“Hraparak” reports that the Armenian presidential commission tasked with drafting constitutional amendments announced on Monday that it is ready to accept concrete proposals from political parties by May 5. “It can be said for certain that most of those proposals will remain on paper,” comments the paper. “The authorities have already decided what to do and need no more advice. And just as they have single-handedly made decisions on individuals and groups operating in the political environment, they will do the same with regard to laws and the constitution.”
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” notes that President Serzh Sarkisian discussed the constitutional reform with representatives of all parliamentary parties except the Armenian National Congress (HAK) in separate meetings held at the presidential palace in Yerevan last week. “It is not hard to notice that the authorities thereby detached from others what is arguably the only force whose leader and representatives pursue one goal: as Republican Party deputy Artak Davtian put it, to escalate the domestic political situation, disseminate hatred and provoke animosity,” writes the pro-HAK daily.
“It’s quite a good characterization. It means that under the guise of the constitutional reforms Serzh Sarkisian invited only those political forces and one-member parties that ease political tensions, disseminate love and promote friendship and brotherhood in Armenia.” Some of those forces called for Sarkisian’s ouster as recently as a few weeks ago, says “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that Armenian exports to Russia are falling despite Armenia’s recent accession to the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The paper admits that the main reason for this drop is the sharp depreciation of the Russian ruble and Russians’ decreased purchasing power. But it says that Russian and Armenian officials were predicting highly positive consequences of EEU membership for the Armenian economy even when the ruble was rapidly losing its value, real incomes of Russia’s population were shrinking and Western economic sanctions imposed on Moscow were starting to bite last year.
(Nane Sahakian)