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Press Review


(Saturday, September 19)

“Aravot” criticizes as “extremely one-sided” the report of a special parliamentary commission that investigated the March 2008 violence in Yerevan. “According to it, the authority was an embodiment of restraint and broad-mindedness while the opposition was aggressive and destabilizing before and after March 1,” editorializes the paper. “That is not the case. During those events and in general, both sides were not tolerant. But there is and there can’t be a symmetry between them on this issue. It’s one thing when I express my intolerance by saying bad things in the street, and it’s another when I do so by beating up peaceful protesters, killing and throwing people into prisons.”

“The Turkish-Armenian processes have given new impetus to talk of Robert Kocharian’s comeback,” writes “Zhamanak.” “But does he really have such a possibility? Robert Kocharian has no support base necessary for his comeback. He can not even think about having a public power base. And as far as external forces are concerned, nobody seems particularly unhappy with Serzh Sarkisian’s stance.” The paper claims that Kocharian accomplished few positive things during his ten-year presidency and can in no way seize upon his track record now. “In this sense, the endless talk of Robert Kocharian’s comeback is a weapon for Serzh Sarkisian,” it says.

“Hayots Ashkhar” reports that Sarkisian’s Public Council opened on Friday discussions on the recent Turkish-Armenian agreements. “The main speaker was the chairman of the Public Council, Vazgen Manukian,” says the paper. “It’s me who was instilling the idea of a new policy on Turkey in the [1988] movement,” Manukian is quoted as telling council members. “I was insisting that without abandoning the demand for the recognition of the Armenian genocide and the Armenian Cause, we must be able to forge a new relationship with Turkey because that is what our state and national interests require. During those years, the country’s president [Levon Ter-Petrosian] and prime minister [Vazgen Manukian] held unpublicized negotiations with Turkey. Negotiations were also held in the same way during Robert Kocharian’s presidency. The paper that was signed in Switzerland the other day was also discussed at the time.”

“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” says that document is not beneficial neither for Armenia nor Turkey. “Nobody denies that pressure was exerted on both parties,” says the paper. “In this situation, Turkey has to do everything to get the Armenian side to refuse to sign the document, whereas we should on the contrary make sure that the Turks themselves are the recalcitrant party.”

“Golos Armenii” hits out at former President Levon Ter-Petrosian for declaring during Friday’s rally that all political forces except his Armenian National Congress (HAK) “don’t give a damn about democracy and Karabakh.”

(Aghasi Yenokian)
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