> But the Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan points out in advance that the 2013 presidential election will be most democratic in Armenia&rsquo;s history. &ldquo;I am convinced that this election will be most stainless and democratic and that it will leave behind all the previous elections,&rdquo; <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/minister_2013_presidential_election_to_be_most_democratic_in_armenia_s_history/\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>. </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop for prosecutors and defense attorneys in Yerevan stated that </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Armenia will pass the upcoming election test with brilliance, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42602/armenia_presidential_elections2013_police_chief_vladimir_gasparyan\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>.</span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b5\">Does Europe tru</span><span class=\"b4\">st</span><span class=\"b3\"> them t</span><span class=\"b2\">o pl</span><span class=\"b1\">ay</span> their part correctly as guardian of the Justice? Or does Europe trust Foreign Minister </b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>Edward Nalbandian who also <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42438/armenia_presidential_election_osce_odihr_observation_mission\" target=\"_blank\">stated</a> that the Armenian government is committed to holding next month&rsquo;s presidential election in conformity with European standards. Election in conformity with European standards will be the key, but </b><b><span class=\"b5\">it seems to me</span><span class=\"b4\"> </span><span class=\"b3\">a</span><span class=\"b2\"> </span><span class=\"b1\">ma</span>tter of great urgency that there will be another reality.</b></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Of course it is hard to expect from Non-EU member to compete with standards within the European Union, although member states faces many difficulties coming from membership. &quot;(T)he expansion of EU decision making limits the range of party policy positions at elections. Policy convergence means parties taking positions in the issue space closer to those held by their rivals and that consequently the distribution of party positions becomes more compact. EU legislation restricts the policy alternatives available to governments and, due to the electoral link, to parties and citizens. The more responsibility is assigned to the EU, the less room there is for parties to offer credible policy alternatives that differ markedly from EU legislation,&quot; <a href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2012.02063.x/pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Kyriaki Nanou and Han Dorussen argue</a>.</span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>T<span class=\"b2\">he</span><span class=\"b3\"> EU </span><span class=\"b4\">would b</span><span class=\"b5\">e well advised t</span><span class=\"b4\">o </span><span class=\"b3\">set </span><span class=\"b2\">very</span><span class=\"b1\"> a</span>mbitious targets for its Eastern Partnership policy as the evident risks to democracy in the immediate neighbourhood call for greater sustainability and consequence.</b></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">What is happening with freedoms in Armenia?</span></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><b class=\"b3\">The </b><b class=\"b2\">truth </b><b class=\"b3\">is</b><b class=\"b2\"> that </b><b class=\"b3\">time is ru</b><b class=\"b2\">nnin</b><b class=\"b1\">g</b><b class=\"b2\"> out </b></b><b><b class=\"b2\"><b class=\"b2\">and</b><b class=\"b1\"> the</b><b class=\"b2\">re is st</b><b class=\"b1\">il</b>l a lot to be done in Armenia.</b></b><span class=\"b2\"> </span>Recently <a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom House</a>, <a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/Pages/Home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Control Risks</a>, <a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Fraser Institute</a>, </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/\" target=\"_blank\">World Economic Forum</a> and <a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Price Waterhouse Cooper</a> published their recent reports on freedoms in the world. <b>But a<span class=\"b1\">ct</span><span class=\"b2\">ual r</span><span class=\"b5\">esults </span><span class=\"b4\">di</span><span class=\"b3\">ffe</span><span class=\"b2\">r fro</span><span class=\"b1\">m </span>those reflected in the forward-looking statements.</b>&nbsp;</span><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Regarding Freedom House report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom in the World 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is a partly free country, the net is partly free, but the press is not free. The regime is classified as a semi-consolidated authoritarian regime.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Due to the &quot;<a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/RiskMap/Pages/Security.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">RiskMap Report 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is presented as a country with high political and security risks. On issues related the economy for Armenia </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">is s</span><span class=\"b4\">om</span><span class=\"b5\">e light a</span><span class=\"b4\">t </span><span class=\"b3\">the</span><span class=\"b2\"> end of t</span><span class=\"b3\">he tunnel.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The Fraser Institute report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=4051\" target=\"_blank\">Economic Freedom of the World</a>&quot; ranks Armenia #53 and considers it as a relatively free country. The 2013 election should be a signal to Europe: We are carrying out our European path.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The World Economic Forum report &quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"js-wrap\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-enabling-trade-report-2012\" target=\"_blank\">The Global Enabling Trade Report 2012</a>&quot; </span>ranks Armenia #13 worldwide for market access and #59 in terms of the overall extent to which it has developed institutions, policies, and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Price Waterhouse Cooper, in its most recent &quot;<a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/am/en/assets/pdf/am_doing_business_guide_2011-2012.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Doing Business in Armenia guide</a>&quot;, reported that, &ldquo;Armenia encourages foreign trade and investment,&rdquo; and that, &ldquo;(s)urveys suggest that Armenia is a relatively easy country in which to do business.&rdquo;&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"> </span></span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Concerns are coming from other sides, too.</span></span><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Policy Forum Armenia</a> r</span>eport, entitled <a href=\"http://pfa-dr.ectostarpark.com/press-release/pfa-special-report-armenias-2012-parliamentary-election\" target=\"_blank\">&ldquo;Armenia&rsquo;s 2012 Parliamentary Election&rdquo;</a> summarizes: &quot;(The report) demonstrates that the election fraud in Armenia has taken subtle and sophisticated forms that are difficult to detect because it occurs mostly outside of the polling stations. In fact, while acknowledging some marginal improvements, we believe that the systematic fraud applied by the authorities (and uncovered in the Report via the use of statistical techniques) was sufficient to materially alter the election outcome.&quot;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has already </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">concerns mainly about the &ldquo;continuing substantial inaccuracies in the voter lists&rdquo;, as <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42643/armenia_presidential_election_2013_pace_observers\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. Head of the PACE election monitoring mission Karin Woldseth said that &ldquo;the delegation was disappointed to see that the previous recommendations regarding the voter lists have not been implemented&rdquo;, whereas &ldquo;accurate voter lists are an essential prerequisite for any proper election.&rdquo;</span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b class=\"b3\">So</b><b class=\"b2\"> ther</b><b class=\"b1\">e ar</b><b class=\"b2\">e a </b><b class=\"b3\">lot</b><b class=\"b2\"> of </b><b class=\"b1\">issues to be solved before the election. Analyzing the results&nbsp;I conclude: In terms of democratic freedoms Armenia demonstrates a lack of political commitment on democracy progress. In terms of economic freedoms Armenia is making some valuable progress.</b> These developments could have </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">consequences for the relations with the European Union and Russia. But is the European Union prepared for surprises?</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Shuttle diplomacy and reassurement over European path</span></span></b><br />&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s1600/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"221\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s320/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Shuttle Diplomacy, Graphic: <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/EU21Global/122136604509551\" target=\"_blank\">@Hristofor Hrisoskulov</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Brussels and Yerevan and vice versa in 2012 and at the beginning of 2013. On the European side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_PRES-12-315_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Herman van Rompuy</a>, <a href=\"http://www.armradio.am/en/2012/12/01/jose-manuel-barroso-it-is-amazing-to-see-what-armenia-has-given-to-the-civilization/\" target=\"_blank\">Jose Manuel Barroso</a>, <a href=\"http://eunewsletter.am/eu-armenia/stefan-fule-in-armenia-ongoing-reforms-discussed\" target=\"_blank\">Stefan Füle</a> and <a href=\"http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/131321.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Catherine Ashton</a> visited Yerevan.</span> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The EU member states Bulgaria, Sweden and Poland supported the EU in this context. In December 2012 <a href=\"http://www.mfa.government.bg/en/events/6/1/603/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski paid a visit to Armenia</a> during a trip in the South Caucasus.<b> </b>On the Armenian side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-159_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (President of Armenia), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-11-873_en.htm?locale=en\" target=\"_blank\">Tigran Sargsyan</a> (Prime Minister), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-8_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Hovik Abramyan</a> (Speaker of the Armenian Parliament), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/41688/presidential_election_gagik_tsarukyan_prosperous_armenia_party_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">Gagik Tsarukyan</a> (Leader of the Armenian political party &quot;Prosperous Armenia&quot;) and <a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=91243\" target=\"_blank\">Edward Nalbandian</a> (Armenian Foreign Minsiter) visited Brussels.</span></div><br /><p><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The question is: <b>What is hidden behind all the statemnets made after every meeting?</b> In order to answer the question I picked up four words, namely <b>elections</b>, <b>Association Agreement</b>, <b>visa </b>(agreement, facilitation and liberalization) and <b>Europ+EU</b> as repeated in the statements attached as a link behind the mentioned names above. <b>In this way a specific picture of EU-Armenia relations shifted</b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"> into t</span><span class=\"b4\">he </span><span class=\"b5\">foreground</span><span class=\"b4\"> as</span><span class=\"b3\"> a model of future relations: <u><i>There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations</i></u>.<i>&nbsp;</i></span></b></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The </span><span class=\"b3\">words<b> </b>&quot;Association Agreemnet&quot; and &quot;visa </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">(agreement, facilitation and liberalization)&quot; have been used by the officials 17 times, whereas the word &quot;elections&quot; - 19 times. <b>&quot;Association Agreement&quot; and &quot;visa&quot; appear in the context of offering something, of rewarding some performance done, whereas &quot;elections&quot; has been used in the context of advising and instructing the other part (in this sense Armenia) to be crucial on the upcoming events in the country.</b> With regard to &quot;Europe+EU&quot; (counted 66 times) I </span>should like briefly to go into the common proposals in the statements which now come wit<span class=\"b1\">hi</span><span class=\"b2\">n a w</span><span class=\"b3\">ide</span><span class=\"b4\">r context; </span><span class=\"b3\">thi</span><span class=\"b2\">s app</span><span class=\"b1\">li</span>es, for example, to the proposal on supporting the European path of Armenia and </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">c</span><span class=\"b1\">on</span>firming the appro<span class=\"b1\">ac</span><span class=\"b2\">h alr</span><span class=\"b3\">ead</span><span class=\"b4\">y taken</span>.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">It seems that &quot;European officials are still skeptical about the Armenian government&rsquo;s intention to integrate with the European community. <b>They do not completely trust these assurances as all steps taken by Armenia so far in this direction have mostly been of a declarative nature.</b> Meanwhile, democratic reforms that are a condition for European integration have not become tangible in Armenia yet. (...) Still, political analyst Levon Margaryan thinks that the relations between Armenia and the EU have been taken to a new level where Armenia should prove that it is ready to bring not only its laws, but also practices in line with European standards,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/42460/armenia_eu_hovik_abrahamyan_visit_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Growing competition between the West and Russia for influence in Armenia: Economy and democracy vs. Security?</span></span></b><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Yerevan and Moscow, too. <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Russia</a> </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">attending the <a href=\"http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_19/Moscow-to-host-three-CIS-related-summits-today/\" target=\"_blank\">summits of the CIS and the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)</a>, Vladimir Putin, </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Dmitri Medvedev and Chairman of both Chambers of the State Duma and ministers visited on their side Yerevan. And Mr. Putin goes further: &quot;I want to reiterate that the countries of the Commonwealth are our most intimate &ndash; in the true sense of the word &ndash; strategic partners. Virtually all aspects of interaction with you are vital for our country,&quot; Putin said <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">cited by Massis Post</a>. </span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b2\">I</span><span class=\"b4\">t w</span><span class=\"b5\">as not wi</span><span class=\"b4\">thout </span><span class=\"b3\">rea</span><span class=\"b2\">son t</span><span class=\"b1\">ha</span>t US Foreign Minister Hillary Clinton warned on the situation in the Post-Soviet space and the rising attempts of Vladimir Putin to get closer </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">to Russia </span>all the neighbouring countries. As she stated: <b>&quot;There is a move to re-Sovietise the region.&quot;</b> Andrew Weiss, who served on the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton and now is at the US Rand Corporation think-tank, said Mr. Putin made clear when he returned to the presidency this year that he planned to focus on bolstering Russia&rsquo;s influence in its neighbourhood. But he added: &quot;Elites in the neighbouring states show little enthusiasm for simply handing over their autonomy and sovereignty to Moscow,&quot; </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a5b15b14-3fcf-11e2-9f71-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2IUXTW3Cf\" target=\"_blank\">Charles Clover writes in the Financial Times</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">2012 has showed that Armenian authorities feel like developing closer relations with the West, but are not going to spoil relations with Russia. Moreover, a certain division of labor could be noticed &ndash; Armenia seems to have entrusted its security to Russia, as a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, but is seeking to integrate with the European Union and develop closer ties with the United States in terms of economy and democracy,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/42304/armenia_foreign_policy_karabakh_azerbaijan_russia_eu_usa_genocide_2012\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Secretary of Armenia&rsquo;s National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">believes that <b>Armenia&rsquo;s integration into the European Union (EU) should not be contrasted with its integration into the Eurasian Union</b>, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Tert.am reports</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>&nbsp;</b></span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>In relations with countries in the Post-Soviet space Russia&#39;s approach differs from the EU&#39;s approach. <u><i>There are more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;</i></u>.</b></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp; So just let me give few examples of how Russia is trying to integrate Armenia into Russian-led organizations:</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span></p><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Russian news agencies, citing the Kremlin, disseminated a slightly odd piece of information saying that &ldquo;Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with the government&rsquo;s proposal to hold talks with Armenia for the signing of the agreement on the development of military-technical cooperation&rdquo; and that &ldquo;after the conclusion of the negotiations the Government has been instructed to sign an agreement with this country&rdquo;, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/42571/armenia_russia_military_cooperation_azerbaijan_karabakh_defense_treaty\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://english.pravda.ru/world/ussr/11-01-2013/123447-russia_armenia-0/#.UPj8hbxEu1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Karpova in Pravda.ru</a>: &quot;To further develop Russian-Armenian cooperation, President Vladimir Putin&#39;s Government appointed the Russian Transport Minister, Maxim Sokolov, as co-chairman for the bilateral commission, which has the task of drafting a roadmap of Russian-Armenian economic relations until 2020.&quot;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A joint document was signed after Dmitri Medvedev visited Armenia. It envisaged Russian military presence in Armenia and joint protection of Armenia&rsquo;s borders by the Armenian and Russian armed forces, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">as Tert.am reported</a>.</span></li></ul><p><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Due to its geographic location Armenia is really concerned on security issues. For sure, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other conflicts in the immediate neighbourhood are topics that should be taken into consideration regarding Armeian foreign policy. <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/profile/gordon-n-bardos\" target=\"_blank\">Gordon N. Bardos</a> in his article <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Spectre of Separatism Haunts Europe</a></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a> in <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/\" target=\"_blank\">The National Interest</a> argues that &quot;<span class=\"b3\">Balkans and the Caucasus (are) the stuff of nightmares for cartographers and diplomats trying to reconcile competing ethnic claims to territory. In the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, the Kurds of eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, and the Turks of northern Cyprus have all declared some form of independence or autonomy&quot;.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Of course, in accordance with Russian offers the European Union is asked to do more than statements: &quot;<span class=\"nannbl\">The EU has a strong interest in a stable neighbourhood; this is the raison d&#39;etre of our European Neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership policies. The EU actively supports the mediation process of the OSCE Minsk Group, we have important assistance projects to build confidence between the parties to the conflict, while the efforts of our EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the conflict in Georgia, Ambassador Lefort, fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group in a complementary way&quot;, </span></span></span><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Jose Manuel Barroso stated in a interview with </span></span></span></span></a><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Mediamax</span></span></span></a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">It is</span><span class=\"b1\"> t</span>herefore my view that the European Union<span class=\"b3\"> would </span><span class=\"b2\">have be</span><span class=\"b3\">en </span><span class=\"b4\">well</span><span class=\"b3\">-advised </span><span class=\"b2\">to </span></span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\"><b class=\"b5\">precisely </b>f</span><span class=\"b1\">ol</span>low the thinking in Armenia, but </span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\">consequently and sustainable </span></b></span>to</span> stand up for rights, international conventions and democracy<span class=\"b3\"> and </span></b><b>als<span class=\"b1\">o </span><span class=\"b2\">stron</span><span class=\"b3\">gly</span><span class=\"b4\"> reaffirm </span><span class=\"b3\">as </span><span class=\"b2\">a pre</span><span class=\"b1\">ss</span>ing requiremen<span class=\"b1\">t </span><span class=\"b2\">of free and fair elections.</span></b></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>See the original article <a href=\"http://eu21global.blogspot.com/2013/01/armenia-reloaded-2013-elections-and.html\">here</a>.</p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'news', 0, 635, 1302, 'und', 0, '<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s1600/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"231\" src=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s320/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">EU-Armenia, Foto:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">Photographic service of the Council of the EU &copy;</a></span></span> <span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">European Communities</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>Elections in the Post-Soviet space </b><b><span class=\"b4\">are i</span><span class=\"b3\">ncr</span><span class=\"b2\">easin</span><span class=\"b1\">gl</span>y an European task and respon<span class=\"b1\">si</span><span class=\"b2\">bilit</span><span class=\"b3\">y but mostly are </span><span class=\"b5\">leaving everything the</span><span class=\"b4\"> wa</span><span class=\"b3\">y it</span><span class=\"b4\"> is.</span></b><span class=\"b4\"> Just take a look on Ukraine. Armenia is also preparing to hold elections in 2013. The European Union is getting ready for surprises but is more prepared after the Ukraine&#39;s election in 2012.</span> Perhaps...<i><b> </b></i></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\">There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations. But Russia </span></b></span><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">is offering </span></b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;.</b></span> But everything depends on Armenia.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">On February 18, 2013 Armenia is going to be asked to elect a new President. </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The 2013 Presidential election campaign officially launched today (21 January 2013), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42692/presidential_election2013_candidates_campaign_officially_launched\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And the candidates are already known: <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/serzh-sargsyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (see his campaign platform <a href=\"http://www.serzhsargsyan.am/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), the Armenian President in office; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/hrant-bagratyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Hrant Bagratyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://bagratyanpresident.am/index.php/am/2013-01-14-16-16-09/2013-01-14-16-23-40#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former prime minister and the leader of Freedom party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/raffi-hovannisian/\" target=\"_blank\">Raffi Hovhannisian</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://raffi4president.am/en\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former foreign minister and the leader of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/paruyr-hayrikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Paruyr Hayrikyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">campaign platform</span> <a href=\"http://hayrikyan.com/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a prominent Soviet-era dissident and the head of the National Self-Determination Party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/arman-melikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Arman Melikyan</a>, a former foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/andreas-ghukasyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Andrias Ghukasyan</a>, a political analyst and head of Radio Hay; <a href=\"http://ru.sedrakyan.net/ob-avtore\" target=\"_blank\">Vardan Sedrakyan</a>, a specialist in epics, and <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/aram-harutyunyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Aram Harutyunyan</a>, leader of National Consent party will compete for the Presidency.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">However, <b>Stepa Safaryan, general secretary of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party pointed out Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovannisian as most likely vote-getters in the presidential elections</b>, cited by <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/opinion_serzh_sargsyan_and_raffi_hovannisian_most_likely_vote_getters_in_armenian_presidential_elect/\" target=\"_blank\">Arka News Agency</a>. Of course, the other candidates could seek avenues to mount a challenge to the present president. But the opposition is so fragmentated and n</span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">o one of the candidates is going to back any of the eight candidates running for president in Armenia, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42641/armenia_presidential_election_2013_single_candidate_search\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">It is inevitab<span class=\"b1\">le</span><span class=\"b2\"> that</span><span class=\"b3\"> there </span><span class=\"b2\">would</span><span class=\"b1\"> b</span>e disputes about the outcome of the election. But the Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan points out in advance that the 2013 presidential election will be most democratic in Armenia&rsquo;s history. &ldquo;I am convinced that this election will be most stainless and democratic and that it will leave behind all the previous elections,&rdquo; <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/minister_2013_presidential_election_to_be_most_democratic_in_armenia_s_history/\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>. </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop for prosecutors and defense attorneys in Yerevan stated that </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Armenia will pass the upcoming election test with brilliance, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42602/armenia_presidential_elections2013_police_chief_vladimir_gasparyan\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b5\">Does Europe tru</span><span class=\"b4\">st</span><span class=\"b3\"> them t</span><span class=\"b2\">o pl</span><span class=\"b1\">ay</span> their part correctly as guardian of the Justice? Or does Europe trust Foreign Minister </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Edward Nalbandian who also <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42438/armenia_presidential_election_osce_odihr_observation_mission\" target=\"_blank\">stated</a> that the Armenian government is committed to holding next month&rsquo;s presidential election in conformity with European standards. Election in conformity with European standards will be the key, but <span class=\"b5\">it seems to me</span><span class=\"b4\"> </span><span class=\"b3\">a</span><span class=\"b2\"> </span><span class=\"b1\">ma</span>tter of great urgency that there will be another reality.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Of course it is hard to expect from Non-EU member to compete with standards within the European Union, although member states faces many difficulties coming from membership. &quot;(T)he expansion of EU decision making limits the range of party policy positions at elections. Policy convergence means parties taking positions in the issue space closer to those held by their rivals and that consequently the distribution of party positions becomes more compact. EU legislation restricts the policy alternatives available to governments and, due to the electoral link, to parties and citizens. The more responsibility is assigned to the EU, the less room there is for parties to offer credible policy alternatives that differ markedly from EU legislation,&quot; <a href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2012.02063.x/pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Kyriaki Nanou and Han Dorussen argue</a>.</span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">T<span class=\"b2\">he</span><span class=\"b3\"> EU </span><span class=\"b4\">would b</span><span class=\"b5\">e well advised t</span><span class=\"b4\">o </span><span class=\"b3\">set </span><span class=\"b2\">very</span><span class=\"b1\"> a</span>mbitious targets for its Eastern Partnership policy as the evident risks to democracy in the immediate neighbourhood call for greater sustainability and consequence.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">What is happening with freedoms in Armenia?</span></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b class=\"b3\">The </b><b class=\"b2\">truth </b><b class=\"b3\">is</b><b class=\"b2\"> that </b><b class=\"b3\">time is ru</b><b class=\"b2\">nnin</b><b class=\"b1\">g</b><b class=\"b2\"> out <b class=\"b2\">and</b><b class=\"b1\"> the</b><b class=\"b2\">re is st</b><b class=\"b1\">il</b>l a lot to be done in Armenia</b><b class=\"b2\">.</b><span class=\"b2\"> </span>Recently <a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom House</a>, <a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/Pages/Home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Control Risks</a>, <a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Fraser Institute</a>, </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/\" target=\"_blank\">World Economic Forum</a> and <a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Price Waterhouse Cooper</a> published their recent reports on freedoms in the world. But a<span class=\"b1\">ct</span><span class=\"b2\">ual r</span><span class=\"b5\">esults </span><span class=\"b4\">di</span><span class=\"b3\">ffe</span><span class=\"b2\">r fro</span><span class=\"b1\">m </span>those reflected in the forward-looking statements.&nbsp;</span><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Regarding Freedom House report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom in the World 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is a partly free country, the net is partly free, but the press is not free. The regime is classified as a semi-consolidated authoritarian regime.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Due to the &quot;<a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/RiskMap/Pages/Security.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">RiskMap Report 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is presented as a country with high political and security risks. On issues related the economy for Armenia </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">is s</span><span class=\"b4\">om</span><span class=\"b5\">e light a</span><span class=\"b4\">t </span><span class=\"b3\">the</span><span class=\"b2\"> end of t</span><span class=\"b3\">he tunnel.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The Fraser Institute report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=4051\" target=\"_blank\">Economic Freedom of the World</a>&quot; ranks Armenia #53 and considers it as a relatively free country. The 2013 election should be a signal to Europe: We are carrying out our European path.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The World Economic Forum report &quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"js-wrap\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-enabling-trade-report-2012\" target=\"_blank\">The Global Enabling Trade Report 2012</a>&quot; </span>ranks Armenia #13 worldwide for market access and #59 in terms of the overall extent to which it has developed institutions, policies, and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Price Waterhouse Cooper, in its most recent &quot;<a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/am/en/assets/pdf/am_doing_business_guide_2011-2012.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Doing Business in Armenia guide</a>&quot;, reported that, &ldquo;Armenia encourages foreign trade and investment,&rdquo; and that, &ldquo;(s)urveys suggest that Armenia is a relatively easy country in which to do business.&rdquo;&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"> </span></span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Concerns are coming from other sides, too.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Policy Forum Armenia</a> r</span>eport, entitled <a href=\"http://pfa-dr.ectostarpark.com/press-release/pfa-special-report-armenias-2012-parliamentary-election\" target=\"_blank\">&ldquo;Armenia&rsquo;s 2012 Parliamentary Election&rdquo;</a> summarizes: &quot;(The report) demonstrates that the election fraud in Armenia has taken subtle and sophisticated forms that are difficult to detect because it occurs mostly outside of the polling stations. In fact, while acknowledging some marginal improvements, we believe that the systematic fraud applied by the authorities (and uncovered in the Report via the use of statistical techniques) was sufficient to materially alter the election outcome.&quot;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has already </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">concerns mainly about the &ldquo;continuing substantial inaccuracies in the voter lists&rdquo;, as <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42643/armenia_presidential_election_2013_pace_observers\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. Head of the PACE election monitoring mission Karin Woldseth said that &ldquo;the delegation was disappointed to see that the previous recommendations regarding the voter lists have not been implemented&rdquo;, whereas &ldquo;accurate voter lists are an essential prerequisite for any proper election.&rdquo;</span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b class=\"b3\">So</b><b class=\"b2\"> ther</b><b class=\"b1\">e ar</b><b class=\"b2\">e a </b><b class=\"b3\">lot</b><b class=\"b2\"> of </b><b class=\"b1\">issues to be solved before the election. Analyzing the results&nbsp;I conclude: In terms of democratic freedoms Armenia demonstrates a lack of political commitment on democracy progress. In terms of economic freedoms Armenia is making some valuable progress.</b> These developments could have </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">consequences for the relations with the European Union and Russia. But is the European Union prepared for surprises?</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Shuttle diplomacy and reassurement over European path</span></span></b><br />&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s1600/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"221\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s320/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Shuttle Diplomacy, Graphic: <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/EU21Global/122136604509551\" target=\"_blank\">@Hristofor Hrisoskulov</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Brussels and Yerevan and vice versa in 2012 and at the beginning of 2013. On the European side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_PRES-12-315_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Herman van Rompuy</a>, <a href=\"http://www.armradio.am/en/2012/12/01/jose-manuel-barroso-it-is-amazing-to-see-what-armenia-has-given-to-the-civilization/\" target=\"_blank\">Jose Manuel Barroso</a>, <a href=\"http://eunewsletter.am/eu-armenia/stefan-fule-in-armenia-ongoing-reforms-discussed\" target=\"_blank\">Stefan Füle</a> and <a href=\"http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/131321.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Catherine Ashton</a> visited Yerevan.</span> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The EU member states Bulgaria, Sweden and Poland supported the EU in this context. In December 2012 <a href=\"http://www.mfa.government.bg/en/events/6/1/603/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski paid a visit to Armenia</a> during a trip in the South Caucasus.<b> </b>On the Armenian side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-159_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (President of Armenia), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-11-873_en.htm?locale=en\" target=\"_blank\">Tigran Sargsyan</a> (Prime Minister), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-8_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Hovik Abramyan</a> (Speaker of the Armenian Parliament), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/41688/presidential_election_gagik_tsarukyan_prosperous_armenia_party_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">Gagik Tsarukyan</a> (Leader of the Armenian political party &quot;Prosperous Armenia&quot;) and <a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=91243\" target=\"_blank\">Edward Nalbandian</a> (Armenian Foreign Minsiter) visited Brussels.</span></div><br /><p><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The question is: <b>What is hidden behind all the statemnets made after every meeting?</b> In order to answer the question I picked up four words, namely <b>elections</b>, <b>Association Agreement</b>, <b>visa </b>(agreement, facilitation and liberalization) and <b>Europ+EU</b> as repeated in the statements attached as a link behind the mentioned names above. <b>In this way a specific picture of EU-Armenia relations shifted</b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"> into t</span><span class=\"b4\">he </span><span class=\"b5\">foreground</span><span class=\"b4\"> as</span><span class=\"b3\"> a model of future relations: <u><i>There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations</i></u>.<i>&nbsp;</i></span></b></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The </span><span class=\"b3\">words<b> </b>&quot;Association Agreemnet&quot; and &quot;visa </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">(agreement, facilitation and liberalization)&quot; have been used by the officials 17 times, whereas the word &quot;elections&quot; - 19 times. <b>&quot;Association Agreement&quot; and &quot;visa&quot; appear in the context of offering something, of rewarding some performance done, whereas &quot;elections&quot; has been used in the context of advising and instructing the other part (in this sense Armenia) to be crucial on the upcoming events in the country.</b> With regard to &quot;Europe+EU&quot; (counted 66 times) I </span>should like briefly to go into the common proposals in the statements which now come wit<span class=\"b1\">hi</span><span class=\"b2\">n a w</span><span class=\"b3\">ide</span><span class=\"b4\">r context; </span><span class=\"b3\">thi</span><span class=\"b2\">s app</span><span class=\"b1\">li</span>es, for example, to the proposal on supporting the European path of Armenia and </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">c</span><span class=\"b1\">on</span>firming the appro<span class=\"b1\">ac</span><span class=\"b2\">h alr</span><span class=\"b3\">ead</span><span class=\"b4\">y taken</span>.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">It seems that &quot;European officials are still skeptical about the Armenian government&rsquo;s intention to integrate with the European community. <b>They do not completely trust these assurances as all steps taken by Armenia so far in this direction have mostly been of a declarative nature.</b> Meanwhile, democratic reforms that are a condition for European integration have not become tangible in Armenia yet. (...) Still, political analyst Levon Margaryan thinks that the relations between Armenia and the EU have been taken to a new level where Armenia should prove that it is ready to bring not only its laws, but also practices in line with European standards,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/42460/armenia_eu_hovik_abrahamyan_visit_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Growing competition between the West and Russia for influence in Armenia: Economy and democracy vs. Security?</span></span></b><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Yerevan and Moscow, too. <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Russia</a> </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">attending the <a href=\"http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_19/Moscow-to-host-three-CIS-related-summits-today/\" target=\"_blank\">summits of the CIS and the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)</a>, Vladimir Putin, </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Dmitri Medvedev and Chairman of both Chambers of the State Duma and ministers visited on their side Yerevan. And Mr. Putin goes further: &quot;I want to reiterate that the countries of the Commonwealth are our most intimate &ndash; in the true sense of the word &ndash; strategic partners. Virtually all aspects of interaction with you are vital for our country,&quot; Putin said <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">cited by Massis Post</a>. </span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b2\">I</span><span class=\"b4\">t w</span><span class=\"b5\">as not wi</span><span class=\"b4\">thout </span><span class=\"b3\">rea</span><span class=\"b2\">son t</span><span class=\"b1\">ha</span>t US Foreign Minister Hillary Clinton warned on the situation in the Post-Soviet space and the rising attempts of Vladimir Putin to get closer </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">to Russia </span>all the neighbouring countries. As she stated: <b>&quot;There is a move to re-Sovietise the region.&quot;</b> Andrew Weiss, who served on the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton and now is at the US Rand Corporation think-tank, said Mr. Putin made clear when he returned to the presidency this year that he planned to focus on bolstering Russia&rsquo;s influence in its neighbourhood. But he added: &quot;Elites in the neighbouring states show little enthusiasm for simply handing over their autonomy and sovereignty to Moscow,&quot; </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a5b15b14-3fcf-11e2-9f71-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2IUXTW3Cf\" target=\"_blank\">Charles Clover writes in the Financial Times</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">2012 has showed that Armenian authorities feel like developing closer relations with the West, but are not going to spoil relations with Russia. Moreover, a certain division of labor could be noticed &ndash; Armenia seems to have entrusted its security to Russia, as a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, but is seeking to integrate with the European Union and develop closer ties with the United States in terms of economy and democracy,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/42304/armenia_foreign_policy_karabakh_azerbaijan_russia_eu_usa_genocide_2012\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Secretary of Armenia&rsquo;s National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">believes that <b>Armenia&rsquo;s integration into the European Union (EU) should not be contrasted with its integration into the Eurasian Union</b>, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Tert.am reports</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>&nbsp;</b></span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>In relations with countries in the Post-Soviet space Russia&#39;s approach differs from the EU&#39;s approach. <u><i>There are more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;</i></u>.</b></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp; So just let me give few examples of how Russia is trying to integrate Armenia into Russian-led organizations:</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span></p><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Russian news agencies, citing the Kremlin, disseminated a slightly odd piece of information saying that &ldquo;Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with the government&rsquo;s proposal to hold talks with Armenia for the signing of the agreement on the development of military-technical cooperation&rdquo; and that &ldquo;after the conclusion of the negotiations the Government has been instructed to sign an agreement with this country&rdquo;, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/42571/armenia_russia_military_cooperation_azerbaijan_karabakh_defense_treaty\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://english.pravda.ru/world/ussr/11-01-2013/123447-russia_armenia-0/#.UPj8hbxEu1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Karpova in Pravda.ru</a>: &quot;To further develop Russian-Armenian cooperation, President Vladimir Putin&#39;s Government appointed the Russian Transport Minister, Maxim Sokolov, as co-chairman for the bilateral commission, which has the task of drafting a roadmap of Russian-Armenian economic relations until 2020.&quot;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A joint document was signed after Dmitri Medvedev visited Armenia. It envisaged Russian military presence in Armenia and joint protection of Armenia&rsquo;s borders by the Armenian and Russian armed forces, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">as Tert.am reported</a>.</span></li></ul><p><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Due to its geographic location Armenia is really concerned on security issues. For sure, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other conflicts in the immediate neighbourhood are topics that should be taken into consideration regarding Armeian foreign policy. <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/profile/gordon-n-bardos\" target=\"_blank\">Gordon N. Bardos</a> in his article <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Spectre of Separatism Haunts Europe</a></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a> in <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/\" target=\"_blank\">The National Interest</a> argues that &quot;<span class=\"b3\">Balkans and the Caucasus (are) the stuff of nightmares for cartographers and diplomats trying to reconcile competing ethnic claims to territory. In the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, the Kurds of eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, and the Turks of northern Cyprus have all declared some form of independence or autonomy&quot;.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Of course, in accordance with Russian offers the European Union is asked to do more than statements: &quot;<span class=\"nannbl\">The EU has a strong interest in a stable neighbourhood; this is the raison d&#39;etre of our European Neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership policies. The EU actively supports the mediation process of the OSCE Minsk Group, we have important assistance projects to build confidence between the parties to the conflict, while the efforts of our EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the conflict in Georgia, Ambassador Lefort, fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group in a complementary way&quot;, </span></span></span><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Jose Manuel Barroso stated in a interview with </span></span></span></span></a><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Mediamax</span></span></span></a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">It is</span><span class=\"b1\"> t</span>herefore my view that the European Union<span class=\"b3\"> would </span><span class=\"b2\">have be</span><span class=\"b3\">en </span><span class=\"b4\">well</span><span class=\"b3\">-advised </span><span class=\"b2\">to </span></span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\"><b class=\"b5\">precisely </b>f</span><span class=\"b1\">ol</span>low the thinking in Armenia, but </span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\">consequently and sustainable </span></b></span>to</span> stand up for rights, international conventions and democracy<span class=\"b3\"> and </span></b><b>als<span class=\"b1\">o </span><span class=\"b2\">stron</span><span class=\"b3\">gly</span><span class=\"b4\"> reaffirm </span><span class=\"b3\">as </span><span class=\"b2\">a pre</span><span class=\"b1\">ss</span>ing requiremen<span class=\"b1\">t </span><span class=\"b2\">of free and fair elections.</span></b></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>See the original article <a href=\"http://eu21global.blogspot.com/2013/01/armenia-reloaded-2013-elections-and.html\">here</a>.</p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'news', 0, 635, 1303, 'und', 0, '<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s1600/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"231\" src=\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s320/p-022221-00-43.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">EU-Armenia, Foto:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">Photographic service of the Council of the EU &copy;</a></span></span> <span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en\" target=\"_blank\">European Communities</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b>Elections in the Post-Soviet space </b><b><span class=\"b4\">are i</span><span class=\"b3\">ncr</span><span class=\"b2\">easin</span><span class=\"b1\">gl</span>y an European task and respon<span class=\"b1\">si</span><span class=\"b2\">bilit</span><span class=\"b3\">y but mostly are </span><span class=\"b5\">leaving everything the</span><span class=\"b4\"> wa</span><span class=\"b3\">y it</span><span class=\"b4\"> is.</span></b><span class=\"b4\"> Just take a look on Ukraine. Armenia is also preparing to hold elections in 2013. The European Union is getting ready for surprises but is more prepared after the Ukraine&#39;s election in 2012.</span> Perhaps...<i><b> </b></i></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations. But Russia </span>is offering <span class=\"b3\">more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;.</span> But everything depends on Armenia.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">On February 18, 2013 Armenia is going to be asked to elect a new President. </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">The 2013 Presidential election campaign officially launched today (21 January 2013), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42692/presidential_election2013_candidates_campaign_officially_launched\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And the candidates are already known: <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/serzh-sargsyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (see his campaign platform <a href=\"http://www.serzhsargsyan.am/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), the Armenian President in office; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/hrant-bagratyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Hrant Bagratyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">campaign platform <a href=\"http://bagratyanpresident.am/index.php/am/2013-01-14-16-16-09/2013-01-14-16-23-40#\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former prime minister and the leader of Freedom party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/raffi-hovannisian/\" target=\"_blank\">Raffi Hovhannisian</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">campaign platform <a href=\"http://raffi4president.am/en\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a former foreign minister and the leader of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/paruyr-hayrikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Paruyr Hayrikyan</a> (see his </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">campaign platform <a href=\"http://hayrikyan.com/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>), a prominent Soviet-era dissident and the head of the National Self-Determination Party; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/arman-melikyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Arman Melikyan</a>, a former foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/andreas-ghukasyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Andrias Ghukasyan</a>, a political analyst and head of Radio Hay; <a href=\"http://ru.sedrakyan.net/ob-avtore\" target=\"_blank\">Vardan Sedrakyan</a>, a specialist in epics, and <a href=\"http://www.elect.am/aram-harutyunyan/\" target=\"_blank\">Aram Harutyunyan</a>, leader of National Consent party will compete for the Presidency.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">However, <b>Stepa Safaryan, general secretary of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party pointed out Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovannisian as most likely vote-getters in the presidential elections</b>, cited by <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/opinion_serzh_sargsyan_and_raffi_hovannisian_most_likely_vote_getters_in_armenian_presidential_elect/\" target=\"_blank\">Arka News Agency</a>. Of course, the other candidates could seek avenues to mount a challenge to the present president. But the opposition is so fragmentated and n</span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">o one of the candidates is going to back any of the eight candidates running for president in Armenia, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42641/armenia_presidential_election_2013_single_candidate_search\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">It is inevitab<span class=\"b1\">le</span><span class=\"b2\"> that</span><span class=\"b3\"> there </span><span class=\"b2\">would</span><span class=\"b1\"> b</span>e disputes about the outcome of the election. But the Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan points out in advance that the 2013 presidential election will be most democratic in Armenia&rsquo;s history. &ldquo;I am convinced that this election will be most stainless and democratic and that it will leave behind all the previous elections,&rdquo; <a href=\"http://arka.am/en/news/politics/minister_2013_presidential_election_to_be_most_democratic_in_armenia_s_history/\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>. </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop for prosecutors and defense attorneys in Yerevan stated that </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Armenia will pass the upcoming election test with brilliance, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42602/armenia_presidential_elections2013_police_chief_vladimir_gasparyan\" target=\"_blank\">he was quoted</a>.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b5\">Does Europe tru</span><span class=\"b4\">st</span><span class=\"b3\"> them t</span><span class=\"b2\">o pl</span><span class=\"b1\">ay</span> their part correctly as guardian of the Justice? Or does Europe trust Foreign Minister </span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Edward Nalbandian who also <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42438/armenia_presidential_election_osce_odihr_observation_mission\" target=\"_blank\">stated</a> that the Armenian government is committed to holding next month&rsquo;s presidential election in conformity with European standards. Election in conformity with European standards will be the key, but <span class=\"b5\">it seems to me</span><span class=\"b4\"> </span><span class=\"b3\">a</span><span class=\"b2\"> </span><span class=\"b1\">ma</span>tter of great urgency that there will be another reality.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Of course it is hard to expect from Non-EU member to compete with standards within the European Union, although member states faces many difficulties coming from membership. &quot;(T)he expansion of EU decision making limits the range of party policy positions at elections. Policy convergence means parties taking positions in the issue space closer to those held by their rivals and that consequently the distribution of party positions becomes more compact. EU legislation restricts the policy alternatives available to governments and, due to the electoral link, to parties and citizens. The more responsibility is assigned to the EU, the less room there is for parties to offer credible policy alternatives that differ markedly from EU legislation,&quot; </span><a href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2012.02063.x/pdf\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\" target=\"_blank\">Kyriaki Nanou and Han Dorussen argue</a><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">T</span><span class=\"b2\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">he</span><span class=\"b3\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\"> EU </span><span class=\"b4\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">would b</span><span class=\"b5\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">e well advised t</span><span class=\"b4\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">o </span><span class=\"b3\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">set </span><span class=\"b2\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">very</span><span class=\"b1\" style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\"> a</span><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">mbitious targets for its Eastern Partnership policy as the evident risks to democracy in the immediate neighbourhood call for greater sustainability and consequence.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">What is happening with freedoms in Armenia?</span></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b class=\"b3\">The </b><b class=\"b2\">truth </b><b class=\"b3\">is</b><b class=\"b2\"> that </b><b class=\"b3\">time is ru</b><b class=\"b2\">nnin</b><b class=\"b1\">g</b><b class=\"b2\"> out <b class=\"b2\">and</b><b class=\"b1\"> the</b><b class=\"b2\">re is st</b><b class=\"b1\">il</b>l a lot to be done in Armenia</b><b class=\"b2\">.</b><span class=\"b2\"> </span>Recently <a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom House</a>, <a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/Pages/Home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Control Risks</a>, <a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Fraser Institute</a>, </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/\" target=\"_blank\">World Economic Forum</a> and <a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Price Waterhouse Cooper</a> published their recent reports on freedoms in the world. But a<span class=\"b1\">ct</span><span class=\"b2\">ual r</span><span class=\"b5\">esults </span><span class=\"b4\">di</span><span class=\"b3\">ffe</span><span class=\"b2\">r fro</span><span class=\"b1\">m </span>those reflected in the forward-looking statements.&nbsp;</span><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Regarding Freedom House report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom in the World 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is a partly free country, the net is partly free, but the press is not free. The regime is classified as a semi-consolidated authoritarian regime.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Due to the &quot;<a href=\"http://www.controlrisks.com/RiskMap/Pages/Security.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">RiskMap Report 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is presented as a country with high political and security risks. On issues related the economy for Armenia </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">is s</span><span class=\"b4\">om</span><span class=\"b5\">e light a</span><span class=\"b4\">t </span><span class=\"b3\">the</span><span class=\"b2\"> end of t</span><span class=\"b3\">he tunnel.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The Fraser Institute report &quot;<a href=\"http://www.fraserinstitute.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=4051\" target=\"_blank\">Economic Freedom of the World</a>&quot; ranks Armenia #53 and considers it as a relatively free country. The 2013 election should be a signal to Europe: We are carrying out our European path.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The World Economic Forum report &quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"js-wrap\"><a href=\"http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-enabling-trade-report-2012\" target=\"_blank\">The Global Enabling Trade Report 2012</a>&quot; </span>ranks Armenia #13 worldwide for market access and #59 in terms of the overall extent to which it has developed institutions, policies, and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders.</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Price Waterhouse Cooper, in its most recent &quot;<a href=\"http://www.pwc.com/am/en/assets/pdf/am_doing_business_guide_2011-2012.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Doing Business in Armenia guide</a>&quot;, reported that, &ldquo;Armenia encourages foreign trade and investment,&rdquo; and that, &ldquo;(s)urveys suggest that Armenia is a relatively easy country in which to do business.&rdquo;&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"> </span></span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: \'Trebuchet MS\', sans-serif;\">Concerns are coming from other sides, too.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Policy Forum Armenia</a> r</span>eport, entitled <a href=\"http://pfa-dr.ectostarpark.com/press-release/pfa-special-report-armenias-2012-parliamentary-election\" target=\"_blank\">&ldquo;Armenia&rsquo;s 2012 Parliamentary Election&rdquo;</a> summarizes: &quot;(The report) demonstrates that the election fraud in Armenia has taken subtle and sophisticated forms that are difficult to detect because it occurs mostly outside of the polling stations. In fact, while acknowledging some marginal improvements, we believe that the systematic fraud applied by the authorities (and uncovered in the Report via the use of statistical techniques) was sufficient to materially alter the election outcome.&quot;</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has already </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">concerns mainly about the &ldquo;continuing substantial inaccuracies in the voter lists&rdquo;, as <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42643/armenia_presidential_election_2013_pace_observers\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. Head of the PACE election monitoring mission Karin Woldseth said that &ldquo;the delegation was disappointed to see that the previous recommendations regarding the voter lists have not been implemented&rdquo;, whereas &ldquo;accurate voter lists are an essential prerequisite for any proper election.&rdquo;</span></li></ul></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b class=\"b3\">So</b><b class=\"b2\"> ther</b><b class=\"b1\">e ar</b><b class=\"b2\">e a </b><b class=\"b3\">lot</b><b class=\"b2\"> of </b><b class=\"b1\">issues to be solved before the election. Analyzing the results&nbsp;I conclude: In terms of democratic freedoms Armenia demonstrates a lack of political commitment on democracy progress. In terms of economic freedoms Armenia is making some valuable progress.</b> These developments could have </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">consequences for the relations with the European Union and Russia. But is the European Union prepared for surprises?</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Shuttle diplomacy and reassurement over European path</span></span></b><br />&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s1600/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"221\" src=\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s320/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg\" width=\"320\" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Shuttle Diplomacy, Graphic: <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/EU21Global/122136604509551\" target=\"_blank\">@Hristofor Hrisoskulov</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Brussels and Yerevan and vice versa in 2012 and at the beginning of 2013. On the European side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_PRES-12-315_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Herman van Rompuy</a>, <a href=\"http://www.armradio.am/en/2012/12/01/jose-manuel-barroso-it-is-amazing-to-see-what-armenia-has-given-to-the-civilization/\" target=\"_blank\">Jose Manuel Barroso</a>, <a href=\"http://eunewsletter.am/eu-armenia/stefan-fule-in-armenia-ongoing-reforms-discussed\" target=\"_blank\">Stefan Füle</a> and <a href=\"http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/131321.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Catherine Ashton</a> visited Yerevan.</span> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The EU member states Bulgaria, Sweden and Poland supported the EU in this context. In December 2012 <a href=\"http://www.mfa.government.bg/en/events/6/1/603/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski paid a visit to Armenia</a> during a trip in the South Caucasus.<b> </b>On the Armenian side, <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-159_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (President of Armenia), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-11-873_en.htm?locale=en\" target=\"_blank\">Tigran Sargsyan</a> (Prime Minister), <a href=\"http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-8_en.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Hovik Abramyan</a> (Speaker of the Armenian Parliament), <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/41688/presidential_election_gagik_tsarukyan_prosperous_armenia_party_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">Gagik Tsarukyan</a> (Leader of the Armenian political party &quot;Prosperous Armenia&quot;) and <a href=\"http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=91243\" target=\"_blank\">Edward Nalbandian</a> (Armenian Foreign Minsiter) visited Brussels.</span></div><br /><p><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">The question is: <b>What is hidden behind all the statemnets made after every meeting?</b> In order to answer the question I picked up four words, namely <b>elections</b>, <b>Association Agreement</b>, <b>visa </b>(agreement, facilitation and liberalization) and <b>Europ+EU</b> as repeated in the statements attached as a link behind the mentioned names above. <b>In this way a specific picture of EU-Armenia relations shifted</b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"> into t</span><span class=\"b4\">he </span><span class=\"b5\">foreground</span><span class=\"b4\"> as</span><span class=\"b3\"> a model of future relations: <u><i>There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations</i></u>.<i>&nbsp;</i></span></b></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">The </span><span class=\"b3\">words<b> </b>&quot;Association Agreemnet&quot; and &quot;visa </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">(agreement, facilitation and liberalization)&quot; have been used by the officials 17 times, whereas the word &quot;elections&quot; - 19 times. <b>&quot;Association Agreement&quot; and &quot;visa&quot; appear in the context of offering something, of rewarding some performance done, whereas &quot;elections&quot; has been used in the context of advising and instructing the other part (in this sense Armenia) to be crucial on the upcoming events in the country.</b> With regard to &quot;Europe+EU&quot; (counted 66 times) I </span>should like briefly to go into the common proposals in the statements which now come wit<span class=\"b1\">hi</span><span class=\"b2\">n a w</span><span class=\"b3\">ide</span><span class=\"b4\">r context; </span><span class=\"b3\">thi</span><span class=\"b2\">s app</span><span class=\"b1\">li</span>es, for example, to the proposal on supporting the European path of Armenia and </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">c</span><span class=\"b1\">on</span>firming the appro<span class=\"b1\">ac</span><span class=\"b2\">h alr</span><span class=\"b3\">ead</span><span class=\"b4\">y taken</span>.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">It seems that &quot;European officials are still skeptical about the Armenian government&rsquo;s intention to integrate with the European community. <b>They do not completely trust these assurances as all steps taken by Armenia so far in this direction have mostly been of a declarative nature.</b> Meanwhile, democratic reforms that are a condition for European integration have not become tangible in Armenia yet. (...) Still, political analyst Levon Margaryan thinks that the relations between Armenia and the EU have been taken to a new level where Armenia should prove that it is ready to bring not only its laws, but also practices in line with European standards,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/42460/armenia_eu_hovik_abrahamyan_visit_brussels\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <b><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Growing competition between the West and Russia for influence in Armenia: Economy and democracy vs. Security?</span></span></b><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Yerevan and Moscow, too. <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Russia</a> </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">attending the <a href=\"http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_19/Moscow-to-host-three-CIS-related-summits-today/\" target=\"_blank\">summits of the CIS and the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)</a>, Vladimir Putin, </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Dmitri Medvedev and Chairman of both Chambers of the State Duma and ministers visited on their side Yerevan. And Mr. Putin goes further: &quot;I want to reiterate that the countries of the Commonwealth are our most intimate &ndash; in the true sense of the word &ndash; strategic partners. Virtually all aspects of interaction with you are vital for our country,&quot; Putin said <a href=\"http://massispost.com/archives/6375\" target=\"_blank\">cited by Massis Post</a>. </span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b2\">I</span><span class=\"b4\">t w</span><span class=\"b5\">as not wi</span><span class=\"b4\">thout </span><span class=\"b3\">rea</span><span class=\"b2\">son t</span><span class=\"b1\">ha</span>t US Foreign Minister Hillary Clinton warned on the situation in the Post-Soviet space and the rising attempts of Vladimir Putin to get closer </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">to Russia </span>all the neighbouring countries. As she stated: <b>&quot;There is a move to re-Sovietise the region.&quot;</b> Andrew Weiss, who served on the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton and now is at the US Rand Corporation think-tank, said Mr. Putin made clear when he returned to the presidency this year that he planned to focus on bolstering Russia&rsquo;s influence in its neighbourhood. But he added: &quot;Elites in the neighbouring states show little enthusiasm for simply handing over their autonomy and sovereignty to Moscow,&quot; </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a5b15b14-3fcf-11e2-9f71-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2IUXTW3Cf\" target=\"_blank\">Charles Clover writes in the Financial Times</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&quot;</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">2012 has showed that Armenian authorities feel like developing closer relations with the West, but are not going to spoil relations with Russia. Moreover, a certain division of labor could be noticed &ndash; Armenia seems to have entrusted its security to Russia, as a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, but is seeking to integrate with the European Union and develop closer ties with the United States in terms of economy and democracy,&quot; <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/42304/armenia_foreign_policy_karabakh_azerbaijan_russia_eu_usa_genocide_2012\" target=\"_blank\">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">Secretary of Armenia&rsquo;s National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan </span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">believes that <b>Armenia&rsquo;s integration into the European Union (EU) should not be contrasted with its integration into the Eurasian Union</b>, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Tert.am reports</a>.</span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>&nbsp;</b></span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><b>In relations with countries in the Post-Soviet space Russia&#39;s approach differs from the EU&#39;s approach. <u><i>There are more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;</i></u>.</b></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp; So just let me give few examples of how Russia is trying to integrate Armenia into Russian-led organizations:</span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">&nbsp;</span></span></p><br /><ul><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Russian news agencies, citing the Kremlin, disseminated a slightly odd piece of information saying that &ldquo;Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with the government&rsquo;s proposal to hold talks with Armenia for the signing of the agreement on the development of military-technical cooperation&rdquo; and that &ldquo;after the conclusion of the negotiations the Government has been instructed to sign an agreement with this country&rdquo;, <a href=\"http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/42571/armenia_russia_military_cooperation_azerbaijan_karabakh_defense_treaty\" target=\"_blank\">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">And </span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://english.pravda.ru/world/ussr/11-01-2013/123447-russia_armenia-0/#.UPj8hbxEu1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Karpova in Pravda.ru</a>: &quot;To further develop Russian-Armenian cooperation, President Vladimir Putin&#39;s Government appointed the Russian Transport Minister, Maxim Sokolov, as co-chairman for the bilateral commission, which has the task of drafting a roadmap of Russian-Armenian economic relations until 2020.&quot;</span></li><li><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\">A joint document was signed after Dmitri Medvedev visited Armenia. It envisaged Russian military presence in Armenia and joint protection of Armenia&rsquo;s borders by the Armenian and Russian armed forces, <a href=\"http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">as Tert.am reported</a>.</span></li></ul><p><br /><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Due to its geographic location Armenia is really concerned on security issues. For sure, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other conflicts in the immediate neighbourhood are topics that should be taken into consideration regarding Armeian foreign policy. <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/profile/gordon-n-bardos\" target=\"_blank\">Gordon N. Bardos</a> in his article <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a></span></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">Spectre of Separatism Haunts Europe</a></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook\" target=\"_blank\">&quot;</a> in <a href=\"http://nationalinterest.org/\" target=\"_blank\">The National Interest</a> argues that &quot;<span class=\"b3\">Balkans and the Caucasus (are) the stuff of nightmares for cartographers and diplomats trying to reconcile competing ethnic claims to territory. In the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, the Kurds of eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, and the Turks of northern Cyprus have all declared some form of independence or autonomy&quot;.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\">Of course, in accordance with Russian offers the European Union is asked to do more than statements: &quot;<span class=\"nannbl\">The EU has a strong interest in a stable neighbourhood; this is the raison d&#39;etre of our European Neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership policies. The EU actively supports the mediation process of the OSCE Minsk Group, we have important assistance projects to build confidence between the parties to the conflict, while the efforts of our EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the conflict in Georgia, Ambassador Lefort, fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group in a complementary way&quot;, </span></span></span><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Jose Manuel Barroso stated in a interview with </span></span></span></span></a><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><span class=\"b3\"><a href=\"http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\"><span class=\"nannbl\">Mediamax</span></span></span></a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\">It is</span><span class=\"b1\"> t</span>herefore my view that the European Union<span class=\"b3\"> would </span><span class=\"b2\">have be</span><span class=\"b3\">en </span><span class=\"b4\">well</span><span class=\"b3\">-advised </span><span class=\"b2\">to </span></span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span class=\"b2\"><b class=\"b5\">precisely </b>f</span><span class=\"b1\">ol</span>low the thinking in Armenia, but </span></b></span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;\"><b><span class=\"b3\">consequently and sustainable </span></b></span>to</span> stand up for rights, international conventions and democracy<span class=\"b3\"> and </span></b><b>als<span class=\"b1\">o </span><span class=\"b2\">stron</span><span class=\"b3\">gly</span><span class=\"b4\"> reaffirm </span><span class=\"b3\">as </span><span class=\"b2\">a pre</span><span class=\"b1\">ss</span>ing requiremen<span class=\"b1\">t </span><span class=\"b2\">of free and fair elections.</span></b></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>See the original article <a href=\"http://eu21global.blogspot.com/2013/01/armenia-reloaded-2013-elections-and.html\">here</a>.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'news', 0, 636, 1249, 'und', 0, '<p><span style=\"color: #333333\">Since last week&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_presidential_election,_2013\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">presidential elections (February 18) in Armenia</span></a>&nbsp;there have been&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-armenia-election-idUSBRE91O0T820130225\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">protests around the country</span></a>&nbsp;alleging widespread election fraud. The presidential campaign was certainly eventful, with one candidate going on a hunger strike and another being shot (non-fatally). The officially reported electoral returns came as a surprise to many. The American-born Raffi Hovannisian from the oppositional Heritage Party, got 37 percent of the votes. Considering that in last year&rsquo;s parliamentary elections the party got only 3.8 percent of the seats, this can be considered quite a feat. Many questions arise, one of which concerns the extent of election fraud in the 2013 elections compared with last year&rsquo;s parliamentary elections. I find that there are indications of more fraud in last week&rsquo;s elections.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">First, examining indications of outright fabrication I note a suspicious deviation from the expected uniform distribution in the vote counts for the ruling party in 2013. There is no such pattern in the 2012 data, supporting the hypothesis that there was more fraud in 2013. In the absence of manipulation of vote totals the last digit should follow a uniform distribution of 10 percent in each of the 0-9 digit categories &ndash; the vertical bars in the graph (Beber &amp; Scacco, 2012). The deviation from uniform is significant at the 0.1 percent level in the 2013 elections, while non-significant in 2012 (<em>p</em>-value = 0.981)</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\"><a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_1.png?343c0a\"><span style=\"color: #333333\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://i2.wp.com/themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_1.png?zoom=1.5&amp;resize=550%2C400\" width=\"550\" /></span></a></span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">There is anecdotal evidence of fraud from domestic election observers, like the crowdsourcing platform&nbsp;<a href=\"https://iditord.org/\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">iditord.org</span></a>. There are only four incidents of calculation errors or falsification, constituting 1 percent of the 390 incident reports that were categorized. Actually, the most frequently occurring types of incidents reported where either intimidation (11 percent) or vote buying (10 percent). Fraud forensics based on digit-tests would not be able to capture such phenomena.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">For the latter type of electoral manipulation we can graph turnout as a kernel density plot to detect anomalies. A Kernel plot is a non-parametric estimation of the probability density function of a random variable. Such a smoothing of the distribution helps us spot irregularities compared with the expected normal distribution. Examining the plots visually reveal an &lsquo;unnatural&rsquo; hump at the right-hand tail as we would expect if there was ballot stuffing, or other blatant forms of fraud that would increase turnout. The hump is certainly more articulated in 2013 compared to 2012, again suggesting that there was more fraud in 2013.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\"><a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_2.png?343c0a\"><span style=\"color: #333333\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://i2.wp.com/themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_2.png?zoom=1.5&amp;resize=550%2C400\" width=\"550\" /></span></a></span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">In a context where authorities claim that there was no fraud and the opposition alleges widespread fraud, such forensics tools can be helpful as a piece of evidence. These are only diagnostic tools though and should be interpreted with caution. Other organizations have put out similar analyses, for instance&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-releases\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</span></a>. It remains to be seen whether the citizens of Armenia overcome the&nbsp;<a href=\"http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&amp;aid=1300800\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">well-known collective-action problem</span></a>&nbsp;of whether or not to protest. Who knows, the spring might come early to Armenia this year?</span></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'news', 0, 636, 1250, 'und', 0, '<p><span style=\"color: #333333\">Since last week&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_presidential_election,_2013\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">presidential elections (February 18) in Armenia</span></a>&nbsp;there have been&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-armenia-election-idUSBRE91O0T820130225\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">protests around the country</span></a>&nbsp;alleging widespread election fraud. The presidential campaign was certainly eventful, with one candidate going on a hunger strike and another being shot (non-fatally). The officially reported electoral returns came as a surprise to many. The American-born Raffi Hovannisian from the oppositional Heritage Party, got 37 percent of the votes. Considering that in last year&rsquo;s parliamentary elections the party got only 3.8 percent of the seats, this can be considered quite a feat. Many questions arise, one of which concerns the extent of election fraud in the 2013 elections compared with last year&rsquo;s parliamentary elections. I find that there are indications of more fraud in last week&rsquo;s elections.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">First, examining indications of outright fabrication I note a suspicious deviation from the expected uniform distribution in the vote counts for the ruling party in 2013. There is no such pattern in the 2012 data, supporting the hypothesis that there was more fraud in 2013. In the absence of manipulation of vote totals the last digit should follow a uniform distribution of 10 percent in each of the 0-9 digit categories &ndash; the vertical bars in the graph (Beber &amp; Scacco, 2012). The deviation from uniform is significant at the 0.1 percent level in the 2013 elections, while non-significant in 2012 (<em>p</em>-value = 0.981)</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\"><a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_1.png?343c0a\"><span style=\"color: #333333\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://i2.wp.com/themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_1.png?zoom=1.5&amp;resize=550%2C400\" width=\"550\" /></span></a></span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">There is anecdotal evidence of fraud from domestic election observers, like the crowdsourcing platform&nbsp;<a href=\"https://iditord.org/\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">iditord.org</span></a>. There are only four incidents of calculation errors or falsification, constituting 1 percent of the 390 incident reports that were categorized. Actually, the most frequently occurring types of incidents reported where either intimidation (11 percent) or vote buying (10 percent). Fraud forensics based on digit-tests would not be able to capture such phenomena.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">For the latter type of electoral manipulation we can graph turnout as a kernel density plot to detect anomalies. A Kernel plot is a non-parametric estimation of the probability density function of a random variable. Such a smoothing of the distribution helps us spot irregularities compared with the expected normal distribution. Examining the plots visually reveal an &lsquo;unnatural&rsquo; hump at the right-hand tail as we would expect if there was ballot stuffing, or other blatant forms of fraud that would increase turnout. The hump is certainly more articulated in 2013 compared to 2012, again suggesting that there was more fraud in 2013.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\"><a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_2.png?343c0a\"><span style=\"color: #333333\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://i2.wp.com/themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_2.png?zoom=1.5&amp;resize=550%2C400\" width=\"550\" /></span></a></span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">In a context where authorities claim that there was no fraud and the opposition alleges widespread fraud, such forensics tools can be helpful as a piece of evidence. These are only diagnostic tools though and should be interpreted with caution. Other organizations have put out similar analyses, for instance&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-releases\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</span></a>. It remains to be seen whether the citizens of Armenia overcome the&nbsp;<a href=\"http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&amp;aid=1300800\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">well-known collective-action problem</span></a>&nbsp;of whether or not to protest. Who knows, the spring might come early to Armenia this year?</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">See the original article <a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/2013/03/01/the-protesters-are-right-evidence-suggests-more-election-fraud-in-last-weeks-elections-in-armenia/\">here</a>.</span></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'news', 0, 636, 1253, 'und', 0, '<p><span style=\"color: #333333\">Since last week&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_presidential_election,_2013\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">presidential elections (February 18) in Armenia</span></a>&nbsp;there have been&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-armenia-election-idUSBRE91O0T820130225\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">protests around the country</span></a>&nbsp;alleging widespread election fraud. The presidential campaign was certainly eventful, with one candidate going on a hunger strike and another being shot (non-fatally). The officially reported electoral returns came as a surprise to many. The American-born Raffi Hovannisian from the oppositional Heritage Party, got 37 percent of the votes. Considering that in last year&rsquo;s parliamentary elections the party got only 3.8 percent of the seats, this can be considered quite a feat. Many questions arise, one of which concerns the extent of election fraud in the 2013 elections compared with last year&rsquo;s parliamentary elections. I find that there are indications of more fraud in last week&rsquo;s elections.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">First, examining indications of outright fabrication I note a suspicious deviation from the expected uniform distribution in the vote counts for the ruling party in 2013. There is no such pattern in the 2012 data, supporting the hypothesis that there was more fraud in 2013. In the absence of manipulation of vote totals the last digit should follow a uniform distribution of 10 percent in each of the 0-9 digit categories &ndash; the vertical bars in the graph (Beber &amp; Scacco, 2012). The deviation from uniform is significant at the 0.1 percent level in the 2013 elections, while non-significant in 2012 (<em>p</em>-value = 0.981)</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\"><a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_1.png?343c0a\"><span style=\"color: #333333\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://i2.wp.com/themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_1.png?zoom=1.5&amp;resize=550%2C400\" width=\"550\" /></span></a></span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">There is anecdotal evidence of fraud from domestic election observers, like the crowdsourcing platform&nbsp;<a href=\"https://iditord.org/\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">iditord.org</span></a>. There are only four incidents of calculation errors or falsification, constituting 1 percent of the 390 incident reports that were categorized. Actually, the most frequently occurring types of incidents reported where either intimidation (11 percent) or vote buying (10 percent). Fraud forensics based on digit-tests would not be able to capture such phenomena.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">For the latter type of electoral manipulation we can graph turnout as a kernel density plot to detect anomalies. A Kernel plot is a non-parametric estimation of the probability density function of a random variable. Such a smoothing of the distribution helps us spot irregularities compared with the expected normal distribution. Examining the plots visually reveal an &lsquo;unnatural&rsquo; hump at the right-hand tail as we would expect if there was ballot stuffing, or other blatant forms of fraud that would increase turnout. The hump is certainly more articulated in 2013 compared to 2012, again suggesting that there was more fraud in 2013.</span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\"><a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_2.png?343c0a\"><span style=\"color: #333333\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://i2.wp.com/themonkeycage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Armenia_2.png?zoom=1.5&amp;resize=550%2C400\" width=\"550\" /></span></a></span></p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">In a context where authorities claim that there was no fraud and the opposition alleges widespread fraud, such forensics tools can be helpful as a piece of evidence. These are only diagnostic tools though and should be interpreted with caution. Other organizations have put out similar analyses, for instance&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-releases\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</span></a>. It remains to be seen whether the citizens of Armenia overcome the&nbsp;<a href=\"http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&amp;aid=1300800\"><span style=\"color: #333333\">well-known collective-action problem</span></a>&nbsp;of whether or not to protest. Who knows, the spring might come early to Armenia this year?</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style=\"color: #333333\">See the original article <a href=\"http://themonkeycage.org/2013/03/01/the-protesters-are-right-evidence-suggests-more-election-fraud-in-last-weeks-elections-in-armenia/\">here</a>.</span></p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'news', 0, 637, 1251, 'und', 0, '<p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Arthur Pogosyan, a Los Angeles-area psychiatrist and co-founder of the non-profit family welfare organization Haikproject told the minister that they are not going to let Armenia be divided and exploited into parts and pieces used for mining.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;We think it&rsquo;s time that we no longer let anyone harm our water and our lands, so that people have no way of living,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Is this why we fought to free our country? So that a few people can become millionaires and the rest be poisoned?&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Sargsyan expressed happiness that the environmental movement is gaining strength in both Armenia and its diaspora and said that they are more than willing to discuss and engage with activists over these issues in the near future.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Nersesian, who said he was there to create a bridge between Armenia and its diaspora said his time in Los Angeles has proven that despite the distance, the Armenian-American community has shown immense support for their cause.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a school of thought that has been strongly spread in Armenia that the diaspora is indifferent, that they can&rsquo;t change anything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I can see a generation that puts no borders between us. They&rsquo;re not with us physically, but they really are with us. They breathe and they live whatever we live.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">He also encouraged diasporans to come back to Armenia.The protest comes at a crucial time&nbsp; for Armenia, who is facing a large ecological threat as its once abundant forests now only cover less than 10 percent of the entire country and its unregulated mining industry, controlled largely by foreign companies and members of parliament, threatens the country&rsquo;s unique biodiversity and health of&nbsp; poor, rural populations.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">A main component of the activist&rsquo;s agenda for years has been Teghut Forest in Armenia&rsquo;s northern region, where a massive open-pit copper mine is set to be build by the Armenia Copper Program (ACP), a division of the Valex group, which is registered offshore in Lichenstein. In addition to the mine potentially destroying the region, activists say the decision to exploit the area was illegitimate and have called for lawfully prosecuting officials responsible for it.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Officials&nbsp; and security staff lurked around the group, which numbered close around 20 to 30 people, and at various points said they were shaming the country and inventing narratives that didn&rsquo;t exist. In response, activists called the mining situation the &ldquo;Armenian reality.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;They&rsquo;re wolves,&rdquo; one protestor shouted. &ldquo;They are eating Armenia and drinking its blood.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Holding up a sign with a quote from Sargsyan about the large scale emigration out of Armenia, Karen Karslyan was one of the protestors at the event. As a diasporan,&nbsp; supporting activists in Armenia by staging the demonstration was important to show Armenian officials that those outside Armenia also know about the environmental issues impacting it today, he said.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;This protest is against the Armenian government that is doing nothing to save Teghut,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long term issue, because it may not have any impact right now, tomorrow or the day after, but in the long term it may be disastrous for a tiny republic like Armenia. We cannot afford to allot so many areas in our little territory&nbsp; for mining.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Toxic tailings from the mines have the potential to impact citizens who live in the country&rsquo;s capital of Yerevan, but also neighboring Caucasus countries like Georgia and Azerbaijan as well, who share nearby water sources, like the Dbed river.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">The local water resources will be polluted to the extent of rendering them useless, said Anne Shirin, the English language coordinator for the Green Unions of Armenia in a<a href=\"http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0129-hance_armenia.html#RHCld12aookQV7fg.99\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#000000\">&nbsp;2008 interview</span></a>.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">According to a&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;ved=0CEAQFjAB&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pf-armenia.org%2Ffileadmin%2Fpfa_uploads%2FPFA_Environmental_Report.pdf&amp;ei=2bjGUK7rLaP_igKb5ID4BQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNF67Dy5SbGzoocTDNNB7iSa-RqCNw&amp;sig2=7mT6Peb9vIyp_EGow1M9qg&amp;bvm=bv.1354675689,d.cGE&amp;cad=rja\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;ved=0CEAQFjAB&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pf-armenia.org%2Ffileadmin%2Fpfa_uploads%2FPFA_Environmental_Report.pdf&amp;ei=2bjGUK7rLaP_igKb5ID4BQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNF67Dy5SbGzoocTDNNB7iSa-RqCNw&amp;sig2=7mT6Peb9vIyp_EGow1M9qg&amp;bvm=bv.1354675689,d.cGE&amp;cad=rja\"><span style=\"color:#000000\">2010 report</span></a>&nbsp;[PDF] released by think-tank Policy Forum Armenia, the same company spearheading the Teghut mining project, ACP has also managed a copper smelter in Alaverdi, a little less then 200 km from the country&rsquo;s capital, Yerevan. The smelter, operating without sufficient safety filters had released more than 20 times more sulfuric anhydride than is legally permitted under state regulations in 2006 and 2007. Health issues like respiratory diseases were also recorded by the health ministry.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;ACP acknowledges that there will be extensive environmental damage caused by the mining process but states that the economic benefits from this mine exceed the cost of the environmental impacts,&rdquo; the report says.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">A protestor, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was at the protest to support two goals &ndash; the halting of mining in forested areas of Armenia and the controversial private ownership of the mines by the country&rsquo;s tycoons who directly profit from them.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Addressing Sargsyan and the government of Armenia, he urged the abandonment of short term profit and asked them to think about their nations future, instead.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">As the sun began to set and a few more protestors trickled in, former Yerevan mayor Gagik Belgaryan who had accompanied Sargsyan on visit, appeared from the church&rsquo;s meeting hall, staying several feet away from the crowd.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Belgaryan, who is infamously known for a brawl between himself and presidential staff during a Placido Domingo concert in Yerevan, slowly smoked a cigarette as Nersesian and a few others approached him for a private conversation.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Belgaryan&rsquo;s brother reportedly owned boutique shops that were meant to be assembled in one of Yerevan&rsquo;s last remaining green spaces, Mashtots Park before activists staged protests that halted the operation.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Activists who watched the scene unfold from afar yelled at him to put his cigarette out, citing the city of Burbank&rsquo;s second hand smoke ordinance which prohibits smoking in public places, trying to send home the message that, in their city, the rule of law applies to everyone. Earlier, he had approached Nersesian to complain about his face being on the posters of oligarchs. &ldquo;Your face is here because I know you as an oligarch,&rdquo; Nersesian replied.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\"><em><strong>See the original article with photos <a href=\"http://earthfirstjournal.org/newswire/2012/12/16/armenian-activists-protest-prime-ministers-arrival-in-california/\">here</a>.</strong></em></span></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'news', 0, 637, 1252, 'und', 0, '<p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Arthur Pogosyan, a Los Angeles-area psychiatrist and co-founder of the non-profit family welfare organization Haikproject told the minister that they are not going to let Armenia be divided and exploited into parts and pieces used for mining.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;We think it&rsquo;s time that we no longer let anyone harm our water and our lands, so that people have no way of living,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Is this why we fought to free our country? So that a few people can become millionaires and the rest be poisoned?&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Sargsyan expressed happiness that the environmental movement is gaining strength in both Armenia and its diaspora and said that they are more than willing to discuss and engage with activists over these issues in the near future.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Nersesian, who said he was there to create a bridge between Armenia and its diaspora said his time in Los Angeles has proven that despite the distance, the Armenian-American community has shown immense support for their cause.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a school of thought that has been strongly spread in Armenia that the diaspora is indifferent, that they can&rsquo;t change anything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I can see a generation that puts no borders between us. They&rsquo;re not with us physically, but they really are with us. They breathe and they live whatever we live.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">He also encouraged diasporans to come back to Armenia.The protest comes at a crucial time&nbsp; for Armenia, who is facing a large ecological threat as its once abundant forests now only cover less than 10 percent of the entire country and its unregulated mining industry, controlled largely by foreign companies and members of parliament, threatens the country&rsquo;s unique biodiversity and health of&nbsp; poor, rural populations.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">A main component of the activist&rsquo;s agenda for years has been Teghut Forest in Armenia&rsquo;s northern region, where a massive open-pit copper mine is set to be build by the Armenia Copper Program (ACP), a division of the Valex group, which is registered offshore in Lichenstein. In addition to the mine potentially destroying the region, activists say the decision to exploit the area was illegitimate and have called for lawfully prosecuting officials responsible for it.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Officials&nbsp; and security staff lurked around the group, which numbered close around 20 to 30 people, and at various points said they were shaming the country and inventing narratives that didn&rsquo;t exist. In response, activists called the mining situation the &ldquo;Armenian reality.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;They&rsquo;re wolves,&rdquo; one protestor shouted. &ldquo;They are eating Armenia and drinking its blood.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Holding up a sign with a quote from Sargsyan about the large scale emigration out of Armenia, Karen Karslyan was one of the protestors at the event. As a diasporan,&nbsp; supporting activists in Armenia by staging the demonstration was important to show Armenian officials that those outside Armenia also know about the environmental issues impacting it today, he said.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;This protest is against the Armenian government that is doing nothing to save Teghut,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long term issue, because it may not have any impact right now, tomorrow or the day after, but in the long term it may be disastrous for a tiny republic like Armenia. We cannot afford to allot so many areas in our little territory&nbsp; for mining.&rdquo;</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Toxic tailings from the mines have the potential to impact citizens who live in the country&rsquo;s capital of Yerevan, but also neighboring Caucasus countries like Georgia and Azerbaijan as well, who share nearby water sources, like the Dbed river.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">The local water resources will be polluted to the extent of rendering them useless, said Anne Shirin, the English language coordinator for the Green Unions of Armenia in a<a href=\"http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0129-hance_armenia.html#RHCld12aookQV7fg.99\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#000000\">&nbsp;2008 interview</span></a>.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">According to a&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;ved=0CEAQFjAB&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pf-armenia.org%2Ffileadmin%2Fpfa_uploads%2FPFA_Environmental_Report.pdf&amp;ei=2bjGUK7rLaP_igKb5ID4BQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNF67Dy5SbGzoocTDNNB7iSa-RqCNw&amp;sig2=7mT6Peb9vIyp_EGow1M9qg&amp;bvm=bv.1354675689,d.cGE&amp;cad=rja\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=2&amp;ved=0CEAQFjAB&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pf-armenia.org%2Ffileadmin%2Fpfa_uploads%2FPFA_Environmental_Report.pdf&amp;ei=2bjGUK7rLaP_igKb5ID4BQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNF67Dy5SbGzoocTDNNB7iSa-RqCNw&amp;sig2=7mT6Peb9vIyp_EGow1M9qg&amp;bvm=bv.1354675689,d.cGE&amp;cad=rja\"><span style=\"color:#000000\">2010 report</span></a>&nbsp;[PDF] released by think-tank Policy Forum Armenia, the same company spearheading the Teghut mining project, ACP has also managed a copper smelter in Alaverdi, a little less then 200 km from the country&rsquo;s capital, Yerevan. The smelter, operating without sufficient safety filters had released more than 20 times more sulfuric anhydride than is legally permitted under state regulations in 2006 and 2007. Health issues like respiratory diseases were also recorded by the health ministry.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">&ldquo;ACP acknowledges that there will be extensive environmental damage caused by the mining process but states that the economic benefits from this mine exceed the cost of the environmental impacts,&rdquo; the report says.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">A protestor, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was at the protest to support two goals &ndash; the halting of mining in forested areas of Armenia and the controversial private ownership of the mines by the country&rsquo;s tycoons who directly profit from them.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Addressing Sargsyan and the government of Armenia, he urged the abandonment of short term profit and asked them to think about their nations future, instead.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">As the sun began to set and a few more protestors trickled in, former Yerevan mayor Gagik Belgaryan who had accompanied Sargsyan on visit, appeared from the church&rsquo;s meeting hall, staying several feet away from the crowd.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Belgaryan, who is infamously known for a brawl between himself and presidential staff during a Placido Domingo concert in Yerevan, slowly smoked a cigarette as Nersesian and a few others approached him for a private conversation.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Belgaryan&rsquo;s brother reportedly owned boutique shops that were meant to be assembled in one of Yerevan&rsquo;s last remaining green spaces, Mashtots Park before activists staged protests that halted the operation.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\">Activists who watched the scene unfold from afar yelled at him to put his cigarette out, citing the city of Burbank&rsquo;s second hand smoke ordinance which prohibits smoking in public places, trying to send home the message that, in their city, the rule of law applies to everyone. Earlier, he had approached Nersesian to complain about his face being on the posters of oligarchs. &ldquo;Your face is here because I know you as an oligarch,&rdquo; Nersesian replied.</span></p><p><span style=\"color:#000000\"><em><strong>See the original article with photos <a href=\"http://earthfirstjournal.org/newswire/2012/12/16/armenian-activists-protest-prime-ministers-arrival-in-california/\">here</a>.</strong></em></span></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'document', 0, 640, 1266, 'und', 0, '<p>This is the third <strong>State of the Nation Report</strong> by Policy Forum Armenia and the eighth one in total,&nbsp;all focused on issues of critical importance for Armenia. The report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><u>Testimonials</u></strong></div><blockquote><div>&quot;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&quot; &nbsp;<strong>Daron Acemoglu,&nbsp;Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,&nbsp;Author of &quot;Why Nations Fail: Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&quot;</strong></div></blockquote><div><blockquote><div>&quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot; &nbsp;<strong>AnnaLee Saxenian,&nbsp;&nbsp;Dean and Professor in the School of Information&nbsp;and Professor in the Department of City and&nbsp;Regional Planning&nbsp;at the University of California, Berkeley, Author of &quot;The New Argonauts: Regional Advantage in the Global Economy&quot;</strong></div></blockquote><blockquote><div>&quot;This comprehensive report is an important tool for Diaspora&#39;s understanding of the systemic corruption and viable solutions for Armenia&#39;s continuing economic and social deterioration. Those solutions, to have any chance of success, must be rooted in the establishment of a truly independent judiciary with a strict adherence to the rule of law, and an unwavering respect for civil rights.&quot; &nbsp;<strong>Garo Ghazarian,&nbsp;Dean and Law Professor,&nbsp;Peoples College of Law,&nbsp;Los Angeles, California</strong></div></blockquote></div>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1267, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1268, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1269, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1272, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><a href=\"document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1273, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><strong><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a></strong></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1274, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">For Immediate Release</div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">October 21, 2013</div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">Contact:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:forum@pf-armenia.org\" style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(0,67,111);text-decoration:none\">forum@pf-armenia.org</a></div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">Web:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(0,67,111);text-decoration:none\">http://www.pf-armenia.org</a></div><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><strong><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a></strong></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1275, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">For Immediate Release</div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">October 21, 2013</div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">Contact:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:forum@pf-armenia.org\" style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(0,67,111);text-decoration:none\">forum@pf-armenia.org</a></div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">Web:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(0,67,111);text-decoration:none\">http://www.pf-armenia.org</a><br />&nbsp;</div><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><strong><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a></strong></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1276, 'und', 0, '<p>\r\n<style type=\"text/css\">\r\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>\r\n</p><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">For Immediate Release</div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">October 21, 2013</div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">Contact:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:forum@pf-armenia.org\" style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(0,67,111);text-decoration:none\">forum@pf-armenia.org</a></div><div style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit\">Web:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" style=\"margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(0,67,111);text-decoration:none\">http://www.pf-armenia.org</a><br />&nbsp;</div><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><strong><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a></strong></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><b>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)</b></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>State of the Nation Report</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> on&nbsp;&ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;.&nbsp;A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. </font></p><p style=\"margin-top: 0.02in; margin-bottom: 0.02in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.</font><br />&nbsp;</p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime</font><font color=\"#222222\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">. </span></font></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>legitimate authority</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">stolen</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"> assets. </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i>Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative</i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">or the proceeds from their sale). </font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for </font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.</font></p><p align=\"CENTER\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"># # #</font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.17in; background: #ffffff\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">Policy Forum Armenia</span></span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\">is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank</font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This </span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><i><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">State of the Nation</span></i></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\"> report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via</span></font><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">&nbsp;</span></font><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/reports\"><font color=\"#00436f\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">www.pf-armenia.org/reports</span></font></font></a><font color=\"#666666\"><font face=\"Calibri, serif\"><span style=\"background: #ffffff\">.</span></font></font></p><p style=\"margin-bottom: 0in\">&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1277, 'und', 0, 'For Immediate Release\r\nOctober 21, 2013\r\nContact: forum@pf-armenia.org\r\nWeb: http://www.pf-armenia.org\r\n\r\nPress Release in Armenian\r\n\r\nPolicy Forum Armenia (PFA)—a Washington-based international think tank—announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on “Corruption in Armenia”. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption.\r\n\r\nThe report’s main finding is that corruption’s negative impact on Armenia’s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that “with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year—the highest among the comparator countries—corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.” On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.\r\n\r\nPFA’s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: “By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.”\r\n\r\nThe overarching message of the report is that “an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country’s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.”\r\n\r\nDaron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty” noted: “Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It\'s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia\'s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.”\r\n\r\nEchoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley’s Department of Information noted: \"This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia—realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.\"\r\n\r\nGoing forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals’ opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.\r\n\r\nOn the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).\r\n\r\nThe report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets—irrespective of their location—and return them to their rightful owners.\r\n\r\n# # #\r\n\r\nPolicy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia\'s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.\r\n\r\n', '', 'plain_text'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1278, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release October 21, 2013 Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org <a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a> Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens. PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo; The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo; Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot; Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets. On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale). The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners. # # # Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1279, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release October 21, 2013 Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org <a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a> Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption. The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens. PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo; The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo; Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo; Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot; Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets. On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale). The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners. # # # Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'plain_text'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1280, 'und', 0, 'For Immediate Release\r\nOctober 21, 2013\r\nContact: forum@pf-armenia.org\r\nWeb: http://www.pf-armenia.org\r\n\r\nPress Release in Armenian\r\n\r\nPolicy Forum Armenia (PFA)—a Washington-based international think tank—announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on “Corruption in Armenia”. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption.\r\n\r\nThe report’s main finding is that corruption’s negative impact on Armenia’s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that “with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year—the highest among the comparator countries—corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.” On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.\r\n\r\nPFA’s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: “By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.”\r\n\r\nThe overarching message of the report is that “an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country’s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.”\r\n\r\nDaron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty” noted: “Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It\'s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia\'s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.”\r\n\r\nEchoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley’s Department of Information noted: \"This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia—realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.\"\r\n\r\nGoing forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals’ opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.\r\n\r\nOn the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).\r\n\r\nThe report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets—irrespective of their location—and return them to their rightful owners.\r\n\r\n# # #\r\n\r\nPolicy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia\'s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.\r\n\r\n', '', 'plain_text'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1281, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"../documents/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1282, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1283, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1284, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1288, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1289, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"http://document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1290, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1291, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"http://document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1292, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br /><a href=\"document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a><br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1293, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1294, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org</p><p><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia-0\">Press Release in Armenian</a></p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1295, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org</p><p><a href=\"../document/pfas-report-corruption-armenia\">Press Release in Armenian</a></p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html');
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('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1298, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org</p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA%20Corruption%20Report_1.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 641, 1304, 'und', 0, '<p>For Immediate Release<br />October 21, 2013<br />Contact: forum@pf-armenia.org<br />Web: http://www.pf-armenia.org</p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)&mdash;a Washington-based international think tank&mdash;announces today the publication of its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/PFA_Corruption_Report.pdf\">State of the Nation Report on &ldquo;Corruption in Armenia&rdquo;</a>. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offers mechanisms to reduce corruption.<br /><br />The report&rsquo;s main finding is that corruption&rsquo;s negative impact on Armenia&rsquo;s economy is substantial. Focusing on corruption faced by companies, for example, the report finds that &ldquo;with an estimated cost to large companies of approximately five percent of sales per year&mdash;the highest among the comparator countries&mdash;corruption in Armenia erodes productivity and competitiveness of firms.&rdquo; On the policy side, the report makes a compelling case that the design and implementation of public policy in Armenia often serve the interest of the entrenched corrupt elite and not the country or its citizens.<br /><br />PFA&rsquo;s Executive Board member, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian, noted: &ldquo;By its nature, corruption is very difficult to detect, which is why the choice of methods and areas of study was made carefully to maximize the value added of the report. The team employed both quantitative techniques and case studies to help effectively gauge the extent of corruption and bribery taking place in various segments of the economy and public life in Armenia, from the judiciary and military to money laundering and petty crime. The most striking finding was that corruption in Armenia is highly concentrated and puts in place insurmountable barriers for economic development and progress in the country.&rdquo;<br /><br />The overarching message of the report is that &ldquo;an effective handling of challenges facing Armenia should begin by forming a legitimate authority to oversee the new policy course on behalf of the people. This can be achieved only by a political power with incentives and capacity to spearhead a systemic change. At the moment, the feedback mechanism between power and people is broken in Armenia. This makes the country&rsquo;s ruling regime immune to any pressures from the electorate to perform better and fundamentally changes the incentives of individuals at the top of the ruling pyramid.&rdquo;<br /><br />Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of a recent bestseller &ldquo;Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty&rdquo; noted: &ldquo;Some say that Armenia is doomed to fail economically because of its geography or location in the world. But like so many other countries around the world and throughout history, its failure is due to corruption, unscrupulous politicians and weak institutions. It&#39;s not lack of opportunities but squandered opportunities that are at the root of Armenia&#39;s ills, and it can make progress only by confronting this fact and holding accountable those responsible for the failures. This wonderful report is a first step.&rdquo;<br /><br />Echoing the same sentiment, Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean of UC Berkeley&rsquo;s Department of Information noted: &quot;This data-rich study penetrates the realities of governance in Armenia&mdash;realities that have long been obscured. It confirms that political reform is essential to the national economic and social development.&quot;<br /><br />Going forward, the report offers a strategy of reducing corruption in Armenia, which is built on a principle of boosting individuals&rsquo; opportunities and freedoms otherwise restricted by corruption. In addition, the report provides detailed recommendations on how to fight corruption and mismanagement in sectors with highest corruption risks. It notes that assistance from the international community and the Diaspora are required for the people of Armenia to improve governance while forcing the entrenched corrupt elite to either reform or leave. Internally, credible actions would be required to prosecute senior level abuses; reform the judicial system; and institute a mechanism for re-claiming stolen assets.<br /><br />On the latter, the Report lays out a blueprint for the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. Modeled on experience of other countries and international laws and regulations that govern this area, the proposed initiative offers a framework for identifying illegally acquired assets held both in and outside of Armenia; seizing those assets; and holding and redistributing those assets (or the proceeds from their sale).<br /><br />The report is intended to spur a debate on the issue of high-level corruption in Armenia and serve as a warning for corrupt officials that civil society organizations are ready to help identify and recover stolen assets&mdash;irrespective of their location&mdash;and return them to their rightful owners.<br /><br /># # #<br /><br />Policy Forum Armenia is a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia&#39;s economic development and national security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia. This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'home_page_feature', 0, 642, 1270, 'und', 0, 'Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)—a Washington-based international think tank—announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report on “Corruption in Armenia”. A product of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners, the report brings to light many peculiarities of both wholesale and retail corruption in Armenia and offer mechanisms to reduce corruption.  ', '', NULL),
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('node', 'document', 0, 643, 1271, 'und', 0, 'For the Armenian version of the press release, see link below.', '', 'filtered_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 644, 1311, 'und', 0, '<p>Dear Friends:</p><p><strong>Our homeland has been through a great deal of ordeal in the passing year.</strong>Fraudulent presidential elections, massive protests, rising emigration, the misguided commitment to join the Russia-led Customs Union, and mass arrests of activists protesting Russia&rsquo;s Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s visit to Armenia have all contributed to that. The economy has slowed down significantly and recorded practically no growth in the second and third quarters of 2013 compared to the same periods a year ago. According to the official statistics, one in every three Armenian residents lives in poverty. Unofficial estimates are much higher. In the meantime, the ruling regime continues to control in excess of an estimated 60 percent of the country&rsquo;s Gross Domestic Product.</p><p><strong>Although this may have been one of the worst years for Armenia since independence, we have much reason for enthusiasm.</strong>The civil society is stronger than at any point before. Those on the barricades are determined to not only force the regime to leave but are also eager to build institutional foundations for a freer and independent Armenia. Our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora today are better informed about the conditions on the ground in Armenia and the true factors behind the misery and devastation observed outside of downtown Yerevan. As never before we are united with the understanding that with hard and persistent work we can turn Armenia into a country that we all could be proud of and will one day return to live.</p><p><strong>We believe we have contributed to this positive message.</strong>By visiting our <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\">website</a>&nbsp;you can see that with only modest resources (coming mostly from our members) we have been able to maintain a high level of analytical output and inform our stakeholders of the true problems faced by people of Armenia and the country itself. Only when you have the right diagnosis you can expect to find the right cure for the illness. We are the only organization in the Diaspora that produces consistent and professional output on completely volunteer basis without being paid for what we do.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Highlights of our 2013 effort are as follows:</strong></p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Election Research:</strong> within days from Armenia&rsquo;s presidential election on February 18, 2013, PFA issued its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-release/pfa-publishes-results-its-preliminary-analysis-presidential-election-armenia\">analysis of the election outcome</a> using statistical and econometric methodology and helped reveal massive fraud in favor of the incumbent.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>International Relations:</strong>&nbsp; In May 2013, PFA joined forces with the United States Atlantic Council to hold a <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/joint-seminar-atlantic-council-armenia-nato-relations-0\">high level round-table discussion</a> with Washington-based senior experts on Armenia&rsquo;s relations with NATO.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Post-election Developments:</strong>&nbsp;In June 2013, jointly with the George Washington University Law School and Elliot School of International Affairs, PFA hosted Armenian presidential candidate <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/conversation-armenia-raffi-hovannisian\">Raffi Hovannisian for a conversation on foreign and domestic policy</a>, and to hear his views of the political and civil society development in Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Diaspora:&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>In August 2013, we hosted <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/pfa-hosted-discussion-conditions-armenians-syria\">a discussion on the conditions of Armenians in Syria</a> by Arménag Aprahamian, the President of Paris-based National Council of Armenians from Western Armenia, an organization accredited by the United Nations to represent the indigenous people of Western Armenia.&nbsp;</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Economic and Social Issues:&nbsp; </strong>In October 2013, we released our third State of the Nation Report on&nbsp;<em>&ldquo;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia\">Corruption in Armenia</a>&rdquo;</em> where we focused on wholesale and retail corruption and offered mechanisms of reducing the cancer of corruption in&nbsp;Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Environment:</strong>&nbsp;Subsequently we hosted a group of environmental activists and scientists, who brought to the US a documentary showing the extent of desecration caused by open mining in Armenia&rsquo;s Southern Syuniq region.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Institutional Development:</strong> we are extremely fortunate to have been able to put together a world-class <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/academic-board\">Academic Board</a>, which serves as the main quality-controller of our research, and receive a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the US Internal Revenue Service.</p><p><strong>However, there is one area that leaves more to desire this holiday season.</strong>It is the knowledge that we could have doubled the amount of work we do to benefit Armenia and its people if only we had slightly more financial resources at our disposal. Therefore, please consider making a&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/site-page/support-pfa-0\">tax-deductible donation</a> to enable us to continue to serve our mandate of providing independent, high-quality analysis of issues of true concern for Armenia today and tomorrow. A nation without a forward-oriented think-tank is bound to remain on the sidelines of history and is unlikely to make the jump forward that we are all dreaming about.</p><p>In closing, we would like to thank you for staying engaged with Armenia and with us. We wish you all Happy Holidays! May the New Year bring joy and new opportunities for Armenia, its residents, and every Armenian around the world.</p><p>Sincerely Yours,</p><p>Management and Fellows of Policy Forum Armenia</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 644, 1312, 'und', 0, '<p>Dear Friends:</p><p><strong>Our homeland has been through a great deal of ordeal in the passing year.</strong>Fraudulent presidential elections, massive protests, rising emigration, the misguided commitment to join the Russia-led Customs Union, and mass arrests of activists protesting Russia&rsquo;s Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s visit to Armenia have all contributed to that. The economy has slowed down significantly and recorded practically no growth in the second and third quarters of 2013 compared to the same periods a year ago. According to the official statistics, one in every three Armenian residents lives in poverty. Unofficial estimates are much higher. In the meantime, the ruling regime continues to control in excess of an estimated 60 percent of the country&rsquo;s Gross Domestic Product.</p><p><strong>Although this may have been one of the worst years for Armenia since independence, we have much reason for enthusiasm.</strong>The civil society is stronger than at any point before. Those on the barricades are determined to not only force the regime to leave but are also eager to build institutional foundations for a freer and independent Armenia. Our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora today are better informed about the conditions on the ground in Armenia and the true factors behind the misery and devastation observed outside of downtown Yerevan. As never before we are united with the understanding that with hard and persistent work we can turn Armenia into a country that we all could be proud of and will one day return to live.</p><p><strong>We believe we have contributed to this positive message.</strong>By visiting our <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\">website</a>&nbsp;you can see that with only modest resources (coming mostly from our members) we have been able to maintain a high level of analytical output and inform our stakeholders of the true problems faced by people of Armenia and the country itself. Only when you have the right diagnosis you can expect to find the right cure for the illness. We are the only organization in the Diaspora that produces consistent and professional output on completely volunteer basis without being paid for what we do.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Highlights of our 2013 effort are as follows:</strong></p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Election Research:</strong> within days from Armenia&rsquo;s presidential election on February 18, 2013, PFA issued its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-release/pfa-publishes-results-its-preliminary-analysis-presidential-election-armenia\">analysis of the election outcome</a> using statistical and econometric methodology and helped reveal massive fraud in favor of the incumbent.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>International Relations:</strong>&nbsp; In May 2013, PFA joined forces with the United States Atlantic Council to hold a <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/joint-seminar-atlantic-council-armenia-nato-relations-0\">high level round-table discussion</a> with Washington-based senior experts on Armenia&rsquo;s relations with NATO.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Post-election Developments:</strong>&nbsp;In June 2013, jointly with the George Washington University Law School and Elliot School of International Affairs, PFA hosted Armenian presidential candidate <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/conversation-armenia-raffi-hovannisian\">Raffi Hovannisian for a conversation on foreign and domestic policy</a>, and to hear his views of the political and civil society development in Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Diaspora:&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>In August 2013, we hosted <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/pfa-hosted-discussion-conditions-armenians-syria\">a discussion on the conditions of Armenians in Syria</a> by Arménag Aprahamian, the President of Paris-based National Council of Armenians from Western Armenia, an organization accredited by the United Nations to represent the indigenous people of Western Armenia.&nbsp;</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Economic and Social Issues:&nbsp; </strong>In October 2013, we released our third State of the Nation Report on&nbsp;<em>&ldquo;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia\">Corruption in Armenia</a>&rdquo;</em> where we focused on wholesale and retail corruption and offered mechanisms of reducing the cancer of corruption in&nbsp;Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Environment:</strong>&nbsp;Subsequently we hosted a group of environmental activists and scientists, who brought to the US a documentary showing the extent of desecration caused by open mining in Armenia&rsquo;s Southern Syuniq region.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Institutional Development:</strong> we are extremely fortunate to have been able to put together a world-class <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/academic-board\">Academic Board</a>, which serves as the main quality-controller of our research, and receive a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the US Internal Revenue Service.</p><p><strong>However, there is one area that leaves more to desire this holiday season.</strong>It is the knowledge that we could have doubled the amount of work we do to benefit Armenia and its people if only we had slightly more financial resources at our disposal. Therefore, please consider making a&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/site-page/support-pfa-0\">tax-deductible donation</a> to enable us to continue to serve our mandate of providing independent, high-quality analysis of issues of true concern for Armenia today and tomorrow. A nation without a forward-oriented think-tank is bound to remain on the sidelines of history and is unlikely to make the jump forward that we are all dreaming about.</p><p>In closing, we would like to thank you for staying engaged with Armenia and with us. We wish you all Happy Holidays! May the New Year bring joy and new opportunities for Armenia, its residents, and every Armenian around the world.</p><p>Sincerely Yours,</p><p>Management and Fellows of Policy Forum Armenia</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 644, 1313, 'und', 0, '<p>Dear Friends:</p><p><strong>Our homeland has been through a great deal of ordeal in the passing year.&nbsp;</strong>Fraudulent presidential elections, massive protests, rising emigration, the misguided commitment to join the Russia-led Customs Union, and mass arrests of activists protesting Russia&rsquo;s Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s visit to Armenia have all contributed to that. The economy has slowed down significantly and recorded practically no growth in the second and third quarters of 2013 compared to the same periods a year ago. According to the official statistics, one in every three Armenian residents lives in poverty. Unofficial estimates are much higher. In the meantime, the ruling regime continues to control in excess of an estimated 60 percent of the country&rsquo;s Gross Domestic Product.</p><p><strong>Although this may have been one of the worst years for Armenia since independence, we have much reason for enthusiasm.&nbsp;</strong>The civil society is stronger than at any point before. Those on the barricades are determined to not only force the regime to leave but are also eager to build institutional foundations for a freer and independent Armenia. Our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora today are better informed about the conditions on the ground in Armenia and the true factors behind the misery and devastation observed outside of downtown Yerevan. As never before we are united with the understanding that with hard and persistent work we can turn Armenia into a country that we all could be proud of and will one day return to live.</p><p><strong>We believe we have contributed to this positive message.&nbsp;</strong>By visiting our <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\">website</a>&nbsp;you can see that with only modest resources (coming mostly from our members) we have been able to maintain a high level of analytical output and inform our stakeholders of the true problems faced by people of Armenia and the country itself. Only when you have the right diagnosis you can expect to find the right cure for the illness. We are the only organization in the Diaspora that produces consistent and professional output on completely volunteer basis without being paid for what we do.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Highlights of our 2013 effort are as follows:</strong></p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Election Research:</strong> within days from Armenia&rsquo;s presidential election on February 18, 2013, PFA issued its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-release/pfa-publishes-results-its-preliminary-analysis-presidential-election-armenia\">analysis of the election outcome</a> using statistical and econometric methodology and helped reveal massive fraud in favor of the incumbent.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>International Relations:</strong>&nbsp; In May 2013, PFA joined forces with the United States Atlantic Council to hold a <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/joint-seminar-atlantic-council-armenia-nato-relations-0\">high level round-table discussion</a> with Washington-based senior experts on Armenia&rsquo;s relations with NATO.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Post-election Developments:</strong>&nbsp;In June 2013, jointly with the George Washington University Law School and Elliot School of International Affairs, PFA hosted Armenian presidential candidate <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/conversation-armenia-raffi-hovannisian\">Raffi Hovannisian for a conversation on foreign and domestic policy</a>, and to hear his views of the political and civil society development in Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Diaspora:&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>In August 2013, we hosted <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/pfa-hosted-discussion-conditions-armenians-syria\">a discussion on the conditions of Armenians in Syria</a> by Arménag Aprahamian, the President of Paris-based National Council of Armenians from Western Armenia, an organization accredited by the United Nations to represent the indigenous people of Western Armenia.&nbsp;</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Economic and Social Issues:&nbsp; </strong>In October 2013, we released our third State of the Nation Report on&nbsp;<em>&ldquo;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia\">Corruption in Armenia</a>&rdquo;</em> where we focused on wholesale and retail corruption and offered mechanisms of reducing the cancer of corruption in&nbsp;Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Environment:</strong>&nbsp;Subsequently we hosted a group of environmental activists and scientists, who brought to the US a documentary showing the extent of desecration caused by open mining in Armenia&rsquo;s Southern Syuniq region.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Institutional Development:</strong> we are extremely fortunate to have been able to put together a world-class <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/academic-board\">Academic Board</a>, which serves as the main quality-controller of our research, and receive a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the US Internal Revenue Service.</p><p><strong>However, there is one area that leaves more to desire this holiday season.&nbsp;</strong>It is the knowledge that we could have doubled the amount of work we do to benefit Armenia and its people if only we had slightly more financial resources at our disposal. Therefore, please consider making a&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/site-page/support-pfa-0\">tax-deductible donation</a> to enable us to continue to serve our mandate of providing independent, high-quality analysis of issues of true concern for Armenia today and tomorrow. A nation without a forward-oriented think-tank is bound to remain on the sidelines of history and is unlikely to make the jump forward that we are all dreaming about.</p><p>In closing, we would like to thank you for staying engaged with Armenia and with us. We wish you all Happy Holidays! May the New Year bring joy and new opportunities for Armenia, its residents, and every Armenian around the world.</p><p>Sincerely Yours,</p><p>Management and Fellows of Policy Forum Armenia</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 644, 1314, 'und', 0, '<p>Dear Friends:</p><p><strong>Our homeland has been through a great deal of ordeal in the passing year.&nbsp;</strong>Fraudulent presidential elections, massive protests, rising emigration, the misguided commitment to join the Russia-led Customs Union, and mass arrests of activists protesting Russia&rsquo;s Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s visit to Armenia have all contributed to that. The economy has slowed down significantly and recorded practically no growth in the second and third quarters of 2013 compared to the same periods a year ago. According to the official statistics, one in every three Armenian residents lives in poverty. Unofficial estimates are much higher. In the meantime, the ruling regime continues to control in excess of an estimated 60 percent of the country&rsquo;s Gross Domestic Product.</p><p><strong>Although this may have been one of the worst years for Armenia since independence, we have much reason for enthusiasm.&nbsp;</strong>The civil society is stronger than at any point before. Those on the barricades are determined to not only force the regime to leave but are also eager to build institutional foundations for a freer and independent Armenia. Our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora today are better informed about the conditions on the ground in Armenia and the true factors behind the misery and devastation observed outside of downtown Yerevan. As never before we are united with the understanding that with hard and persistent work we can turn Armenia into a country that we all could be proud of and will one day return to live.</p><p><strong>We believe we have contributed to this positive message.&nbsp;</strong>By visiting our <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\">website</a>&nbsp;you can see that with only modest resources (coming mostly from our members) we have been able to maintain a high level of analytical output and inform our stakeholders of the true problems faced by people of Armenia and the country itself. Only when you have the right diagnosis you can expect to find the right cure for the illness. We are the only organization in the Diaspora that produces consistent and professional output on completely volunteer basis without being paid for what we do.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Highlights of our 2013 effort are as follows:</strong></p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Election Research:</strong> within days from Armenia&rsquo;s presidential election on February 18, 2013, PFA issued its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-release/pfa-publishes-results-its-preliminary-analysis-presidential-election-armenia\">analysis of the election outcome</a> using statistical and econometric methodology and helped reveal massive fraud in favor of the incumbent.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>International Relations:</strong>&nbsp; In May 2013, PFA joined forces with the United States Atlantic Council to hold a <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/joint-seminar-atlantic-council-armenia-nato-relations-0\">high level round-table discussion</a> with Washington-based senior experts on Armenia&rsquo;s relations with NATO.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Post-election Developments:</strong>&nbsp;In June 2013, jointly with the George Washington University Law School and Elliot School of International Affairs, PFA hosted Armenian presidential candidate <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/conversation-armenia-raffi-hovannisian\">Raffi Hovannisian for a conversation on foreign and domestic policy</a>, and to hear his views of the political and civil society development in Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Diaspora:&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>In August 2013, we hosted <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/pfa-hosted-discussion-conditions-armenians-syria\">a discussion on the conditions of Armenians in Syria</a> by Arménag Aprahamian, the President of Paris-based National Council of Armenians from Western Armenia, an organization accredited by the United Nations to represent the indigenous people of Western Armenia.&nbsp;</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Economic and Social Issues:&nbsp; </strong>In October 2013, we released our third State of the Nation Report on&nbsp;<em>&ldquo;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia\">Corruption in Armenia</a>&rdquo;</em> where we focused on wholesale and retail corruption and offered mechanisms of reducing the cancer of corruption in&nbsp;Armenia.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Environment:</strong>&nbsp;Subsequently we hosted a group of environmental activists and scientists, who brought to the US a documentary showing the extent of desecration caused by open mining in Armenia&rsquo;s Southern Syuniq region.</p><p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Institutional Development:</strong> we are extremely fortunate to have been able to put together a world-class <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/academic-board\">Academic Board</a>, which serves as the main quality-controller of our research, and receive a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the US Internal Revenue Service.</p><p><strong>However, there is one area that leaves more to desire this holiday season.&nbsp;</strong>It is the knowledge that we could have doubled the amount of work we do to benefit Armenia and its people if only we had slightly more financial resources at our disposal. Therefore, please consider making a&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/site-page/support-pfa-0\">tax-deductible donation</a> to enable us to continue to serve our mandate of providing independent, high-quality analysis of issues of true concern for Armenia today and tomorrow. A nation without a forward-oriented think-tank is bound to remain on the sidelines of history and is unlikely to make the jump forward that we are all dreaming about.</p><p>In closing, we would like to thank you for staying engaged with Armenia and with us. We wish you all Happy Holidays! May the New Year bring joy and new opportunities for Armenia, its residents, and every Armenian around the world.</p><p>Sincerely Yours,</p><p>Management and Fellows of Policy Forum Armenia</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 644, 1315, 'und', 0, '<p>Dear Friends:</p><p><strong>Our homeland has been through a great deal of ordeal in the passing year.&nbsp;</strong>Fraudulent presidential elections, massive protests, rising emigration, the misguided commitment to join the Russia-led Customs Union, and mass arrests of activists protesting Russia&rsquo;s Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s visit to Armenia have all contributed to that. The economy has slowed down significantly and recorded practically no growth in the second and third quarters of 2013 compared to the same periods a year ago. According to the official statistics, one in every three Armenian residents lives in poverty. Unofficial estimates are much higher. In the meantime, the ruling regime continues to control in excess of an estimated 60 percent of the country&rsquo;s Gross Domestic Product.</p><p><strong>Although this may have been one of the worst years for Armenia since independence, we have much reason for enthusiasm.&nbsp;</strong>The civil society is stronger than at any point before. Those on the barricades are determined to not only force the regime to leave but are also eager to build institutional foundations for a freer and independent Armenia. Our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora today are better informed about the conditions on the ground in Armenia and the true factors behind the misery and devastation observed outside of downtown Yerevan. As never before we are united with the understanding that with hard and persistent work we can turn Armenia into a country that we all could be proud of and will one day return to live.</p><p><strong>We believe we have contributed to this positive message.&nbsp;</strong>By visiting our <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\">website</a>&nbsp;you can see that with only modest resources (coming mostly from our members) we have been able to maintain a high level of analytical output and inform our stakeholders of the true problems faced by people of Armenia and the country itself. Only when you have the right diagnosis you can expect to find the right cure for the illness. We are the only organization in the Diaspora that produces consistent and professional output on completely volunteer basis without being paid for what we do.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Highlights of our 2013 effort are as follows:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Election Research:</strong> within days from Armenia&rsquo;s presidential election on February 18, 2013, PFA issued its <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/press-release/pfa-publishes-results-its-preliminary-analysis-presidential-election-armenia\">analysis of the election outcome</a> using statistical and econometric methodology and helped reveal massive fraud in favor of the incumbent.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>International Relations:</strong>&nbsp; In May 2013, PFA joined forces with the United States Atlantic Council to hold a <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/joint-seminar-atlantic-council-armenia-nato-relations-0\">high level round-table discussion</a> with Washington-based senior experts on Armenia&rsquo;s relations with NATO.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Post-election Developments:</strong>&nbsp;In June 2013, jointly with the George Washington University Law School and Elliot School of International Affairs, PFA hosted Armenian presidential candidate <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/conversation-armenia-raffi-hovannisian\">Raffi Hovannisian for a conversation on foreign and domestic policy</a>, and to hear his views of the political and civil society development in Armenia.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Diaspora:&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>In August 2013, we hosted <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/event/pfa-hosted-discussion-conditions-armenians-syria\">a discussion on the conditions of Armenians in Syria</a> by Arménag Aprahamian, the President of Paris-based National Council of Armenians from Western Armenia, an organization accredited by the United Nations to represent the indigenous people of Western Armenia.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Economic and Social Issues:&nbsp; </strong>In October 2013, we released our third State of the Nation Report on&nbsp;<em>&ldquo;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia\">Corruption in Armenia</a>&rdquo;</em> where we focused on wholesale and retail corruption and offered mechanisms of reducing the cancer of corruption in&nbsp;Armenia.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Environment:</strong>&nbsp;Subsequently we hosted a group of environmental activists and scientists, who brought to the US a documentary showing the extent of desecration caused by open mining in Armenia&rsquo;s Southern Syuniq region.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Institutional Development:</strong> we are extremely fortunate to have been able to put together a world-class <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/academic-board\">Academic Board</a>, which serves as the main quality-controller of our research, and receive a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the US Internal Revenue Service.</li></ul><p><strong>However, there is one area that leaves more to desire this holiday season.&nbsp;</strong>It is the knowledge that we could have doubled the amount of work we do to benefit Armenia and its people if only we had slightly more financial resources at our disposal. Therefore, please consider making a&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/site-page/support-pfa-0\">tax-deductible donation</a> to enable us to continue to serve our mandate of providing independent, high-quality analysis of issues of true concern for Armenia today and tomorrow. A nation without a forward-oriented think-tank is bound to remain on the sidelines of history and is unlikely to make the jump forward that we are all dreaming about.</p><p>In closing, we would like to thank you for staying engaged with Armenia and with us. We wish you all Happy Holidays! May the New Year bring joy and new opportunities for Armenia, its residents, and every Armenian around the world.</p><p>Sincerely Yours,</p><p>Management and Fellows of Policy Forum Armenia</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'profile', 0, 645, 1316, 'und', 0, 'Arminé Nalbandian holds a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in Political Science and Communication Studies (Rhetorical Theory) from Northeastern University and a Master of Science in Development Studies from the London School of Economics. Arminé spent a year researching in Armenia from 2008-2009 as a Fulbright Fellow and returned to Armenia a year later to work as a Project Manager for the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia (NCFA), Armenia’s first private-public partnership. At NCFA, she was responsible for developing a large-scale economic development master plan focused on tourism in the southern corridor of Armenia. Arminé is currently studying toward her Master of Commerce degree at the University of Sydney with a focus on Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Her primary research interests center on diaspora and repatriate knowledge networks and their role in economic development.', '', 'filtered_html'),
('node', 'profile', 0, 646, 1317, 'und', 0, 'Lusine Jagharian holds an MBA and an MS in Computer Science and currently works as a Technical Project Manager at Goold Health Systems in Augusta, ME. Her prior work experience includes managing the Quality Assurance operations at a Maine-based geospatial software development company, leading the Business Development, the Training and Curriculum Development departments at a Small Enterprise Development project in Armenia with the International Organization for Migration. Ms. Jagharian comes with a background in Information Technology, Business and Project Management and specializes in Software Development Life Cycle and Software Release management.', '', 'filtered_html');
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('node', 'news', 0, 647, 1318, 'und', 0, '<div id=\"above\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 17px;\"><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">VILNIUS, November 24, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- New format for EU-Armenia cooperation requires Armenia to seriously fight corruption.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">Ahead of the Vilnius Summit on the EU&#39;s Eastern Partnership (EaP) on 28/29 November 2013, one impression is that a huge possibility has been lost for the EU to strengthen the ties with its eastern neighbours. First, there is the situation regarding the Ukraine. European leaders will most likely veto any deal on free trade as long as former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is not released from prison. Second, there is the situation regarding Armenia, arguably one of the more unfortunate setbacks in the run-up to the summit.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">During a meeting with Vladimir Putin on 3 September 2013, President Sargsyan announced that Armenia would join the Russian-led Customs Union with the intention to be involved in the further formation of the Eurasian Economic Union. Therewith, negotiations on an Association Agreement with the EU were off the table. What remains is the question whether there is still room for the EU to engage in closer economic cooperation with Armenia in order to gain a new partner in the Caucasus region.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">Many argue that the ball is now in Armenia&#39;s corner. In this regard, the reform path that Armenia has declared to pursue would be a necessary precondition to base economic cooperation on a new foundation. First, the democratisation of political structures within the system needs to be an on-going process. Second, market reforms must be thoroughly implemented to make the economy more attractive for foreign investors. A first step to launch a new format for EU-Armenia trade relations could be the liberalisation of the EU&#39;s visa regime with Armenia - and other Eastern Partners - with the ultimate goal to drop visa requirements for EaP citizens.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">However, despite several important achievements, many obstacles for economic cooperation outside the scope of DCFTAs (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements) - which require democratic and market reforms - remain. One of these obstacles, especially with view to Armenia, is the level of government corruption. The &quot;Policy Forum Armenia&quot; in Washington (&nbsp;</span><a data-ls-seen=\"1\" href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; color: rgb(0, 65, 118);\">http://www.pf-armenia.org</a><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">&nbsp;), a renowned Think Tank of the Armenia diaspora, recently published a report titled &quot;Corruption in Armenia&quot; (&nbsp;</span><a data-ls-seen=\"1\" href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; color: rgb(0, 65, 118);\">http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia</a><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">&nbsp;). A team of interdisciplinary scientists and country experts analysed the level of corruption by focusing on different areas. According to the report, the results are rather alerting: &quot;Corruption threatens to destroy Armenia&#39;s economy and remains one of the major problems in the Caucasus republic.&quot;</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">The report refers to bribery costs in large companies that amount up to 5% in annual turnover. Daron Acemoglu, economic professor at the&nbsp;</span><span class=\"mandelbrot_refrag\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px;\"><a class=\"mandelbrot_refrag\" data-ls-seen=\"1\" href=\"http://www.marketwatch.com/organizations/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology?lc=int_mb_1001\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; color: rgb(0, 65, 118);\">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a></span><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">&nbsp;(MIT) comes to a drastic conclusion: &quot;Some say, Armenia&#39;s economy is doomed to fail due to its geographical position...to be blamed, however, are corruption, ruthless politicians and weak institutions&quot;. Dr Zaven Kalayjian, member of the &quot;Policy Forum Armenia&quot; executive board, identifies the lack of interests of government elites in public opinion as the key problem: &quot;[c]orruption in Armenia directly benefits the very top layers of the country&#39;s ruling regime.&quot; Political decisions are made in favour of corrupt elites rather than in favour of the Armenian citizens. &quot;For that reason the regime is immune against electoral pressure.&quot;</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">The decision to join the Eurasian Customs Union, particularly in the light of remaining reform deficiencies in the country, overshadows the upcoming Summit in Vilnius and puts a questions mark over Armenia&#39;s willingness and capacity to develop closer economic relations with the EU. As regards the latter, a commitment to fight corruption would be a first signal for the EU that cooperation with Armenia has not reached its destination.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">SOURCE NaTV Natalie Schulz / EU-Reporting</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">Read the article <a href=\"http://www.marketwatch.com/story/vilnius-summit-which-way-forward-for-the-european-eastern-neighbourhood-policy-2013-11-24\">here</a>.</div></div>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'news', 0, 647, 1319, 'und', 0, '<div id=\"above\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 17px;\"><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">VILNIUS, November 24, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- New format for EU-Armenia cooperation requires Armenia to seriously fight corruption.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">Ahead of the Vilnius Summit on the EU&#39;s Eastern Partnership (EaP) on 28/29 November 2013, one impression is that a huge possibility has been lost for the EU to strengthen the ties with its eastern neighbours. First, there is the situation regarding the Ukraine. European leaders will most likely veto any deal on free trade as long as former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is not released from prison. Second, there is the situation regarding Armenia, arguably one of the more unfortunate setbacks in the run-up to the summit.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">During a meeting with Vladimir Putin on 3 September 2013, President Sargsyan announced that Armenia would join the Russian-led Customs Union with the intention to be involved in the further formation of the Eurasian Economic Union. Therewith, negotiations on an Association Agreement with the EU were off the table. What remains is the question whether there is still room for the EU to engage in closer economic cooperation with Armenia in order to gain a new partner in the Caucasus region.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">Many argue that the ball is now in Armenia&#39;s corner. In this regard, the reform path that Armenia has declared to pursue would be a necessary precondition to base economic cooperation on a new foundation. First, the democratisation of political structures within the system needs to be an on-going process. Second, market reforms must be thoroughly implemented to make the economy more attractive for foreign investors. A first step to launch a new format for EU-Armenia trade relations could be the liberalisation of the EU&#39;s visa regime with Armenia - and other Eastern Partners - with the ultimate goal to drop visa requirements for EaP citizens.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">However, despite several important achievements, many obstacles for economic cooperation outside the scope of DCFTAs (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements) - which require democratic and market reforms - remain. One of these obstacles, especially with view to Armenia, is the level of government corruption. The &quot;Policy Forum Armenia&quot; in Washington (&nbsp;</span><a data-ls-seen=\"1\" href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; color: rgb(0, 65, 118);\">http://www.pf-armenia.org</a><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">&nbsp;), a renowned Think Tank of the Armenia diaspora, recently published a report titled &quot;Corruption in Armenia&quot; (&nbsp;</span><a data-ls-seen=\"1\" href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; color: rgb(0, 65, 118);\">http://www.pf-armenia.org/document/corruption-armenia</a><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">&nbsp;). A team of interdisciplinary scientists and country experts analysed the level of corruption by focusing on different areas. According to the report, the results are rather alerting: &quot;Corruption threatens to destroy Armenia&#39;s economy and remains one of the major problems in the Caucasus republic.&quot;</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">The report refers to bribery costs in large companies that amount up to 5% in annual turnover. Daron Acemoglu, economic professor at the&nbsp;</span><span class=\"mandelbrot_refrag\" style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px;\"><a class=\"mandelbrot_refrag\" data-ls-seen=\"1\" href=\"http://www.marketwatch.com/organizations/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology?lc=int_mb_1001\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; color: rgb(0, 65, 118);\">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a></span><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">&nbsp;(MIT) comes to a drastic conclusion: &quot;Some say, Armenia&#39;s economy is doomed to fail due to its geographical position...to be blamed, however, are corruption, ruthless politicians and weak institutions&quot;. Dr Zaven Kalayjian, member of the &quot;Policy Forum Armenia&quot; executive board, identifies the lack of interests of government elites in public opinion as the key problem: &quot;[c]orruption in Armenia directly benefits the very top layers of the country&#39;s ruling regime.&quot; Political decisions are made in favour of corrupt elites rather than in favour of the Armenian citizens. &quot;For that reason the regime is immune against electoral pressure.&quot;</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">The decision to join the Eurasian Customs Union, particularly in the light of remaining reform deficiencies in the country, overshadows the upcoming Summit in Vilnius and puts a questions mark over Armenia&#39;s willingness and capacity to develop closer economic relations with the EU. As regards the latter, a commitment to fight corruption would be a first signal for the EU that cooperation with Armenia has not reached its destination.</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em;\">SOURCE NaTV Natalie Schulz / EU-Reporting</span></div><div class=\"switchtoheader\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit;\">Read the article <a href=\"http://www.marketwatch.com/story/vilnius-summit-which-way-forward-for-the-european-eastern-neighbourhood-policy-2013-11-24\">here</a>.</div></div>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'event', 0, 648, 1320, 'und', 0, 'On July 1, 2014, Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) hosted Ara Papian, Director of Modus Vivendi research center in Yerevan. Mr. Papian’s presentation on \"Woodrow Wilson\'s Arbitral Award as the Main Basis for Armenian Territorial Rights\" was based on years of in-depth research on US President Woodrow Wilson’s Arbitral Award of November 22, 1920 entitled: “Decision of the President of the United States of America respecting the Frontier between Turkey and Armenia, Access for Armenia to the Sea, and the Demilitarization of Turkish Territory adjacent to the Armenian Frontier.” \r\n\r\nIn his opening remarks, PFA’s co-founder Dr. David Grigorian noted that Mr. Papian’s research offers solid foundations both for broader academic inquiry into the issue and also for any future legal and foreign policy action on the part of Armenia’s government and Diaspora institutions.\r\n\r\nMr. Papian’s work focuses on the Arbitral Award in the context of international law in general and the United Nation’s official methodology in particular. Apart from its historic value, the speaker talked about the potential practical implications of President Wilson’s Award for the Armenian cause going forward. In this regard, he stressed that the Arbitral Award offers a strong foundation for pursuing the Armenian claims in international courts of law and that the attention of world-wide Armenian communities and Armenia should not focus on Genocide recognition efforts alone. However, while the upcoming Genocide Centennial offers an opportune moment, the efforts along these lines have been disappointing due to lack of coordination, vision, and resources.\r\n\r\nA lively question and answer session followed, with members of Washington’s Armenian community expressing their frustration with lack of a coherent vision among the traditional Diaspora structures and lobbying groups on the practical issues related to Armenian claims beyond the Genocide recognition.\r\n\r\nPrior to establishing Modus Vivendi center, Mr. Papian was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Canada in 2001-06 and served as the spokesperson and the Head of Public Affairs Department at the Armenia’s Foreign Ministry. In addition to focusing on the Arbitral Award, Mr. Papian’s and his colleagues’ current research bring to light other aspects of the US involvement in, and assistance to, Armenia during the Genocide and its aftermath.\r\n\r\nThe event was held at the Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church, in Bethesda, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, DC).', '\"Woodrow Wilson\'s Arbitral Award as the Main Basis for Armenian Territorial Rights\"\r\n', 'full_html'),
('node', 'event', 0, 649, 1321, 'und', 0, 'Policy Forum Armenia will host a joint Atlantic Council meeting entitled Armenia and the West: New Vision for the Caucuses? \r\nPolicymakers and academics from Washington with interest in Armenia and the region will be participating. \r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('node', 'profile', 0, 653, 1325, 'und', 0, 'Hrach Gregorian is President of the Washington, D.C.-based research organization, the Institute of World Affairs. He is member of the Graduate Faculty, School of Peace and Conflict Management, Royal Roads University; Adjunct Professor and Research Fellow, Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, University of Calgary; Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, School of International Service, American University; Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria; and Senior Fellow, Canadian Defense and Foreign Affairs Institute. For over three decades Gregorian has been active in deep cultural and risk analysis in fragile states, with field experience in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, Central and East Asia. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Brandeis University, and B.A. at Boston University. \r\n\r\nDr. Gregorian served as one of the founding directors of the United States Institute of Peace. He developed the Institute’s first professional training program in conflict analysis and negotiation. The course was offered to senior members of the US State Department, USIA, Voice of America, and USAID. He is also one of the co-founders of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the largest US-based membership organization of institutions and professionals in the field of peace and conflict management. Dr. Gregorian’s work on stability and peace operations in fragile states has taken him to twenty five plus countries. His recent publications have focused on interagency coordination in peace operations, capacity-building in fragile states, and energy and conflict. He is the recipient of American University’s Capital Area Peacemaker Award and a Boston University Distinguished Alumni Award. He sits on various boards.', '', 'filtered_html'),
('node', 'event', 0, 654, 1328, 'und', 0, 'WASHINGTON, DC.—On July 2nd, the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council hosted an off-the-record workshop on Armenia’s relationship with the West and the future vision for the Caucasus organized jointly with Policy Forum Armenia. The workshop built upon the discussions that took place in May 2013 (on Armenia-NATO relations), which brought together a prominent line-up of experts and policymakers with interest in Armenia and the Caucasus. Participants of the workshop included high-level representatives from the State Department, Pentagon, National Security Council, main foreign policy think tanks headquartered in Washington. A Position Paper entitled \"Armenia and the West: A New Vision for the Caucasus\", shared by PFA with the participants ahead of the workshop, helped kick off the discussion. PFA was represented by members of its Executive and Academic Boards. Pictures from the event are available in our <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/media-gallery/joint-workshop-atlantic-council-armenia-and-west\">Photo Gallery</a>.', '', 'filtered_html'),
('node', 'profile', 0, 672, 1348, 'und', 0, 'Yelena Gyulkhandanyan interned with PFA in the Spring of 2014. During her internship she worked on a report on the geopolitical challenges facing Armenia. Currently Yelena is pursuing a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Waterloo. She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Development from the University of Toronto in 2013.', '', 'filtered_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 673, 1350, 'und', 0, '<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; July 14, 2014</strong></p><p><strong>Dr. Hrach Gregorian joins Policy Forum Armenia&rsquo;s Academic Board</strong></p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Hrach Gregorian, a member of the Graduate Faculty of the School of Peace and Conflict Management at Royal Roads University and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, has joined the organization as the newest member of its&nbsp;Academic Board. Dr. Gregorian served as one of the founding directors of the United States Institute of Peace and developed the Institute&rsquo;s first professional training program in conflict analysis and negotiation. He is also one of the co-founders of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the largest US-based membership organization of institutions and professionals in the field of peace and conflict management.</p><p>Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s work on stability and peace operations in fragile states has taken him to over twenty-five countries. For over three decades, he has been active in deep cultural and risk analysis in various parts of the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Central and East Asia. Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s recent publications have focused on interagency coordination in peace operations, capacity-building in fragile states, and energy and conflict. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Brandeis University and B.A. at Boston University.</p><p>PFA&#39;s co-founder Vladimir Shekoyan noted that PFA is proud to have an academic and practitioner of Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s caliber join the organization. &ldquo;Hrach&rsquo;s knowledge and experience is invaluable and we look forward to working with him to advance PFA&rsquo;s objectives of offering innovative analysis and practical recommendations for public policy design and implementation in Armenia,&rdquo; said Shekoyan.</p><p>&ldquo;It is an honor to be joining an organization with the vision and commitment to humanistic values that are hallmarks of PFA,&rdquo; said Dr. Gregorian. &ldquo;PFA is a thought leader in the fight for freedom, democracy, and economic modernization in Armenia. I hope to contribute in some small way to its work in advancing peace and genuine security for our people.&rdquo;</p><p align=\"center\">###</p><p><em>Policy Forum Armenia is an independent non-profit association dedicated to strengthening discourse on Armenia&rsquo;s economic development and national security and through such efforts helping to shape public policy in Armenia.</em></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 673, 1351, 'und', 0, '<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; July 14, 2014</strong></p><p><strong>Dr. Hrach Gregorian joins Policy Forum Armenia&rsquo;s Academic Board</strong></p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Hrach Gregorian, a member of the Graduate Faculty of the School of Peace and Conflict Management at Royal Roads University and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, has joined the organization as the newest member of its&nbsp;Academic Board. Dr. Gregorian served as one of the founding directors of the United States Institute of Peace and developed the Institute&rsquo;s first professional training program in conflict analysis and negotiation. He is also one of the co-founders of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the largest US-based membership organization of institutions and professionals in the field of peace and conflict management.</p><p>Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s work on stability and peace operations in fragile states has taken him to over twenty-five countries. For over three decades, he has been active in deep cultural and risk analysis in various parts of the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Central and East Asia. Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s recent publications have focused on interagency coordination in peace operations, capacity-building in fragile states, and energy and conflict. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Brandeis University and B.A. at Boston University.</p><p>PFA&#39;s co-founder Vladimir Shekoyan noted that PFA is proud to have an academic and practitioner of Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s caliber join the organization. &ldquo;Hrach&rsquo;s knowledge and experience is invaluable and we look forward to working with him to advance PFA&rsquo;s objectives of offering innovative analysis and practical recommendations for public policy design and implementation in Armenia,&rdquo; said Shekoyan.</p><p>&ldquo;It is an honor to be joining an organization with the vision and commitment to humanistic values that are hallmarks of PFA,&rdquo; said Dr. Gregorian. &ldquo;PFA is a thought leader in the fight for freedom, democracy, and economic modernization in Armenia. I hope to contribute in some small way to its work in advancing peace and genuine security for our people.&rdquo;</p><p align=\"center\">###</p><p><em>Policy Forum Armenia is an independent non-profit association dedicated to strengthening discourse on Armenia&rsquo;s economic development and national security and through such efforts helping to shape public policy in Armenia.</em></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 673, 1352, 'und', 0, '<p><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">For Immediate Release</span><br style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" /><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">July 13, 2014</span><br style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" /><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Contact:&nbsp;</span><a href=\"mailto:forum@pf-armenia.org\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; color: rgb(0, 67, 111); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">forum@pf-armenia.org</a><br style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" /><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Web:&nbsp;</span><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; color: rgb(0, 67, 111); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">http://www.pf-armenia.org</a></strong></p><p><strong>Dr. Hrach Gregorian joins Policy Forum Armenia&rsquo;s Academic Board</strong></p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Hrach Gregorian, a member of the Graduate Faculty of the School of Peace and Conflict Management at Royal Roads University and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, has joined the organization as the newest member of its&nbsp;Academic Board. Dr. Gregorian served as one of the founding directors of the United States Institute of Peace and developed the Institute&rsquo;s first professional training program in conflict analysis and negotiation. He is also one of the co-founders of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the largest US-based membership organization of institutions and professionals in the field of peace and conflict management.</p><p>Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s work on stability and peace operations in fragile states has taken him to over twenty-five countries. For over three decades, he has been active in deep cultural and risk analysis in various parts of the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Central and East Asia. Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s recent publications have focused on interagency coordination in peace operations, capacity-building in fragile states, and energy and conflict. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Brandeis University and B.A. at Boston University.</p><p>PFA&#39;s co-founder Vladimir Shekoyan noted that PFA is proud to have an academic and practitioner of Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s caliber join the organization. &ldquo;Hrach&rsquo;s knowledge and experience is invaluable and we look forward to working with him to advance PFA&rsquo;s objectives of offering innovative analysis and practical recommendations for public policy design and implementation in Armenia,&rdquo; said Shekoyan.</p><p>&ldquo;It is an honor to be joining an organization with the vision and commitment to humanistic values that are hallmarks of PFA,&rdquo; said Dr. Gregorian. &ldquo;PFA is a thought leader in the fight for freedom, democracy, and economic modernization in Armenia. I hope to contribute in some small way to its work in advancing peace and genuine security for our people.&rdquo;</p><p align=\"center\">###</p><p><em>Policy Forum Armenia is an independent non-profit association dedicated to strengthening discourse on Armenia&rsquo;s economic development and national security and through such efforts helping to shape public policy in Armenia.</em></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'press_release', 0, 673, 1353, 'und', 0, '<p><strong><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">For Immediate Release</span><br style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" /><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">July 13, 2014</span><br style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" /><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Contact:&nbsp;</span><a href=\"mailto:forum@pf-armenia.org\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; color: rgb(0, 67, 111); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">forum@pf-armenia.org</a><br style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" /><span style=\"color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Web:&nbsp;</span><a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; color: rgb(0, 67, 111); text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">http://www.pf-armenia.org</a></strong></p><p><strong>Dr. Hrach Gregorian joins Policy Forum Armenia&rsquo;s Academic Board</strong></p><p>Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) is pleased to announce that <a href=\"http://www.pf-armenia.org/profile/hrach-gregorian\">Dr. Hrach Gregorian</a>, a member of the Graduate Faculty of the School of Peace and Conflict Management at Royal Roads University and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, has joined the organization as the newest member of its&nbsp;Academic Board. Dr. Gregorian served as one of the founding directors of the United States Institute of Peace and developed the Institute&rsquo;s first professional training program in conflict analysis and negotiation. He is also one of the co-founders of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the largest US-based membership organization of institutions and professionals in the field of peace and conflict management.</p><p>Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s work on stability and peace operations in fragile states has taken him to over twenty-five countries. For over three decades, he has been active in deep cultural and risk analysis in various parts of the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Central and East Asia. Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s recent publications have focused on interagency coordination in peace operations, capacity-building in fragile states, and energy and conflict. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Brandeis University and B.A. at Boston University.</p><p>PFA&#39;s co-founder Vladimir Shekoyan noted that PFA is proud to have an academic and practitioner of Dr. Gregorian&rsquo;s caliber join the organization. &ldquo;Hrach&rsquo;s knowledge and experience is invaluable and we look forward to working with him to advance PFA&rsquo;s objectives of offering innovative analysis and practical recommendations for public policy design and implementation in Armenia,&rdquo; said Shekoyan.</p><p>&ldquo;It is an honor to be joining an organization with the vision and commitment to humanistic values that are hallmarks of PFA,&rdquo; said Dr. Gregorian. &ldquo;PFA is a thought leader in the fight for freedom, democracy, and economic modernization in Armenia. I hope to contribute in some small way to its work in advancing peace and genuine security for our people.&rdquo;</p><p align=\"center\">###</p><p><em>Policy Forum Armenia is an independent non-profit association dedicated to strengthening discourse on Armenia&rsquo;s economic development and national security and through such efforts helping to shape public policy in Armenia.</em></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('node', 'news', 0, 675, 1355, 'und', 0, 'From stateless thinking to the Forum of independent minds\r\nby Rouben Shougarian\r\n\r\nPublished: Wednesday July 16, 2014\r\n\r\nA view of the July 2 seminar on Armenia at the Atlantic Council of the United States in Washington. PFA Armenia\r\n\r\nAny strategic thinking in international politics starts from asking the right questions. In Armenia\'s case these questions have so far at best been asked on individual level yet without institutionalized consistency.\r\n\r\nAdvocacy groups in Washington would do their job with tangible success only as far as what has been perceived as the newly independent republic\'s immediate needs. It was either well-organized stop-gap measures that at some point made Armenia second in the world per capita recepient of US assistance and gained it a most favored nation status-the first positive example of lobbying for; or time and effort consuming lobbying against-the introduction and preservation of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, the adoption of the Humanitarian Corridor Act and repeated attempts to pass a Genocide resolution on the Hill.\r\n\r\nThe miraculous passage of the direct aid for Nagorno Karabagh in 1998 was both a promising sign of the growing sophistication of Armenian advocacy and the result of a well-calculated political trade-off, when an exemption in Section 907 allowed TDA, OPIC and ExIm Bank to do business in Azerbaijan. Armenia\'s successful qualification for Millennium Challenge Account in 2000-2001 was probably as good as it could get for our country especially after the program was frozen following the very much questioned presidential election in 2008.\r\n\r\nDecline of democracy building and absence of strategic thinking in Yerevan made it impossible for US-Armenian relations to become systemic. On the other hand, America\'s laid-back criticism, not to say lenient acceptance of the process and results of the 2008, 2012 and 2013 national elections in Armenia did not help to raise the bilateral relations to a new level either.\r\n\r\nEnter a Forum \r\nPolicy Forum Armenia is not only a new Washington-based Armenian think-tank, but, first and foremost, a new mind-set.  This is a group of outstanding professionals posing strategic questions about Armenia\'s future and unified by the need to address its past without prejudice. More importantly the PFA is in a constant, institutionalized search to prioritize Armenia\'s foreign and domestic policy issues, re-inventing the almost extinct ability to perceive itself as an independent country.\r\n\r\nThe closed-door seminar at the Atlantic Council on Armenia\'s relations with the West held on July 2, well attended by high-ranking representatives of the State Department, DOD and NSC as well as academic and think tank communities clearly demonstrated that several years of hard-work and sophistication yielded tangible results.  It should be noted that a similar event on Armenia-NATO relations sponsored by the PFA and the Atlantic Council last summer was also a successful attempt to break away from the prison of traditional thinking and graduate beyond the current modality of US-Armenian relations. \r\n\r\nThis year\'s seminar was preceded by the preparation and introduction of a detailed position paper, where emphasis was put on asking the right questions about the future of Armenia\'s independence rather than on seeking hasty answers. It is also noteworthy that in the previous case an analytical review was produced after the event summarizing and building on expert opinions expressed during the seminar itself.  In both cases it will not be an overstatement to say that the PFA raised the discussion on Armenia in Washington to a completely different level at the crucial time for our country.\r\n\r\nThe three perfect failures \r\nThis is not only the time to act, but also the time to re-think Armenia\'s sovereignty. One can describe the foreign policy of Armenia in recent years as a chain of perfect diplomatic failures.\r\n\r\nThe signed but not ratified Zurich protocols are probably the first and most telling example why the failure was perfect for each and every participant of football diplomacy. All countries, including the mediators that participated in the Turkish-Armenian normalization epic, looked good internationally. The only exception was Azerbaijan, which was perceived as the main obstacle for successful completion of the deal. Yet it did not have to look good but strong. Therefore the failure was perfect for Azerbaijan as well. \r\n\r\nThe successfully completed but eventually not signed Association Agreement and DCFTA can be characterized as another perfect failure of Armenian foreign policy.\r\n\r\nThe third perfect failure is currently in the making. It takes shape in Armenia\'s constantly delayed participation in the Eurasian Union. The circumstantial twist of geopolitical choice imposed from without would most probably continue to drag the country into playing a peripheral role of a second-rate member in an organization with an unclear geopolitical future.\r\n\r\nCrimea and Karabakh: a study in contrasts \r\nPerfect failures are usually accompanied by selective misinterpretation of major international events.  The current turmoil in Ukraine is particularly dangerous for countries, which have deceptively similar problems. \r\n\r\nFor Nagorno Karabakh, the danger of capitalizing on the Crimean referendum is that its own argument for self-determination risks being belittled. According to Richard Giragossian and other leading experts in the Black Sea/South Caucasus region, there are several reasons for this. They can be summarized as follows:\r\n\r\nFirst, there was no clear and present danger for Crimea\'s security. The events there were largely instigated by a most aggressive twist of Russia\'s near abroad policy. Ukraine\'s attempt to sign the Association Agreement and DCFTA with the EU, and its decision not to join the Customs Union with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus were the main reasons behind Moscow\'s sudden concerns about the Russian speaking population in Crimea.  In contrast, the underlying cause of Nagorno Karabagh\'s struggle for self-determination has always been physical security and a dire need to protect the region from external aggression and ethnic cleansing.\r\nThe second important difference can be found in the very modality of the referendum. The Crimean population, distinct from nearly all other cases of self-determination, never sought any degree of national independence. Instead, the people voted to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Against that background, Karabagh\'s current embrace of Crimea as an inspiration is more likely to devalue and belittle the essence of its own quest. Such a dangerous twist of wishful thinking would only harm Karabagh\'s case before the international community and weaken its position at the negotiation table. Russia itself is very reluctant to draw any parallels between what happened in the Crimea and other territorial/ethnic disputes in the FSU.\r\n\r\nThird, the Crimean referendum itself was never really a question of \"national\" self-determination. It can rather be defined as \"regional\" self-determination, with no attempt to use Ukrainian laws, political negotiations and constitutional process for this purpose. In contrast to the Crimean example, Nagorno Karabagh\'s political choice of the early 90s to use the existing legal framework and the Soviet Constitution to achieve independence, make the national referendum there significantly different.\r\n\r\nIt is high time to think about small but manageable steps aimed at the preservation of Armenia\'s sovereignty and strengthening its security. They have to replace wishful thinking and the short-term comfort of perfect failures.  To do that not just a new policy, but also the new mind-set is needed.  Along with courageous outcries of concerned individuals both in Armenia and Diaspora this presupposes the forum of free thinkers unified through institutionalized network.    \r\nhttp://www.reporter.am/go/article/2014-07-16-from-stateless-thinking-to-the-forum-of-independent-minds-', '', 'filtered_html');
