(Saturday, June 19)
“Aravot” disapproves of radical opposition parliamentarian Arshak Sadoyan’s idea of setting up nationwide “groups of militant democrats” that would fight against the ruling regime. “Throughout its history the humanity has seen so many militants fighting for various ideas that it is well aware of what all of that leads to,” the paper says. “Everything established by force, including democracy, inevitably degenerates into terror. The saddest thing is that such an idea is very tempting.” Nothing justifies violence, according to “Aravot.”
In an interview with “Aravot,” Prime Minister Andranik Markarian says, “There is tension which has not been laid to rest since the elections. Instead of finding ways of addressing that [popular] discontent and telling the people that unrealized expectations can be met only at the next elections, the opposition and the government have tried to artificially whip up that discontent. The opposition actions have now been frozen, but I don’t that the underlying reason why all of that happened has been eliminated.”
In separate comments to “Haykakan Zhamanak,” Markarian disagrees with a Dashnaktsutyun leader’s view that Armenia risks finding itself in “graveyard stability” unless its leadership undergoes a major shake-up. Markarian says disdainfully that if his Republican Party’s junior coalition partner is unhappy with the government’s staffing policy “let them change their cadres once a week.” Markarian also describes as “unacceptable” the slangy vocabulary of the recently appointed Culture Minister Hovik Hoveyan who represents the other coalition partner, the Orinats Yerkir Party. He says Orinats Yerkir “must think about which cadres it provides to the government.”
Another Republican leader, Galust Sahakian, complains in “Hayots Ashkhar” that unspecified “parties” are already preparing for elections and “keeping the society in a state of constant tension” in their quest for greater popularity. “You can’t demand that a person join a party in return for a ministerial or any other state post,” Sahakian says in a jab at Orinats Yerkir.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” says recent months’ upsurge in political struggle in Armenia has only deepened public apathy with politics. “This situation can be defined as follows: the government does not want, while the opposition can not,” the paper says. It says most Armenians are unhappy with Robert Kocharian because he has failed to put in place a state mechanism fostering their security and prosperity. In their view, the opposition would not necessarily be able to do that once in power. “So the contest for power has been declared by Armenia’s citizens and will end once a certain political force manages to convince the citizens that it is able to turn the state into a functioning mechanism for their security and well-being. Political transformations in Armenia are inevitable because the state can not tolerate the work of the self-destruction mechanism for long.”
(Vache Sarkisian)
“Aravot” disapproves of radical opposition parliamentarian Arshak Sadoyan’s idea of setting up nationwide “groups of militant democrats” that would fight against the ruling regime. “Throughout its history the humanity has seen so many militants fighting for various ideas that it is well aware of what all of that leads to,” the paper says. “Everything established by force, including democracy, inevitably degenerates into terror. The saddest thing is that such an idea is very tempting.” Nothing justifies violence, according to “Aravot.”
In an interview with “Aravot,” Prime Minister Andranik Markarian says, “There is tension which has not been laid to rest since the elections. Instead of finding ways of addressing that [popular] discontent and telling the people that unrealized expectations can be met only at the next elections, the opposition and the government have tried to artificially whip up that discontent. The opposition actions have now been frozen, but I don’t that the underlying reason why all of that happened has been eliminated.”
In separate comments to “Haykakan Zhamanak,” Markarian disagrees with a Dashnaktsutyun leader’s view that Armenia risks finding itself in “graveyard stability” unless its leadership undergoes a major shake-up. Markarian says disdainfully that if his Republican Party’s junior coalition partner is unhappy with the government’s staffing policy “let them change their cadres once a week.” Markarian also describes as “unacceptable” the slangy vocabulary of the recently appointed Culture Minister Hovik Hoveyan who represents the other coalition partner, the Orinats Yerkir Party. He says Orinats Yerkir “must think about which cadres it provides to the government.”
Another Republican leader, Galust Sahakian, complains in “Hayots Ashkhar” that unspecified “parties” are already preparing for elections and “keeping the society in a state of constant tension” in their quest for greater popularity. “You can’t demand that a person join a party in return for a ministerial or any other state post,” Sahakian says in a jab at Orinats Yerkir.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” says recent months’ upsurge in political struggle in Armenia has only deepened public apathy with politics. “This situation can be defined as follows: the government does not want, while the opposition can not,” the paper says. It says most Armenians are unhappy with Robert Kocharian because he has failed to put in place a state mechanism fostering their security and prosperity. In their view, the opposition would not necessarily be able to do that once in power. “So the contest for power has been declared by Armenia’s citizens and will end once a certain political force manages to convince the citizens that it is able to turn the state into a functioning mechanism for their security and well-being. Political transformations in Armenia are inevitable because the state can not tolerate the work of the self-destruction mechanism for long.”
(Vache Sarkisian)