“Hayots Ashkhar” says the Armenian opposition would be wrong to draw inspiration from the revolution in Kyrgyzstan, repeating government assertions that there are no prerequisites for regime change in Armenia. The paper reminds the opposition was equally enthusiastic after the revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine. “If our radicals care about the fate of Karabakh and if they are ready to do everything to save it, then we believe that they must remove the word revolution from their political vocabulary.”
“Hayots Ashkhar” ridicules in that regard the opposition claims that attempts at regime change in Armenia have failed because President Robert Kocharian is more autocratic and intolerant of dissent than his former counterparts in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan were. The paper also disagrees with the Armenian authorities’ contention that a revolution in Armenia is impossible because the people will not take to the streets in droves.
“Aravot,” meanwhile, dismisses the argument that the Armenian opposition would not endanger national security for the sake of coming to power.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” claims some Western observers think that Armenia could be the next venue for a pro-democracy movement in the former Soviet Union. “The question of ‘who is the next’ unnerves the post-Soviet strongmen most of all,” says the paper. “We think that Robert Kocharian should top the list of the nervous leaders. Of course, he did not inherit power from the Soviet Union. But its essence fully corresponds to the standards of such power.” The paper adds that Kocharian’s Communist past puts him on a par with the former Communist bosses that now hold sway in Central Asia.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” singles out remarks by Russia’s former chief Karabakh negotiator, Vladimir Kazimirov, in its coverage of the Armenian parliament hearings on Karabakh that began on Tuesday. The paper reports that Kazimirov’s testimony took Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and other Armenian officials by surprise. “What Kazimirov said seriously spoiled the mood of those who invited him.”
(Vache Sarkisian)
“Hayots Ashkhar” ridicules in that regard the opposition claims that attempts at regime change in Armenia have failed because President Robert Kocharian is more autocratic and intolerant of dissent than his former counterparts in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan were. The paper also disagrees with the Armenian authorities’ contention that a revolution in Armenia is impossible because the people will not take to the streets in droves.
“Aravot,” meanwhile, dismisses the argument that the Armenian opposition would not endanger national security for the sake of coming to power.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” claims some Western observers think that Armenia could be the next venue for a pro-democracy movement in the former Soviet Union. “The question of ‘who is the next’ unnerves the post-Soviet strongmen most of all,” says the paper. “We think that Robert Kocharian should top the list of the nervous leaders. Of course, he did not inherit power from the Soviet Union. But its essence fully corresponds to the standards of such power.” The paper adds that Kocharian’s Communist past puts him on a par with the former Communist bosses that now hold sway in Central Asia.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” singles out remarks by Russia’s former chief Karabakh negotiator, Vladimir Kazimirov, in its coverage of the Armenian parliament hearings on Karabakh that began on Tuesday. The paper reports that Kazimirov’s testimony took Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and other Armenian officials by surprise. “What Kazimirov said seriously spoiled the mood of those who invited him.”
(Vache Sarkisian)