“Aravot” says now that the Turkish-Armenian agreements are a fait accompli politicians and experts in Armenia should concentrate on the question of “what needs to be done today and tomorrow.” In that regard, the paper finds noteworthy opposition leader David Shahnazarian’s calls for the Armenian parliament ratify the agreements but set a deadline for their implementation by Turkey. Failure to meet that deadline would automatically annul the Armenian ratification. “In a word, the phase of supporting or opposing the protocols is over,” it says in an editorial. “Now is the time for concrete proposals.”
Masis Mayilian, a Nagorno-Karabakh politician, tells “Hayots Ashkhar” that it would be naïve to hope for international recognition of Karabakh’s independence as a result of the ongoing negotiating process spearheaded by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “Therefore, there should be two parallel processes,” says Mayilian. “One within the framework of the Minsk Group in which Azerbaijan is present, and the other [should be] an independent process aimed at international recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. But that would require Armenia to recognize Karabakh’s independence in the first instance.”
Parliament deputy Victor Dallakian assures “Zhamanak” that President Serzh Sarkisian is trying to make compromise deals with Azerbaijan and Turkey not because he wants to make up for a lack of domestic legitimacy with strong international support. He says Sarkisian may well have reached “certain foreign policy agreements” even before becoming president. “That factor may be behind this overall policy,” says Dallakian. “In my view, on the issue of Turkish-Armenian relations he has taken bold but controversial steps … Time will tell if those steps are historic,” adds the independent lawmaker.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” comments on the latest official statistics that show the Armenian economy contracting by 18.3 percent in the first nine months of this year. The opposition paper says that calls into questions government claims that the rate of the GDP decline will fall below 15 percent by the end of this year. It claims that the latest figure may be fraudulent and that “the real decline may be even steeper than is officially shown.”
(Tigran Avetisian)
Masis Mayilian, a Nagorno-Karabakh politician, tells “Hayots Ashkhar” that it would be naïve to hope for international recognition of Karabakh’s independence as a result of the ongoing negotiating process spearheaded by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “Therefore, there should be two parallel processes,” says Mayilian. “One within the framework of the Minsk Group in which Azerbaijan is present, and the other [should be] an independent process aimed at international recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. But that would require Armenia to recognize Karabakh’s independence in the first instance.”
Parliament deputy Victor Dallakian assures “Zhamanak” that President Serzh Sarkisian is trying to make compromise deals with Azerbaijan and Turkey not because he wants to make up for a lack of domestic legitimacy with strong international support. He says Sarkisian may well have reached “certain foreign policy agreements” even before becoming president. “That factor may be behind this overall policy,” says Dallakian. “In my view, on the issue of Turkish-Armenian relations he has taken bold but controversial steps … Time will tell if those steps are historic,” adds the independent lawmaker.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” comments on the latest official statistics that show the Armenian economy contracting by 18.3 percent in the first nine months of this year. The opposition paper says that calls into questions government claims that the rate of the GDP decline will fall below 15 percent by the end of this year. It claims that the latest figure may be fraudulent and that “the real decline may be even steeper than is officially shown.”
(Tigran Avetisian)