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Press Review


Interviewed by “Zhamanak,” Andranik Kocharian, a former defense minister, lists concrete steps which he believes would improve the situation within the Armenian army. One of them a tough fight against corruption. “[Defense Minister] Seyran Ohanian must be able to discharge from the army all those high-ranking commanders who have business interests in and outside the army,” says Kocharian. “The government must draw up and submit to the National Assembly a serious and comprehensive social package relating to the army.”

“I hope that all state structures and especially the current defense minister will draw serious, rather than superficial, conclusions and take concrete steps to overcome the crisis, which would restore the main element of an army’s strength: the dignity of soldiers and officers,” concludes Kocharian.

Speaking to “Aravot,” Vahan Hovannisian, a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), slams a widely held belief that foreign powers hold the key to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “We have stopped believing in ourselves, and perhaps this is the result of worst manifestations of our national mentality, the absence of the public’s education by the authorities,” complains Hovannisian. The authorities are only setting “negative” examples with their actions resulting in popular apathy and cynicism. “The stronger we are internally, the more public solidarity and justice we create …the greater chances of success we will have,” he adds.

“Hraparak” says the latest surge in the price of bread and flour in Armenia is not economically justified and has no connection with international wheat prices. The paper says flour now costs more even in wheat-growing Armenian villages. One village resident is quoted as likening the price hike to “theft.”

“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that milk and other dairy products produced by at least one Armenian company, Multi Group, have also become more expensive this week. The paper quotes an unnamed company executive as attributing that to “weather conditions.”

(Tigran Avetisian)
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