Population: 3.33 million
Ethnic Composition:
93% Armenian, 2% Russian, 1% Azeri, 4% other (mostly Kurds and Yezidis)
Religion: 94% Armenian Orthodox Christian, 4% other Christian, 2% Yezidi (Zoroastrian/animist) and other
Jewish population: 500-1,000
2002 Aliyah
(emigration to Israel): 80
1999 Emigration
to United States: 0
Size: 28,400 sq km
Capital: Yerevan
Major cities: Yerevan, Gyumri, Kirovakan
Freedom House Rating:
Partly Free
Currency: 554.88 dram = $1 (October 3, 2003)
GDP: $2.4 billion (2002)
GDP per capita: $774 (2002)
GDP Growth: 12.9% (2002)
Head of State:
President Robert Kocharian
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
Foreign Minister:
Vartan Oskanian
Ambassador to United States:
Tatoul Markarian
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia:
John M. Evans
Chronology of all U.S. envoys to Armenia
SUMMARY
Armenia’s post-Soviet independence has been rocky on many levels. Armenian identity, and the country’s ethnic tensions, have been molded by centuries of rule by Persian, Russian, and Soviet forces. Multilateral peace talks continue on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and the government continues to pursue much-needed economic and social reforms. Armenia has carried out significant structural changes in pursuit of a market economy and works closely with international lending organizations.
The sometimes-violent Nagorno-Karabakh dispute acutely influences Armenia’s economic and political relations with its neighbors and the West. Armenia’s relations with Azerbaijan’s allies, especially Turkey, are strained. Relations with Washington have been good, encouraged significantly by America’s vibrant ethnic Armenian community, and Armenia is a major recipient of U.S. aid. The United States has hosted and participated in peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, building upon efforts by international organizations and other states including Russia.
Armenia’s Jewish community, though small, has deep roots. The government is respectful toward the Jewish community. Relations with Armenia’s Christian majority are generally peaceful, and Armenia’s relations with Israel are limited but cordial.
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ARMENIA
INTRODUCTION
POLITICAL SITUATION
Nagorno-Karabakh
Israel
ECONOMIC SITUATION
JEWISH COMMUNAL LIFE & ANTI-SEMITISM
History
Status
Anti-Semitism
Community Relations
U.S. POLICY
Armenia, the smallest of the successor states, occupies a territory slightly larger than Maryland. Located in the Caucasus Mountains region, it is completely landlocked and shares borders with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran.
Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 CE. In 1828, the territory under Persian control was incorporated into the Russian Empire, while the majority of ethnic Armenian population centers remained outside present-day Armenia within the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). Political events in the Ottoman Empire during the late-1800s and early-1900s led to the widespread destruction of communities in 1915: up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed through starvation, deportations, and massacres. Many of the survivors emigrated, forming sizable communities throughout the world, and the number of Armenians abroad (estimates range up to 10 million) exceeds the number of Armenians in Armenia proper. Russia and the United States are each home to more than one million ethnic Armenians.
Following the Bolshevik revolution, Armenia declared its independence in May 1918 and rapidly grew in population due to an influx of Turkish-based refugees from the Armenian tragedy. In 1921, after the Red Army defeated Armenian nationalists (the Dashnaks), Armenia became a Soviet republic and its present borders were demarcated. In September 1991, Armenia became an independent state for the second time in its history.
Shai Franklin
Director of Armenian Genocide Memorial
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POLITICAL SITUATION
The Armenian government, as established by the July 1995 Constitution, consists of a unicameral parliament – the National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov) – a Prime Minister, judiciary, and a President who holds the majority of power. Armenian domestic politics have been turbulent since independence. National Assembly elections have installed nine successive governments since 1991, and have been marred by accusations of electoral violations; the most recent, in May 2003, showed some improvement.
Levon Ter-Petrossyan held the presidency from 1991-1998, though demonstrations after the 1996 presidential election led Ter-Petrossyan to call tanks into the streets to restore order. Two years later, Ter-Petrossyan was forced to resign after being deemed too conciliatory toward Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. Robert Kocharian, a former leader of the Nagorno-Karabakh independence movement, won the Presidency in the 1998 special election.
Although international observers concluded that the May 1999 elections met basic democratic standards, Armenia was shaken soon after by the October 27, 1999 murders of Prime Minister Vazgan Sarkisian, Parliament Chairman Karen Demirchian and six other Members of Parliament On that day, five gunmen of undetermined allegiance burst into a parliamentary session, opened fire, and took hostages.
The first round of the 2003 presidential elections was criticized as irregular and, amid accusations of opposition arrests and further electoral violations, incumbent Robert Kocharian was returned to power in the runoff.
Shai FranklinJuly 1999: Prime Minister Vazgan Sarkisian meeting in Yerevan with American Jewish delegation, shortly before his tragic assassination
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Nagorno-Karabakh
The dominant issue in post-independence Armenia has been the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with Azerbaijan. In 1988, this territory, populated with an Armenian majority, voted to secede from the then-Soviet republic of Azerbaijan and join the republic of Armenia. In 1992, the province declared its independence, triggering a long and bloody conflict that included armed clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Azerbaijan responded with an economic blockade that crippled the Armenian economy, while ethnic Armenian and Azeri refugees fled in opposite directions to their respective ‘home’ countries.
Shai Franklin
Nagorno-Karabakh frontier
Through the leadership of the OSCE’s “Minsk Group,” the United States, Russia and France have been leading the peace negotiations. A ceasefire was arranged in 1994, after Armenian forces captured 20 percent of Azerbaijan (including Nagorno-Karabakh). Since 1999, direct talks have been held between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents, but no resolution is anticipated before Azerbaijan’s October 2003 presidential election.
Armenia’s most supportive ally is Russia, and trade between the two nations totaled $234.1 million in 2001, $61 million of which was Armenian exports. An agreement signed in July 2002 will eliminate $98 million of Armenia’s Russian-held debt in exchange for five state-owned businesses. Armenia also hosts several Russian military bases, which it sees as a deterrent to any threat from Turkey. Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan and the legacy of ethnic issues have meant poor relations. Russia provided Armenia with crucial arms shipments during the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Relations with Iran, Greece and Georgia are friendly. In January 2001, Armenia became a member of the Council of Europe.
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Israel
While Israel and Armenia have diplomatic relations, neither maintains an embassy in the other country. The Israeli ambassador is based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and visits Yerevan twice a month. Israel has recognized 10 Armenians as “Righteous Among the Nations” for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The high volume of Armenian-Israeli trade has developed an important outlet for Armenian skilled labor.
There have been several high-level official visits to Israel by Armenians in the last several years. In January 2000, President Kocharian, accompanied by high-level officials, traveled to Israel and met with high-ranking Israeli officials, including then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The two sides pledged to strengthen relations and signed agreements on health and bilateral investment.
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ECONOMIC SITUATION
Armenia developed a modern industrial sector under Soviet rule, but since 1988 its economy has suffered a series of severe setbacks. A 1988 earthquake destroyed or damaged 30 percent of Armenian industrial capacity, and the 1998 financial crisis in Russia dealt a blow to Armenian export industries and expatriate remittances.
An estimated 50 percent of Armenians live in poverty, earning less than $25 a month. An estimated one-sixth of Armenia’s workers have left the country, many seeking employment in Russia.
Possibly the most devastating factor to the Armenian economy remains the impact of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. In the last several years, the Armenian economy has begun to recover, in large part due to successful reform efforts and substantial economic aid. Privatization has also progressed, though unemployment remains at least 20 percent, and imports still heavily outweigh exports.
The countries of the European Union account for one-third of Armenia’s trade; trade with the United States, Russia, Israel and Iran is also considerable, followed by Turkmenistan and Georgia. Israel, now Armenia’s third-largest trading partner, is primarily involved in joint diamond-cutting ventures. A proposed project to build a pipeline to carry Iranian natural gas to Armenia has been on hold for several years due to lack of funding; for now Turkmenistan supplies Armenia with gas for most of its needs.
International financial agencies and donor countries continue to aid Armenia to ensure transition to a market economy. Diaspora Armenians also provide much needed help through the Hayastan (Armenia) fund. Projects have included a construction of a highway and gas pipeline, the refurbishing of an orphanage, and the building of a medical center, school, and housing units.
Armenia is part of the CIS-7 initiative, a plan launched in 2001 by international lending organizations to help the poorest of the Soviet successor states reduce debt and poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth. In 2001, Armenian officials and International Monetary Fund (IMF) representatives signed an agreement for a new $90 million loan. In February 2001, Armenia also concluded a deal with the World Bank for a $50 million Structural Adjustment Credit covering just over half of Armenia’s anticipated 2001 budget deficit. The loan is contingent on continued reforms.
Armenia acceded to membership in the World Trade Organization in February 2003.
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JEWISH COMMUNAL LIFE & ANTI-SEMITISM
History
The Jewish community in Armenia dates back almost 2,000 years. When Emperor Tigran the Great retreated from Palestine in the first century, he brought with him 10,000 Jews. In ancient times Jews were known to live in Armenia, but no continuous Jewish presence persisted into the modern era. In the early 19th century, Jews began arriving in Armenia from Poland and Persia, creating Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities in Yerevan. A number of displaced Jews settled in Soviet Armenia during and after World War II, raising the Jewish population to approximately 5,000, though subsequent emigration has reduced the Jewish community to fewer than 1,000.
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Status
In 1991, the government officially recognized the Armenian Jewish community. Despite a small Jewish population, high intermarriage rate and relative isolation, a number of programs and much enthusiasm exist to help meet community needs.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC/ “Joint”) is very active in Armenia through annual community events and assists seniors through the community charity Orot Hesed, which is located in the Yerevan synagogue. The charity provides seniors with food deliveries, heating fuel, medical equipment, and a daily hot meals program (in conjunction with the Yerevan synagogue) that supports 80 people.
The Jewish Community of Armenia (JCA), a member of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) and the World Congress of Russian Jewry (WCRJ), sponsors advanced education classes, a children’s chorus, cultural events, and outreach work. The JCA began publication of a community newsletter in late-2002 with support from the EAJC.
While the regional office of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI/ “Sochnut”) is in neighboring Georgia, a representative in Armenia coordinates JAFI support for a Sunday school, an ulpan, a Hesed seniors’ center, and several other Jewish clubs and community activities. A second Sunday school, run by the Religious Society of Armenia, also holds a summer camp. Cultural activities are conducted by the Armenia-Israel cultural group, Menorah, which took a leading role in organizing a 1998 celebration of the 3,000-year anniversary of Jerusalem. Since 1995, modern Hebrew has been taught at the state university; the program has grown from five to 34 students.
Shai Franklin
Yerevan synagogue
The Jewish Religious Community of Armenia, a Chabad-affiliated group established in 1992, operates both a Sunday school, Torah Or, and a Community Center. Organizations sponsored by the center include a summer camp and several charity programs. The Yerevan synagogue holds Sabbath services and holiday celebrations, and houses a multi-lingual Jewish library. The group has published its newsletter, Koelet, since 1997. The Chief Rabbi occasionally travels to a second synagogue in the town of Sevan to lead services for the small community there.
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Anti-SemitismHistorically, Jews and Armenians have had good relations. Both are ancient peoples with rich cultural and religious traditions that have helped preserve their identities amid statelessness and modern persecution. Along with other non-ethnic Armenians such as Russians and Poles, Jews are widely considered ‘guests’ in Armenia.
While not virulent or frequent, anti-Semitism does exist in Armenia. Recent examples include an anti-Semitic book published by author Romen Yepiskoposyan in February 2002, anti-Semitic articles in newspapers and magazines, a boycott of the Holocaust memorial by media and local officials, and the burning of a Turkish flag with Stars of David at its corners.
Much anti-Semitism stems from the relatively good relations Israel and the United States have with Turkey and, to a lesser degree, with Azerbaijan. Some Armenians believe that Jews have not been active enough in protesting the 1915 tragedy, or were even complicit with it, despite the fact that prominent Jews – such as U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau and Austrian novelist Franz Werfel – had advocated for Armenians at the time.
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Community Relations
In 1999, the JCA planted trees at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, and also erected a commemorative stone along with a Holocaust memorial with trees representing the 12 Tribes of Israel. When the original stone was stolen, the Mayor’s office arranged for an even larger replacement stone.
The 1991 Armenian Law on Freedom of Conscience, amended in 1997, establishes separation of church and state but grants the Armenian Apostolic Church special status. In 1996, the state registration agency, a division of the Ministry of Justice, toughened communal registration requirements, a potential difficulty for the small JCA community. The Jewish Religious Community of Armenia is registered with the Committee on Nationalities.
The Jewish community has good contacts with the government and the state channel broadcasts a prime-time television show featuring Jewish and Israeli culture. Attempts have been undertaken to retrieve Torah scrolls and other religious items from state collections.
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U.S. POLICY
Defense Department photo: R.D. WardU.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meeting in Pentagon with Armenian Minister of Defense Serchik Sarkisyan, March 2002
Relations between the United States and Armenia are good. In 1992, the United States became the first country to open an embassy in the country. The United States has a large ethnic Armenian community, and the U.S. Government has been pleased with the overall progress of Armenian democracy.
The United States provides Armenia with substantial assistance. Since 1992, Washington has invested over $908 million in aid and support programs to Armenia, and since 1993 has spent over $8.6 million in efforts to eliminate the country’s landmines. The amount of money allocated under the 1992 FREEDOM Support Act (FSA) gradually grew over the years and totaled $90 million in FY2002. In December 2001 and January 2002, Congress and President Bush approved the creation of an annual waiver of Section 907 of the FSA, which prohibits military assistance to Azerbaijan, except for disarmament-related assistance (pending “demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”). In FY2002, Armenia received $4.3 million in U.S. military aid.
In June 2000, President Kocharian attended the symbolic opening of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. The next day, he met with then-President Bill Clinton and discussed American support for the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, the improvement of ties among the Caucasus nations, and the development of Armenia’s market economy and democratic system.
A U.S.-Armenia Task Force was set up in 1999 in order to promote economic cooperation and assist Armenia’s transition to a market economy. In July 2000, Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan met with then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and then-Secretary of Defense William Cohen to discuss possible solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. Secretary of State Colin Powell met separately with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia during four days of peace negotiations held in Key West, Florida, in April 2001.
Washington imposed sanctions on several Armenian firms in May 2002 for alleged violations of the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, which bans nuclear weapons-building assistance to Iran.
While its close neighbors, Azerbaijan and Georgia, voiced their support for the 2003 U.S. effort to overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Armenia remained in favor of Russia’s anti-war policy.
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