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Press Review


“Hayots Ashkhar” is satisfied with the outcome of the Russian presidential election, saying that it is “vital” for Armenia to have political stability in Russia and do business with a Russian government that has “clear strategic priorities.” “The military-political position of our country is so complicated and unpredictable that the political developments that began in Russia last December have already engendered concerns in that regard,” writes the paper. “Therefore, we regard [Vladimir] Putin’s return to the presidency as an opportunity to further strengthen Armenia’s strategic ally and restore the predictability of its foreign policy. Vladimir Putin is a pragmatic politician who is well aware of details of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Turkish-Armenian relations … So Putin’s positions on pressing regional issues are known and appreciated in Armenia.”

“Yerkir” sees both similarities and differences between the political situations in Armenia and Russia. “Civic consciousness is only now beginning to take shape in Russia, whereas in Armenia the authorities already have to reckon with this fact, which forces them to resort to more hidden and, in a sense, more civilized vote irregularities in order to have elections with guaranteed results” writes the paper. “Putin’s triumphant return [to the Kremlin] may make the Armenian authorities hope for an easy victory. Especially given the fact that our authorities regard Putin’s regime as their sponsor. This may have a psychological impact on voters. But it could also be a trap from which the authorities could never get out.”

“Zhamanak” reports that former President Robert Kocharian has responded through his spokesman, Victor Soghomonian, to opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian’s claim that he is a “sunken ship.” The paper quotes Soghomonian as telling the Mediamax news agency that it is Ter-Petrosian who “keeps sinking.”

In an interview with “Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun,” Boris Navasardian, chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, criticizes new rules for the accreditation of journalists with Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC). In particular, Navasardian points to the CEC’s decision not to accredit those journalists who have been declared “inactive” or convicted of crimes by courts or have made untrue claims about election officials. “I think that in general every media outlet itself should decide which journalist should cover one or another electoral process,” says Navasardian. “Any restriction on that outlet … is unacceptable.”

(Tigran Avetisian)
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