THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 29,400 sq km
Population: 3 million
Capital City: Yerevan (population: 1.2
million)
People: Armenian 93%, Azeri 3%,
Russian 2%, other (mostly Yezidi
Kurds) 2% (1989)
note: as of the end of 1993, virtually all
Azeris had emigrated from Armenia
Languages: Armenian 96%, Russian 2%,
other 2%
Religion(s): Armenian Orthodox 94%
Currency: 1 dram=100 luma
Major political parties: Armenian
Pan-National Movement (APNM),
National Democratic Union (UJM),
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF), Shamiram (women's party),
Hairenik (Homeland),
Self-Determination Union, Communist
Party of Armenia, Liberal Democratic
Party, Christian Democratic Union of
Armenia, Social Democratic Party
(Hnchak), National Party of Armenia,
Law Governed Party of Armenia,
Republican Party of Armenia, People's
Party of Armenia
Government: Republic
Head of State: President Robert
Kocharian
Prime Minister/Premier: Andranik
Margaryan
Foreign Minister: Vartan Oskanian
Membership of international
groupings/organisations: BSEC, CCC,
CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP,
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO (applicant)
GEOGRAPHY
Armenia is the smallest of the three
South Caucasus states in size and
population. It makes up only 10% of the
Greater Armenia of 2000 years ago,
which is now largely subsumed by the
Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It is
a landlocked, mountainous country,
subject to earthquakes (the latest of
which in December 1988 killed 30,000
people) and borders Georgia,
Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran.
Location: Southwestern Asia, east of
Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 45 00
E
Area:
total: 29,800 sq km
land: 28,400 sq km
water: 1,400 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan-proper
566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave
221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km,
Turkey 268 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: highland continental, hot
summers, cold winters
Terrain: Armenian Highland with
mountains; little forest land; fast
flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River
valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Aragats Lerr 4,095 m
Natural resources: small deposits of
gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc,
alumina
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 15%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,870 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasionally severe
earthquakes; droughts
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
HISTORY
In 1915-18 up to 1.5m Armenians (one
third of the Armenian population) died
of starvation or were systematically
killed during the final years of the
Ottoman Empire. The Armenians of
Nakhichevan (part of Azerbaijan) were
driven out in the 1920s. An independent
Armenian state existed from 1918-1920
before being subsumed into the Soviet
Union.
Nearly all Armenians are Christian and
have their own Armenian Apostolic
Church. A new Catholicos, 'Karekin II',
was elected in October 1999. In 2001
Armenia celebrated 1700 years of
Christianity as the state religion. The
large Armenian diaspora lives mostly in
the US and in France where they are
particularly influential. There are
10-12,000 British Armenians.
The decision to secede from the USSR
was not initially smooth; the more
radical 'Union for National
Self-Determination' urged immediate
secession in 1990 and attacked buildings
with Communist Party associations.
The parliamentary majority, the
Armenian Pan-National Movement,
wanted to secede in accordance with
Soviet laws and urged a national
referendum as required by those laws.
This took place in September 1991
when the disintegration of the Soviet
Union was gathering pace. More than
99% of voters supported independence,
reflecting massive popular opposition
both to the coup attempt in Moscow
and to the perceived Soviet bias
towards the Azerbaijani position in the
Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) dispute.
In October 1991 Levon Ter-Petrossian,
a respected academic who had led the
Karabakh Committee and been
imprisoned as a result, was elected
Armenia's first President (he had
previously been Chairman of the
Supreme Soviet) with 83% of the vote.
His party is the Armenian National
Movement. He faced intense opposition
pressure in parliament, due to the
situation in NK and economic hardships,
and there were some public
demonstrations against him in 1992, and
particularly in 1994. However, the
successes of the Armenian forces in
and around NK during 1993 and the
improvements in the supplies of energy
went a long way towards relieving the
pressure.
POLITICS
Recent Political Developments
Parliamentary elections - and a
constitutional referendum - took place
on 5 July 1995. The pro-government
Respublika Bloc won a landslide victory.
This made it easier for Ter-Petrossian
to press ahead with economic reform,
and gave him more leeway on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
International observers concluded that
the elections were 'free but not fair'
as they were well conducted on the
day, but a number of opposition parties
including the Dashnaks were refused
registration.
Presidential elections took place on 22
September 1996. There were four
candidates - Ter-Petrossian,
Manoukian of the NDU representing
several opposition parties in coalition,
Manucharian from the
Scientific-Industrial and Civil Union,
and Badalian from the Communist
Party. Ter-Petrossian quickly claimed
victory (ie over 50% of the vote in the
first round), but the opposition alleged
widespread fraud and organised a
series of demonstrations. These were
at first peaceful but on 25 September
the Parliament building was stormed
and the Chairman (Ararktsian) and his
deputy were badly beaten.
In a subsequent, stormy, session of
Parliament immunity was withdrawn
from the opposition MPs and several
were beaten up and arrested. Police
and armed troops were put on the
streets. The OSCE's report said the
discrepancies and breaches of the
electoral law 'can only contribute to a
lack of confidence in the integrity of
the overall election process. The
results of the first round of balloting
could even be questioned until a
thorough review and assessment of
the irregularities and discrepancies are
conducted.' The Central Electoral
Commission's (CEC) final results gave
Ter-Petrossian 51.75% of the vote,
Manoukian 41.29%, Manoucharian 0.60%
and Badalian 6.34% but the opposition
referred the matter to the
Constitutional Court. The Court ruled
on 22 November that the results, as
announced by the CEC, were not open
to question. Although violations had
occurred they were not on the scale
alleged and it would not be possible to
judge how they had affected the
outcome. Encouragingly, local elections
held on 10 November were deemed by
Council of Europe observers to have
been free and fair.
To restore Armenia's international
reputation, promote national
reconciliation through dialogue with the
opposition and speed up economic
reform and restructuring,
Ter-Petrossian appointed as Prime
Minister in November 1996 the
respected Armenian Ambassador to
London, Dr Armen Sarkissian.
Unfortunately, Dr Sarkissian had to
resign for health reasons in early
March 1997 and Robert Kocharian,
leader of the N-K Armenians, was
appointed in his place.
Ter-Petrossian resigned as President
in February 1998 after internal
disagreements over policy towards the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Elections
were held in March 1998 and Robert
Kocharian won by a margin of nearly
20% over his nearest rival. The
OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation
Mission reported 'serious
irregularities' during the elections and
that these fell short of OSCE
standards. The overall result was not,
however, called into question.
Elections
Parliamentary elections were held on
30 May 1999. The newly formed Unity
Alliance (a political alliance between the
Republican Party of Defence Minister
Vazgen Sarkissian and the People's
Party led by former Communist leader
Karen Demirchian) won 41.69% of the
vote and gained the largest number of
parliamentary seats (29), although
short of an overall majority. The
preliminary assessment of the
OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation
Mission was that the elections
'demonstrated an improvement over
prior elections' and were 'a relevant
step towards compliance with OSCE
commitments'. Following the elections,
Vazgen Sarkissian was appointed Prime
Minister and Karen Demirchian elected
as Chairman of Parliament.
On 27 October 1999 five gunmen broke
into the National assembly building and
opened fire killing Vazgen Sarkissian
and Karen Demirchian plus six of their
parliamentary colleagues. The gunmen
were lead by Nairi Unanian, an extreme
Nationalist. Although many conspiracy
theories abound there has been no
evidence to contradict the official view
that this was an attack by a group of
disaffected loners.
To calm the population after the
attack, President Kocharian appointed
Aram Sarkissian, brother of the
murdered Prime Minister, as Prime
Minister, despite his complete lack of
political experience. Following this,
Kocharian had an uneasy relationship
with the National assembly and has
faced down calls for his impeachment.
Kocharian is now in the ascendancy and
in May 2000 appointed a new Prime
Minister and Cabinet having purged all
his critics from office.
Presidential elections were held on 19
February 2003. The elections ran to a
second round on 5 March. The
incumbent, Robert Kocharian, won with
67% of the vote. The OSCE/ODIHR
Election Monitoring Mission reported
that the Armenian elections had fallen
short of international standards for
democratic elections. National Assembly
Elections will take place in May 2003.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
Armenia weathered the Russian
financial crisis better than other CIS
states. GDP grew by 7% in 1998 fuelled
primarily by an expansion in domestic
credit by the Central Bank and by
government investment expenditure.
However this proved unsustainable and
the government was forced to tighten
fiscal and monetary policy during the
second half of 1999 slowing GDP
growth for the year to 3%. Estimates
of GDP growth for the first six
months of 2002 are for an increase of
10.1%. This is an improved performance
on the 9.6% increase in 2001. The
official unemployment rate has dropped
to 9.9%.
The inflation rate has stabilised at
around 3.2%. This represents a
significant rise from 2000 when
Armenia experienced a brief period of
deflation.
Foreign debt in 2002 amounts to
approximately USD 900m. Armenia has
a fairly good relationship with the IMF
and World Bank. Basic Economic Facts
GDP in 2001: US$2.118 bn
Annual GDP Growth: 10.1%
Inflation: 3.2%
Major Industries: metal-cutting machine
tools, forging-pressing machines,
electric motors, tires, knitted wear,
hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, washing
machines, chemicals, trucks, watches,
instruments, microelectronics
Main potential growth areas:
diamond-polishing, jewelry, alcoholic
beverages, IT, tourism
Major trading partners: Russia,
Belgium, Iran, US, Turkmenistan,
Georgia
Exchange rate: US$1:560 dram
Further information about Armenia's
economy can be found at Trade
Partners UK Country Profile: Armenia.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Armenia's Relations with Neighbours
Armenia is Western-looking and is
seeking integration into European
structures. It has also been able to look
to the large Armenian diaspora
(particularly in the US and France) for
support. However, the realities of
Armenia's present political and
economic position mean that the closest
relationship is with Russia. Armenia
joined the CIS on 21 December 1989 and
signed a Friendship Treaty with Russia
in January 1993 but this was not
ratified by the Russian parliament. In
August 1997 Russia and Armenia signed
a fresh Friendship Treaty for
ratification by the Russian government
by December 1997. The Azeris strongly
criticised this treaty on the ground that
it contained provisions on military
co-operation. There is a Russian
division currently stationed in Armenia,
as well as Russian border guards. A
treaty was signed by Yeltsin and
Ter-Petrossian on 16 March 1995
establishing the legal status of the base
and numerous documents on military
co-operation have been signed since.
Armenia is one of six parties to the CIS
Treaty of Collective Security signed in
Tashkent in May 1993.
Armenian relations with Turkey have a
troubled history and continue to be
sensitive. Turkey recognised Armenia
(the first country to do so), along with
Georgia and Azerbaijan in 1991. But
diplomatic relations between the two
countries have not been established and
the Turkish/Armenian border has been
closed since May 1992. Turkey and
Armenia have prepared a draft
agreement on establishing diplomatic
relations, but it is not expected that the
Turks will sign it until the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict is resolved. Despite
the troubled bilateral relationship,
Turkey has provided a limited amount
of humanitarian assistance to Armenia.
The Turks and Armenians also work
together in the Black Sea Economic
Co-operation Organisation. Talks
between the then Chief State Adviser
Libaridian and Turkish Prime Minister
Tansu Ciller led in 1995 to the opening
of the air corridor between the two
countries.
Armenia joined 'Partnership for Peace'
(PFP), launched at the NATO Summit
on 10 January 1994, on 5 October 1994.
Armenia joined the Council of Europe in
January 2001.
Armenia's Relations with the
International Community
EU
EC aid (UK's share is 16%) is mainly
humanitarian assistance. Total food and
humanitarian aid of nearly 127 million
ecu have been and will be allocated
from 1992 to 1999. Technical assistance
is provided through TACIS (Technical
Assistance for the Commonwealth of
Independent States). TACIS support is
mainly in the form of policy advice,
institution building, training and the
design of legal and regulatory
frameworks. The 2002/03 TACIS
Programme will be for 10 Million euro.
A Partnership and Cooperation
Agreement (PCA) between the EU and
Armenia was signed on 22 April 1996.
The PCA governs political, economic
and trade relations between the parties
and lays a basis for social, financial,
scientific, technological and cultural
cooperation between them. The UK
formally ratified the PCA on 22 April
1998 and entered into force on 1 July
1999. The Presidents of Georgia,
Armenia and the Prime Minister of
Azerbaijan (President Aliev was unable
to travel due to ill health) met with EU
Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg on 22
June 1999 to mark the entry into force
of the PCAs.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Recent History
The present phase of the
Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) conflict began
in 1988 after the Regional Soviet of
Nagorno-Karabakh adopted a resolution
on the transfer of N-K to Armenia.
The resolution was rejected by the
USSR and Soviet troops deployed to
N-K to suppress nationalist sentiments.
Following the break-up of the Soviet
Union N-K declared its independence.
Azeri forces then attempted to
re-establish control but met fierce
resistance. In 1992 N-K forces
captured Shusha (a previously
Azeri-populated town within N-K) and
established a corridor to Armenia
through Lachin. And in 1993 N-K
forces, with help from Armenia,
retook northern N-K and occupied the
entire south-west corner of
Azerbaijan, some 20% of Azeri
territory. This encroachment onto
Azeri territory led to wide-scale
international condemnation, including
four UN Security Council Resolutions
demanding that 'local Armenian forces'
withdraw from the most recently
occupied areas outside N-K.
The 1994 spring offensive began in
early April with each side accusing the
other of renewed attacks and shelling
of civilian targets. Fighting was intense
along the entire front line, with both
sides seeming better prepared
militarily than in previous years.
However, on 12 May 1994 a cease-fire
was brokered in direct talks between
Armenia and Azerbaijan and on 27 July
1994 the Armenian and Azerbaijani
Defence Ministers and the Commander
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Army signed
an agreement consolidating it. With the
exception of minor violations the
cease-fire has held. Armenia,
Azerbaijan and the authorities in
Nagorno-Karabakh have all confirmed
their readiness to continue it
indefinitely until a political agreement is
concluded. The number of deaths in the
conflict probably exceeded 15,000 with
at least 900,000 Azeris and 300,000
Armenians displaced.
The Issues
The issues in dispute include the future
political status of NK and the nature of
any international guarantees of that
status. Armenia points to a 1991
referendum (ruled illegal by the
Azerbaijani government) in which the
people of NK voted for independence.
The Armenian Parliament refuses to
accept any solution to the conflict
which refers to NK as part of
Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijan has
annulled NK's former autonomous
status.
International Efforts
In 1992 the (then) CSCE established an
international peace process, known as
the Minsk Group, with the aim of
undertaking negotiations with the
parties to the conflict, to reach a
peaceful political settlement. At its
December 1994 Summit in Budapest the
OSCE agreed to integrate the
mediation efforts of the Russian
Federation and the Minsk Group making
Russia a co-chair of the Minsk Group
(initially with Sweden, then with
Finland, and now in a Troika with the
US and France). The summit also
agreed in principle to the deployment
of a multi-national peacekeeping
operation, following the conclusion of a
political agreement on the cessation of
the armed conflict, and establishing a
High Level Planning Group (HLPG) to
work on details of an operation. There
is as yet no sign of the political
agreement being reached although the
Troika have presented confidential
proposals to the parties for
consideration. The Minsk Group now
comprises Russia, USA, France,
Germany, Sweden, Italy, Turkey,
Belarus and Hungary. The UK is not a
member.
President Kocharian and President
Aliev met in Geneva for bilateral talks
about the N-K conflict in July 1999.
Since then they have met regularly.
US-hosted proximity talks were held in
Key West, Florida, in April 2001. The
detail of their talks has been kept
close. There have been several
subsequent meetings but little recent
sign of any political breakthrough.
On 14 August 2002 the Armenian and
Azeri Presidents met at Sedereg on
the border between Armenia and
Nakhichevan. They met again in
Chisinau at the beginning of October.
As a result of the conflict, the OSCE
imposed an arms embargo on both
Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1992. The UK
observes this embargo.
UK Position
The UK (and our European partners)
have argued that any solution should be
based on the sovereignty of Azerbaijan
with real autonomy for the people of
NK. The international community does
not recognise N-K independence.
Although the UK is not a member of
the Minsk Group, it strongly supports
the Group's work.
ARMENIA'S RELATIONS WITH THE UK
Diplomatic Representation
Armenian representation in the UK
The UK recognised Armenia on 31
December 1991 and diplomatic relations
were established soon afterwards.
There is a small Armenian Embassy in
London. The first resident British
Ambassador, David Miller OBE, arrived
in Yerevan in July 1995 (Her Majesty's
Ambassador in Moscow had previously
been cross-accredited).
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