Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07YEREVAN1069
2007-08-30 05:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Yerevan
Cable title:
OPPOSITION PARTY INTRODUCES BILL TO RECOGNIZE
how-toVZCZCXRO3892 PP RUEHDBU DE RUEHYE #1069 2420511 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 300511Z AUG 07 FM AMEMBASSY YEREVAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6198 INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHDC 0109 RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0420
C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 001069
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV PBTS KDEM AM
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTY INTRODUCES BILL TO RECOGNIZE
SEPRATIST NAGORNO KARABAKH
Classified By: CDA R.V. Perina, reasons 1.4 (b,d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 001069
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV PBTS KDEM AM
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTY INTRODUCES BILL TO RECOGNIZE
SEPRATIST NAGORNO KARABAKH
Classified By: CDA R.V. Perina, reasons 1.4 (b,d)
1. (U) Fresh from his stinging defeat in the TEC 15
parliamentary election, on August 28 Heritage Party leader
Raffi Hovannisian introduced a bill into parliament which
would extend Armenian recognition to the self-declared
"Republic of Nagorno Karabagh." To date, no country,
including Armenia, has extended recognition to the separatist
province, although Armenia provides extensive material
support to the entity.
2. (U) Heritage MP Stepan Safarian said his party's move was
motivated by the continuing deadlock in peace negotiations.
National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torossian criticized the
proposal as "uninformed," while Prosperous Armenia party
secretary commented that unilateral Armenian recognition of
SIPDIS
NK statehood would negate the work of the Minsk Group
negotiations. Even the nationalist ARF (Dashnak) party --
Armen Rustamian, foreign affairs committee chair --
criticized the draft bill, disdaining the Heritage proposal
as crude political calculation.
3. (C) COMMENT: The move has little chance of being enacted
or signed by the president, but makes for clever politics.
The populist ploy will put the government and ruling party in
the position of having to block an initiative that would be
very popular among average Armenians, if enacted. Of course,
the move is extremely unhelpful from the perspective of Minsk
Group negotiations and efforts to resolve the conflict.
PERINA
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV PBTS KDEM AM
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTY INTRODUCES BILL TO RECOGNIZE
SEPRATIST NAGORNO KARABAKH
Classified By: CDA R.V. Perina, reasons 1.4 (b,d)
1. (U) Fresh from his stinging defeat in the TEC 15
parliamentary election, on August 28 Heritage Party leader
Raffi Hovannisian introduced a bill into parliament which
would extend Armenian recognition to the self-declared
"Republic of Nagorno Karabagh." To date, no country,
including Armenia, has extended recognition to the separatist
province, although Armenia provides extensive material
support to the entity.
2. (U) Heritage MP Stepan Safarian said his party's move was
motivated by the continuing deadlock in peace negotiations.
National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torossian criticized the
proposal as "uninformed," while Prosperous Armenia party
secretary commented that unilateral Armenian recognition of
SIPDIS
NK statehood would negate the work of the Minsk Group
negotiations. Even the nationalist ARF (Dashnak) party --
Armen Rustamian, foreign affairs committee chair --
criticized the draft bill, disdaining the Heritage proposal
as crude political calculation.
3. (C) COMMENT: The move has little chance of being enacted
or signed by the president, but makes for clever politics.
The populist ploy will put the government and ruling party in
the position of having to block an initiative that would be
very popular among average Armenians, if enacted. Of course,
the move is extremely unhelpful from the perspective of Minsk
Group negotiations and efforts to resolve the conflict.
PERINA