“168 Zham” says that the regional rallies held by three leading opposition parties have demonstrated that Armenians “are fed up and want regime change.” The paper says that the situation is less certain when it comes to trying to understand the specific intentions of those parties. “Will they be fighting for regime change till the end?” it asks. “Will they conduct an uncompromising struggle or send people home after cutting a deal with the authorities at some point? Who will come to power if that fight ends in success? Robert Kocharian? Gagik Tsarukian? Levon Ter-Petrosian? Or maybe Raffi Hovannisian?”
“Hraparak” is similarly worried that the three parties may not live up to their supporters’ expectations. “To what extent is the political force leading them prepared to shoulder that responsibility and justify the hopes that are pinned on it?” writes the paper. “People risk experiencing yet another bitter disappointment and becoming alienated from their country and the idea of struggle and dignified future.”
“Zhoghovurd” is not sure that President Serzh Sarkisian will sign an accession treaty with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) at an EEU summit in Minsk on Friday. The paper sees no official indications that Armenia’s accession to the Russian-led bloc will be completed in the Belarusian capital. It argues that the draft has still not been approved by the parliaments of Belarus and Kazakhstan and that Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has demanded additional concessions from Russia not related to Armenia. “There might also be some resistance from the Armenian authorities regarding the issue of setting up border checkpoints between Armenia and Karabakh,” continues the paper.
“Zhamanak” quotes Edmon Marukian, an independent parliament deputy, as saying that Western economic sanctions against Russia will inevitably affect the EEU as well. Marukian believes that Georgia, having signed an Association Agreement with the European Union, is likely to join those sanctions, something which could hurt Georgian-Armenian relations. “There is only one encouraging thing: we have centuries-old relations with Georgia that are at a very high level,” he says.
(Tigran Avetisian)