OneWorld Country Guides provide a broad introduction to human rights and sustainable development issues in each country, reflecting the views of global civil society in general and OneWorld partners in particular.
Armenia short guide
One of the oldest nations in the world, Armenia occupies a fraction of its ancestral lands. Invaded and subjugated to foreign rule throughout the centuries, much of Armenia’s present day policies have resulted from a legacy of oppression and unresolved disputes with its neighbors.
However, as a landlocked country, its potential for economic development and regional integration has been restricted and more than a million Armenians have emigrated to seek better lives abroad.
Millennium Development Goals
In August 2003, the Armenian government finalized its long-awaited Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper which aims to reduce poverty to 19% by 2015. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the main challenges facing the Republic include combating poverty, improving the environment and addressing other pressing social issues.
The education system in Armenia is currently under reform, with a World Bank-initiated process of `optimization’ causing some concern. Plans to gradually close the Soviet-era specialized boarding schools for children with disabilities have been put on hold, as they now also accommodate normal children from vulnerable families. As with the health sector, corruption is rampant throughout the education system, with cases of bribery and gift-giving by students to pass university entrance examinations.
The emigration of many men to find work in Russia and elsewhere has resulted in changes to the stereotypical roles of the largely patriarchal Armenian society. However, the number of women effectively abandoned by their absentee husbands has increased and domestic violence is a problem. The UN has only recently begun to address the issue, after overcoming resistance from within the male-dominated society. There are also serious concerns over the trafficking of women from Armenia to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Politics
Armenian politics has been largely stable since independence from the Soviet Union was declared in 1991, although there have been sporadic episodes of unrest. In 1996 and 2003, protests against flawed presidential elections were quickly suppressed and, even in October 1999, when several key members of the Government including the Prime Minister were assassinated in the Armenian National Assembly, the situation in the Republic was kept under control.
Even so, there is an increasing risk of instability, stemming from the lack of progress in democratization since independence and the absence of a developed civil society in the country. Moreover, the 2003 elections have resulted in a weaker coalition government that, although united in support of President Robert Kocharian, has nothing else in common. In recent months, this tension has manifested itself in inter-party fighting and rivalry.
Since February 2004 opposition parties have boycotted the Armenian National Assembly in protest at what they consider to be falsified presidential and parliamentary elections held during 2003. Uncertainty looms over the succession issue as the incumbent president is constitutionally disallowed from running for a third term in office.
Human Rights
Compared to its neighbours, Armenia has a reasonable human rights record. The Republic became largely mono-ethnic after its large Azerbaijani population left the country at the beginning of the Karabagh conflict. Currently the rights of national minorities are largely respected or, at least, the problems they face are similar to those of most ethnic Armenians.
However, in recent years, there have been concerns regarding the rights of religious minorities, particularly Jehovah Witnesses who until recently were refused registration and whose male adherents have been imprisoned for refusing to take up arms. In 2004, the Armenian Government finally complied with Council of Europe requirements to register the organization and introduce alternative service options for conscripts.
Of more concern, however, is the practice of detention under Soviet-era laws that generally target opposition supporters and civil rights activists, especially during periods of possible political instability.
Spurred on by the November 2003 “Rose Revolution” in neighboring Georgia, opposition political parties combined forces and held peaceful protest demonstrations in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. In response, movement into the capital was restricted and police used unnecessary force to disperse the crowds.
Although the constitution provides for the separation of powers and rule of law, the President’s ability to appoint and dismiss judges raises concerns about independence of the judiciary.
Conflict
In 1988, Armenians demanded that Nagorno Karabagh, a mainly Christian Armenian-populated territory situated within neighboring Moslem Azerbaijan, be united with Armenia. Pogroms against Armenians living in Azerbaijan followed and hundreds of thousands of Armenians and Azeris were forced to flee their respective countries, as the conflict between the two Republics erupted into a full scale war in 1991.
Approximately 20,000 people died by the time the conflict ended, with a ceasefire agreement signed in May 1994. Over 1 million refugees were created on both sides and ethnic Armenian forces now control 14% of what the international community considers Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno Karabagh.
Negotiations to find a lasting peace under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group continue to be held between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but recent attempts to broker a peace deal have faltered, leading to concerns that war might break out again in the future and potentially destabilize the entire Southern Caucasus region.
An ally of Azerbaijan in this conflict is Turkey, a country whose ambitions for membership of the European Union may hinge on differing interpretations of history of the First World War. Many European countries consider the mass killing and starvation of 1.5 million Armenians under Turkish Ottoman rule to be genocide – a view so far contested by Turkey.
Health
Faced with severe economic difficulties after the collapse of the Soviet Union and an out-dated and over-staffed healthcare system, the independent Armenian government has been unable to guarantee free healthcare for all. Even though some sections of the population are entitled to free treatment, a system of informal payments exists and as a result a sizeable percentage of the population instead resorts to
self- or home-treatment.
Health concerns are mostly limited to reproductive health and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, with international organizations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres supporting treatment and public health programmes. Infant mortality, which rose significantly in the first years after independence, has started to stabilize in recent years, although overall life expectancy has declined.
The number of those officially registered as HIV-positive stands at just 304. However, others believe that the actual figure is 10 times higher.
In December 2004, the United Nations warned that Armenia faces a “potential disaster” if nothing is done to stop its spread. Access to free HIV testing is limited, with only one HIV/AIDS center in the capital.
Information and Media
While there is no formal censorship in place, many journalists adhere to the Soviet practice of self-censorship. In particular, as every television station is owned or controlled by political and economic forces close to the President, journalists seldom report news other than that which fulfills state propaganda purposes.
A1 Plus, an independent television station that provided alternative news, was taken off the air in April 2002. Despite concerns raised by the Council of Europe, the station has failed to win any subsequent tenders for a broadcasting frequency, despite well-reported irregularities in the tender process itself.
The situation with print media is somewhat better, with a variety of opinions and political views being represented. However, circulation is low and mostly confined to the capital, with few newspapers able to attract a readership of over 3,000 and thus financially reliant on political figures or businesses with political aspirations.
Access to the internet in Armenia is not restricted and international organizations are equipping schools with computers and connections. Most government agencies have their own websites, financed by the international donor community, and several critical media outlets have migrated online – unable to disseminate their alternative viewpoints through the broadcast media.
Nevertheless, in spite of the preponderance of internet cafes, the main obstacle to wider internet usage is financial and linked to the legally enforced telecommunications monopoly, ArmenTel.
Economy
The Armenian economy is considered one of the most liberal in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Despite a record of strong economic growth, underpinned by remittances from the large overseas Armenian diaspora, 44% of the population lives under the national poverty line. The informal economy accounts for as much as 60% of GDP, which impacts tax revenue and the state’s financial capacity to improve public services. The economic blockade set up by Azerbaijan and Turkey as a result of the unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabagh poses another barrier to sustainable economic development.
In recent years, the Armenian Government has also turned its attention towards promoting tourism, but the necessary infrastructure remains lacking in the outer regions. There are also concerns that rather than promoting community-based tourism, existing infrastructure caters mainly to elite and business travelers.
Environment
Armenia is a largely mountainous country with few natural resources. At the height of an energy crisis brought on by the economic blockade, many people resorted to firewood to heat their homes, resulting in rapid deforestation. The situation was ameliorated somewhat in 1995, when the Medzamor Nuclear Reactor situated near the Turkish border was reactivated (it had been closed in the wake of the devastating 1988 earthquake). Although the European Union has repeatedly requested that the nuclear reactor be shut, the government has refused, citing the lack of alternative energy sources.
Deforestation continues at an alarming rate, mainly as a result of illegal export of timber by government-connected businessman and military officials to Europe and beyond. Desertification affects several areas, including Yerevan, where government officials have destroyed parks and other green areas, often illegally, to build cafes, restaurants and luxurious mansions.
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Onnik Krikorian is a freelance journalist and photographer from the United Kingdom living and working in the Republic of Armenia for a variety of publications and organizations.
http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/armenia/development
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