“Haykakan Zhamanak” claims that after the “orange revolution” in Ukraine Western politicians and media “pay increasingly great attention to Armenia and predict that the second target of a popular revolution will be our country.” “The opposition is already getting such signals and is trying to open a new phase of internal political developments,” writes the paper. “And with his tough statements Robert Kocharian wants to demonstrate that his positions are so strong that he can get tough on corrupt bureaucrats, tax fraudsters and other elements of this kind. Kocharian is showing that he is in full control of the situation.”
But, continues “Haykakan Zhamanak,” Kocharian’s tactic could backfire and only swell the ranks of the “revolutionaries.” Especially after the ongoing large-scale inspections of small businesses carried out by tax officials. “That campaign has revealed that some [businesses] are more equal than others.”
In an interview with “168 Zham,” Kocharian’s anti-corruption aide Bagrat Yesayan seeks to disprove arguments that the Armenian president can not force the millionaire oligarchs to stop evading taxes because they helped him win a second term in 2003. “[U.S. President] Bush came to power thanks to the money of wealthy individuals. Is he going to serve their interests?” says Yesayan. “No. Bush was elected under the electoral law of his country. He got a majority of votes. He got political power. Robert Kocharian did the same in Armenia.”
Asked why Kocharian did not name names when he accused the country’s leading businessmen of tax fraud last month, Yesayan says: “The heads of relevant services know the names. Those who hide their real revenues and businesses are also concrete individuals. Very often they are in government and they are well aware of what and who we are talking about.” He says the authorities are now conducting “very good explanatory work” with those people and “very soon we will witness results.”
Commenting on this week’s debates in Strasbourg on the fate of Yukos, the troubled Russian oil giant, “Aravot” regrets that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe concentrates on “protecting the rights of oligarchs in countries not quite known for their democracy.” The paper says the PACE “fails to notice that nobody except palace businessmen gets in those countries.”
“Hayots Ashkhar” says that the PACE resolution on Karabakh makes it imperative for Armenia to “speed up democratic reforms” and become much more democratic than Azerbaijan. The paper says Armenia does not need “revolutionary upheavals” to achieve that. “We can quickly master the new rules of the game and shatter the image of a marginal Armenia presented … in Europe.”
(Vache Sarkisian)
But, continues “Haykakan Zhamanak,” Kocharian’s tactic could backfire and only swell the ranks of the “revolutionaries.” Especially after the ongoing large-scale inspections of small businesses carried out by tax officials. “That campaign has revealed that some [businesses] are more equal than others.”
In an interview with “168 Zham,” Kocharian’s anti-corruption aide Bagrat Yesayan seeks to disprove arguments that the Armenian president can not force the millionaire oligarchs to stop evading taxes because they helped him win a second term in 2003. “[U.S. President] Bush came to power thanks to the money of wealthy individuals. Is he going to serve their interests?” says Yesayan. “No. Bush was elected under the electoral law of his country. He got a majority of votes. He got political power. Robert Kocharian did the same in Armenia.”
Asked why Kocharian did not name names when he accused the country’s leading businessmen of tax fraud last month, Yesayan says: “The heads of relevant services know the names. Those who hide their real revenues and businesses are also concrete individuals. Very often they are in government and they are well aware of what and who we are talking about.” He says the authorities are now conducting “very good explanatory work” with those people and “very soon we will witness results.”
Commenting on this week’s debates in Strasbourg on the fate of Yukos, the troubled Russian oil giant, “Aravot” regrets that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe concentrates on “protecting the rights of oligarchs in countries not quite known for their democracy.” The paper says the PACE “fails to notice that nobody except palace businessmen gets in those countries.”
“Hayots Ashkhar” says that the PACE resolution on Karabakh makes it imperative for Armenia to “speed up democratic reforms” and become much more democratic than Azerbaijan. The paper says Armenia does not need “revolutionary upheavals” to achieve that. “We can quickly master the new rules of the game and shatter the image of a marginal Armenia presented … in Europe.”
(Vache Sarkisian)