“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” claims that the Armenian authorities have failed to “learn lessons” from the recent escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and take “real steps” to improve governance and the rule of law in Armenia. The paper says that they seem to be in no mood to “sober up” and change their policies, resorting instead to “demonstrative gestures” aimed at appeasing a society anticipating real improvements.
“The euphoria generated by the four-day war in April is slowly giving way to public disappointment,” writes “168 Zham.” “At the heart of that euphoria was a public consolidation, a drive to defend Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and the resulting heroism of soldiers guarding our borders. That euphoria represented a chance for everyone and the authorities in the first instance to change their vicious practices and really sober up. The authorities could have shown … with appropriate signals that they are ready to make changes in Armenia’s domestic life by eliminating economic monopolies, curtailing the informal sector of the economy and elevating internal political relations from the current deplorable level … The authorities may now irreversibly miss that chance easily and at once.”
“I think that we should not have allowed Azerbaijan to get so carried away,” Vitali Balasanian, a retired Karabakh army general, tells “Zhoghovurd.” “Our political and military authorities have a serious problem. They need to introduce drastic changes. We must equip our borders with modern technological devices … In order to achieve a lasting peace, we have to silence the enemy. If we don’t attack they will again shoot at us one month later.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that Armenia’s hard currency reserves have fallen by about 10 percent to $1.6 billion since the beginning of this year. The paper says that the Armenian authorities usually use that money to repay their foreign debts and shore up the national currency, the dram. “Particularly concerning is the fact that Armenia’s public debt is rising amid a fall in our external reserves,” it says.
(Tigran Avetisian)