“Zhamanak” dismisses a rally held in Yerevan by the BHK, HAK and Zharangutyun parties on International Human Rights Day as an attempt to mask a de facto end of their joint campaign of anti-government protests. The paper says the rally is also aimed at enabling former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s HAK to “save face” after its failure to persuade the BHK to keep up the campaign. It says that the HAK has no choice but to go along with BHK leader Gagik Tsarukian’s wishes. Wednesday’s rally is a BHK compensation to Ter-Petrosian and his political team, it says.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” deplores that fact that an official meeting in Yerevan on Tuesday of Armenian and Russian pro-government lawmakers was held in Russian and without Armenian translation. The paper accuses speaker Galust Sahakian of breaking his recent pledge to ensure that the Armenian language is used at all official events taking place in the Armenian parliament building. Sahakian promised to do that after a scandal that was sparked by a controversial Russian TV anchor, Dmitry Kiselyov, at a similar meeting in the National Assembly in June. The paper notes that Tuesday’s meeting also featured a written message from Sahakian which was read out in Russian.
Citing data released by the Armenian civil aviation authority, “Zhoghovurd”reports that the number of people who left Armenia by air from January-November this year exceeded that of people who arrived in the country by more than 21,000. The paper claims that the difference indicates the scale of continuing emigration from Armenia.
(Hovannes Movsisian)