“That these authorities and this opposition must leave the political arena seems to be accepted by everyone,” editorializes “Aravot.” “That is, everyone except the current authorities and the opposition. One thing is clear. The uniformity and repetitiveness of actions by the current main [political] players may lead to a deep stagnation. An imitation of revolution is also a stagnation. Beating up people and jailing oppositionists after elections may seem a turbulent event only at first glance. In reality, that’s one of the phases of stagnation which is followed by a deeper apathy and indifference.”
“Kapital” says the March 2008 clashes in Yerevan remain a “serious obstacle to the country’s democratization which can not be bypassed and forgotten.” “March 1 [2009] caused deaths for which nobody has still been held accountable,” comments the business daily. “But the worst thing is that the society does not demand anymore that the authorities solve them, does not demand retribution. People have grown used to living with a realization of their impotence.” The paper urges Armenians to change this attitude and press their rulers to investigate the violence in earnest.
Lragir.am sees the emergence of a “de facto common interest between Serzh Sarkisian and Levon Ter-Petrosian” which will seriously hamper Robert Kocharian’s possible political comeback. “It is mutually beneficial for them to restrain Robert Kocharian’s political ambitions,” says the online journal. “That common interest, which seems to enjoy the backing of the international community and international power centers, is the biggest obstacle to Robert Kocharian becoming politically active.” It says Kocharian’s response to the latest attacks by Ter-Petrosian is a clear sign that Armenia’s second president is seriously worried about that.
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” complains that the Armenian side has taken Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s latest bellicose statements too seriously. “There is no need to be concerned on this issue,” says the paper. “The moment Azerbaijan becomes confident about its potential it will start war without hesitating for a second and will not find it necessary to warn of that beforehand. So there is no need to make a fuss.”
“Zhamanak” reports on Tuesday’s student demonstration staged outside the Georgian embassy in Yerevan in protest against the collapse of a medieval Armenian church in Tbilisi. The paper points out that such “anti-Georgian” actions were previously organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and other, “marginal organizations.” “But we can now note that it is the Armenian Apostolic Church -- and, in particular, its wing led by someone who is openly catering for the interests of Serzh Sarkisian and the Republican Party -- that is becoming a tool for anti-Georgian demonstrations,” it says.
(Aghasi Yenokian)