Today we live in a society, which can not imagine life without expressing views on social media. Probably it does have certain advantages. Nevertheless, many participants of active discussions have already forgotten or do not even know about the developments, which unfolded in Armenia 5, 10 or 15 years ago.   

To fill the gap Mediamax presents 5/10/15 project, which introduce developments in Armenia 5, 10 and 15 years ago.

•    15 YEARS AGO: SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2006

 “The window of opportunities” remains open

On September 15 the U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza stated in an interview to Mediamax that “the window of opportunities for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict definitely remains open.”

Asked about whether the mediators intend to discuss with the sides new ides to make it possible to reach an agreement, Matthew Bryza said:

“The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have proposed a set of basic principles and we are still waiting to hear what the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will have to say. It is really up to the Presidents themselves as to whether they would like to change those basic principles.”

“It is clear to every observer that neither side agrees to the basic principles. If they did, both sides would stand up, or one side would stand up and say – “we fully accept these basic principles”. Nobody is saying that. Some people are saying – “we have problems with the principles”, some people say – “well, in principle we accept them, but we have a few minor changes”. Nobody is saying - we accept them,” Matthew Bryza said.

Matthew Bryza and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan

Photo: Martin Shahbazyan

Commenting on the proposal of the mediators to hold a referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh, Matthew Bryza clarified that “in the document, containing the basic principles, phrasing is the following – “referendum vote/population vote.””

“The Azerbaijani side is saying that it is talking not about a referendum vote, but a population vote. And this is because of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, which requires that if there is referendum, then all citizens of Azerbaijan must participate in it. I guess, maybe the Armenian side really doesn’t want to see that sort of a vote that covers the entire population of Azerbaijan. So we have to find a clever way to devise the voting process that addresses the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the U.S. Co-chair said.

He expressed opinion that the Kelbajar region might be returned to Azerbaijan after the reestablishment of an atmosphere of some degree of trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“The Azerbaijani side would like to make sure that all seven territories are returned. It is hard for me to predict how quickly or whether that particular question could be fixed. I think that the issue of when Kelbajar will be returned depends on how quickly the two sides will begin building trust in each other. When a climate is created in which some degree of trust is reestablished, it will be absolutely realistic to talk about the return of Kelbajar to Azerbaijan in return for other elements like the referendum vote/population vote or guarantees on Lachin corridor that Armenia seeks,” Matthew Bryza said.

•    10 YEARS AGO: SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2011

EU wants to play a more “serious role”

The EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood policy Stefan Fule stated on September 17 that “the European Union will gradually increase its role in settling problems of regional conflicts such as Nagorno Karabakh or Transnistria.”

Stefan Fule

Photo: Photolure

“We are starting the program process aimed at restoring trust in these regions and we will undertake a more serious role in settling these problems. Bur we won’t certainly change the frames of the solutions to these problems overnight. But we won’t certainly change the frames of the solutions to these problems overnight,” Fule said.

•    5 YEARS AGO: SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2016

Karapetyan’s first instructions

On September 15 newly appointed Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan conducted the first sitting of the government.

Addressing Head of Armenian State Revenue Committee of Customs Service Hovik Hovsepyan, Karen Karapetyan instructed to hold tax inspections in small and medium-sized enterprises only in extreme cases.

Karen Karapetyan on September 15, 2016

 

“Our departments should exercise their according functions first and foremost, ensuring that dishonest and privileged large manufacturers strictly adhere to the mandatory order. Tax inspections should be carried out only in the entities considered risky. The Committee should inspect SMEs only in extreme cases, and ensure the absence of subjectivity in customs officers and transparency in procedures,” the Prime Minister said.

Artur Davtyan – new Prosecutor General

On September 15 Armenian National Assembly elected Artur Davtyan as Armenian Prosecutor General by a closed secret voting.

Serzh Sargsyan and Artur Davtyan on September 19, 2016

Photo: Press service of the Armenian President

On September 19 President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan introduced newly appointed Prosecutor General. He stressed that “at this critical moment for the country Artur Davtyan has the relevant knowledge, experience and will to achieve new successes.”|

Ilham Aliyev criticizes “external powers”

On September 16 president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev delivered criticism on the international community once again, stating that “Certain foreign groups aim to dictate terms to Azerbaijan and turn it into a tool, to break the will of Azeri people.”

“Today Azerbaijan is one of the countries that distinguish on global scale by moving forward with only internal resources. We don’t receive help from anywhere, and we don’t need it. We live at our own expense, and there aren’t many countries in the world, living on their own expense. That is why every citizen of Azerbaijan should be rightfully proud of living in an independent state. Today our fate is in our hands. We had lived within other states for centuries, and when we compare that period with the current one, we see that the time of the most rapid advance is the time of independence. Why? Because our fate is in our hands,” Aliyev said.

Ilham Aliyev and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker

Photo: REUTERS

“Certain foreign groups aim to use such a powerful country as Azerbaijan for their own goals. That would be a catastrophe for us. We can see the experience of other countries. Countries governed from outside get ruined. Countries that don’t resist negative external influence get destroyed. The pressure put upon us is growing because we move in our way, bow to no one, behave with dignity and protect national interests,” president of Azerbaijan said.

Ara Tadevosyan