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Press Review


Newspapers comment on the failure of Armenian athletes to win any medals at the London Olympic Games and, in particular, the poor performance of Armenian weightlifters so far.

“On the one hand, it is obvious that Armenia’s Olympic team went to London without adequate preparation,” writes “Zhamanak.” “On the other hand, many members of that team have not yet started their competitions and the team’s participation should therefore not be criticized. We should overcome the disappointment of the first few days [of the games] and believe in our other athletes … Armenia still has weightlifters and wrestlers that are real medal contenders.”

“Zhoghovurd” carries an interview with Levon Sarkisian, a brother of President Serzh Sarkisian and a retired diplomat who now works as a senior professor at the Theology Department of Yerevan State University. Sarkisian, who had served as Armenia’s ambassador to Syria, says he visited the war-torn country recently and sees no reason for “panic” about the fate of the Syrian Armenians. “I spent four or five days there,” he says. “Media reports about panic reigning there are definitely not true. There is absolutely no panic within the [Armenian] community. I met all community leaders in Aleppo and Damascus.” Levon Sarkisian also insists that the Syrian Armenians are not keen to flee the country en masse.

Armen Martirosian, the deputy chairman of the opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage), assures “Hayots Ashkhar” that it is not disinterested in Armenia’s forthcoming local elections. “It’s just that if we look at what powers, levers and possibilities local government bodies have … we will see that these elections will not decide much,” says Martirosian. “In large cities we can only talk about a redistribution of local resources. But by and large little hinges on local authorities in Armenia. In terms of finances, they are still subordinate to the central government. They mainly function thanks to subsidies and in essence can only solve some local social issues. This is why I see no reason for launching a lot of activity on the local elections.”

(Tigran Avetisian)
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