“Zhoghovurd” says Russia’s decision to ban food imports from the United States and Europe could cause many ordinary Russians more hardship and therefore backfire. “They are well aware of this in the Kremlin,” writes the paper. “They predict that no matter how strong the current military-patriotic ecstasy in Russia is, it will stop as soon as the nation starts to feel hungry.” It claims that many Western foodstuffs will now reach Russia through Belarus and Kazakhstan. “In this situation new opportunities are also opening up for Armenia, whose agricultural production may be good but lacks access to export markets,” it says.
“Aravot” says that the Russian import ban is “more ludicrous” than the economic sanctions that have been imposed on Russia by the West. “It’s one thing when businesspeople and officials close to the Kremlin are punished, and it’s another thing when you ban food imports into your country, depriving your citizens of some goods in one way or another,” explains the paper. It too predicts that American and European foodstuffs will be delivered to Russia via Belarus and Kazakhstan. The latter have made clear that they will not join the Russian ban, notes the paper.
“Zhamanak” believes that Armenia should not be unhappy with not having vast oil reserves. “We need a different kind of Armenia,” editorializes the paper. “We do not need a khanate like Azerbaijan. Nor do we need an oil or gas-addicted state that is devoid of modernization, has no political, social and economic qualities, cannot talk to the world in the modern language and is unable to participate in the world’s ongoing undeclared technological revolution. We have the example of Azerbaijan, which has oil and gas but fortunately lacks the quality.” Armenia too would have been an authoritarian country if it had been oil-rich, according to “Zhamanak.”
(Tigran Avetisian)