(Saturday, November 30)
“Zhamanak” dismisses as “meaningless” a joint statement issued that was by the European Union and Armenia at the EU summit in Vilnius. “It would have been better to have instead a blank piece of paper symbolizing the need to rebuild Armenia’s relationship with the EU from scratch,” comments the paper. It shrugs off President Serzh Sarkisian’s pledges to continue EU-backed “reforms” in Armenia.
“168 Zham” likewise brushes aside the Armenia-EU statement, saying that it marks the failure of the Sarkisian administration’s pursuit of simultaneously closer ties with Russia and the EU. The paper believes that Yerevan has opted for a firmly pro-Russian geopolitical orientation.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” makes the same point, calling the Vilnius summit a “complete failure” for the Armenian authorities. The paper says the EU and Russia have made clear that Armenia must choose one of them. “EU officials had been saying this directly, while Russian officials indirectly,” it says.
“Hayots Ashkhar” claims the opposite, however. The pro-presidential paper says that Armenia will remain an EU “partner” while retaining its “sovereign right” to become part of the Russian-led customs and Eurasian unions. Therefore, it concludes, Sarkisian’s complementary foreign policy remains on track.
“Hraparak” says the events of the last few months show that Armenia has made no progress in the international arena. “As a result of these events and at the behest of our inept authorities, Russian presence in Armenia has become even stronger,” writes the paper.
(Tigran Avetisian)
“Zhamanak” dismisses as “meaningless” a joint statement issued that was by the European Union and Armenia at the EU summit in Vilnius. “It would have been better to have instead a blank piece of paper symbolizing the need to rebuild Armenia’s relationship with the EU from scratch,” comments the paper. It shrugs off President Serzh Sarkisian’s pledges to continue EU-backed “reforms” in Armenia.
“168 Zham” likewise brushes aside the Armenia-EU statement, saying that it marks the failure of the Sarkisian administration’s pursuit of simultaneously closer ties with Russia and the EU. The paper believes that Yerevan has opted for a firmly pro-Russian geopolitical orientation.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” makes the same point, calling the Vilnius summit a “complete failure” for the Armenian authorities. The paper says the EU and Russia have made clear that Armenia must choose one of them. “EU officials had been saying this directly, while Russian officials indirectly,” it says.
“Hayots Ashkhar” claims the opposite, however. The pro-presidential paper says that Armenia will remain an EU “partner” while retaining its “sovereign right” to become part of the Russian-led customs and Eurasian unions. Therefore, it concludes, Sarkisian’s complementary foreign policy remains on track.
“Hraparak” says the events of the last few months show that Armenia has made no progress in the international arena. “As a result of these events and at the behest of our inept authorities, Russian presence in Armenia has become even stronger,” writes the paper.
(Tigran Avetisian)