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Press Review


“Aravot” calls for greater transparency in the ingoing investigation into the alleged attempt on Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s life. “Why did the prosecutor-general’s office keep silent after [Levon] Abrahamian’s arrest, hiding the fact that the assassination bid was directed against Serzh Sarkisian? Why did the authorities first allow an [information] leak and officially confirm the news only two days later? This leads to an inevitable suspicion that if they keep the information secret then something is wrong.”

“Iravunk” also says that the official version of the case leaves several unanswered questions. All of this, the paper says, “smacks of a big inner-government game.” “It is possible that that criminal case is motivated by a desire to put pressure on one of the governing factions because as things stand now it is difficult to see interests that would make the defense minister’s physical elimination a necessity for certain circles,” it says.

“Iravunk” also analyzes implications of Thursday’s presentation of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s 100-day government record. “It suggests that there are certain problems inside the coalition. More probably, there are forces or influential political figures who are doing their best to keep those problems acute.” The paper claims that Serzh Sarkisian is personally putting “political landmines” under Dashnaktsutyun and Orinats Yerkir.

“Azg” says the Dashnaktsutyun news conference marked the end of the “collective responsibility” assumed by the three parties when they formed the coalition last June. Actually, the paper adds, that responsibility never quite existed. “This should have been expected because you can never prepare a cohesive cocktail with mutually incompatible ingredients,” it says.

As if to prove that point, the Republican Party’s parliamentary leader, Galust Sahakian, snipes at the style and format of the Dashnaktsutyun report, in an interview with “Haykakan Zhamanak.” “For us a merger of state and partisan formats is unacceptable,” Sahakian. “A minister can only be accountable to the government.” Responding to Dashnaktsutyun leaders’ anti-corruption statements, he says partisan appointments to the government are more dangerous than nepotism. “The Armenian people and its Armenia segment are all friends with each other,” he argues.

Dashnaktsutyun leaders also expressed a desire to cooperate with the opposition. Commenting on this, a senior member of the Artarutyun alliance, Shavarsh Kocharian, tells “Ayb-Fe,” “They think about cooperation only when they need it. Cooperation on the most significant issues is therefore unlikely.” Kocharian argues that Dashnaktsutyun too was responsible for this year’s election irregularities.

“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that a prominent member of the opposition People’s Party of Armenia (HZhK), Emma Khudabashian, has decided to leave the HZhK board, citing differences with its leader, Stepan Demirchian. Khudabashian laments a perceived lack of debate and dissent inside the HZhK leadership. She argues that by agreeing to participate in the parliament sessions the HZhK deputies have effectively legitimized the legislature. She also believes that Demirchian was not radical enough in challenging the official results of the presidential elections.

(Vache Sarkisian)
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