Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Armenia Debates Reasons For Millennium Challenge Cancellation

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Armenia Debates Reasons For Millennium Challenge Cancellation

    ARMENIA DEBATES REASONS FOR MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CANCELLATION
    by Marianna Grigoryan

    EurasiaNet.org
    APril 20 2011
    NY

    The decision to drop Armenia from the US-financed Millennium Challenge
    development program has renewed debate about the status of democratic
    reform in Armenia. The opposition, predictably, blames the government
    for the decision; the government is keeping quiet, but some ruling
    party representatives scoff that the decision is unjust.

    US Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch on April 15 indicated
    that Armenia's failure to show progress in such "good governance"
    areas as freedom of the press and assembly as among the reasons why
    its Millennium Challenge compact would not be renewed when the $235.6
    million, five-year program ends this September.

    "I think this will encourage Armenia to boost the required indicators,
    particularly, in terms of good governance," Ambassador Yovanovitch
    told RFE/RL on a visit with Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian to two
    irrigation canals repaired under the Millennium Challenge program.

    The government has not yet issued an official response to the decision
    to cancel Armenia's Millennium Challenge program, which focused on
    the renovation of irrigation systems and reconstruction of rural roads.

    Some observers believe, though, that Ambassador Yovanovitch's
    assessment reflects the domestic political situation in Armenia, where
    protests calling for greater civil liberties, led by ex-President
    Levon Ter Petrosian's Armenian National Congress, started up again in
    February; others - namely, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia --
    consider the ambassador's evaluation wide of the mark.

    "Back in 2008 [following the deaths of 10 people in a police crackdown
    on protests against presidential election results - ed], the US side
    spoke about these indicators, but we've recorded much progress in
    the past three years and have demonstrated a serious political will
    [for reform]," asserted Republican Party of Armenia spokesperson
    Eduard Sharmazanov. "We have had progress rather than regress during
    the past few years. I don't think that sanctions promote democracy."

    Sharmazanov described the government's anti-corruption campaign as
    "notable" and underlined that "several high officials" have left their
    posts; resignations for which, at the time, official reasons were
    not given. "Steps" were also taken "in dialogue with the opposition,"
    he added.

    Some analysts, though, believe the decision is a wake-up call for the
    government. After the "warning" in 2008, Armenia saw its Millennium
    Challenge compact in 2009 reduced by roughly $68 million, a decrease
    that cut into its road construction plans.

    "This is a signal indicating that we are being excluded from the
    cooperation framework," political scientist Anush Sedrakian argued
    in reference to the decision to drop Armenia out of the Millennium
    Challenge program. "This is a serious message for our authorities
    -- a sign saying that you are becoming an outsider, you do not meet
    our standards and cannot be a part of a new, big, global network of
    full-fledged cooperation."

    Armenia, however, still has recourse to other financial assistance
    networks. The International Monetary Fund last week dispatched a
    team to Yerevan to evaluate the status of economic reforms as part
    of its review for a possible $58 million loan to Armenia. A loan of
    $55 million was made in December 2010; the country can receive up to
    $392 million by 2013.

    Government officials and members of the ruling Republican Party have
    not addressed the degree to which the loss of the Millennium Challenge
    program might hamper Armenia's economic development goals. But
    one senior Republican Party parliamentarian cautioned that the
    program's loss could undermine public trust in the government and
    its preparations for the 2012 parliamentary elections.

    "[The ambassador's statement can have a negative impact on the people's
    trust towards the authorities while we are doing our best to strengthen
    this trust," argued Hovhannes Sahakian.

    One political analyst takes that notion a step further, arguing that
    the US government sees canceling the Millennium Challenge program
    amidst opposition protests as a way to pressure President Serzh
    Sargsyan's government for further democratic change.

    "This means that the Armenian authorities know that the US has been
    their partner so far, and if they think this will continue in the
    future as well, the US is signaling it is no longer like that,"
    claimed Ruben Mehrabian, a political analyst at Yerevan's Armenian
    Center for National and International Studies.

    The US has given no indication that the protests factored into the
    Millennium Challenge decision, but has made clear that it sees the
    2012 vote and the 2013 presidential election as a chance for Armenia
    to improve its performance on "good governance."

    "As Armenia enters into an election cycle, with parliamentary elections
    next year and presidential elections the year after, there is an
    opportunity to boost these indicators," said Ambassador Yovanovitch.

    Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
    Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.




    From: A. Papazian
Working...
X