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Press Review


“Hayots Ashkhar” says that for Armenian observers it will be extremely hard to speculate on prospects for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s resolution until the United States and Russia present the conflicting parties with an official peace plan. “Whether or not we will see such a historic moment in the coming months is also difficult to say because Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s positions have not changed significantly,” writes the paper. It suggests that each warring side is now “bluffing” in hopes of holding the other responsible for the possible collapse of the latest international push for a Karabakh settlement.

“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” claims that a new war with Azerbaijan is inevitable. The paper says that former President Robert Kocharian was wrong to cede strategic Armenian economic assets to Russia in an effort to secure full Russian support for Armenia in the Karabakh conflict. It says that the Russians have instead courted Azerbaijan, which now wants them to force the Armenians to give up Karabakh. “Serzh Sarkisian is equally to blame for the existing situation,” the pro-opposition daily goes on. “Just because he has governed Armenia for the past eight years. He also served as Armenia’s defense minister under Kocharian for at least five years.”

“168 Zham” comments on the ruling Republican Party’s decision to back Gyumri’s incumbent Mayor Samvel Balasanian in municipal elections that will be held there this fall. The paper attributes the move to Balasanian’s financial resources generated by his businesses. “The same will happen in the [2017] parliamentary elections as well,” it says, adding that the HHK will lend support to the highest bidder in various constituencies across Armenia. “The degradation of Armenia’s already deserted political landscape has gotten underway,” it concludes grimly.

“Haykakan Zhamanak” claims that the Armenian government is still not acting on Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian’s May pledges to toughen the fight against corruption. “His speech caused a lot of enthusiasm in some circles, even among those people who had never quite trusted in government statements,” writes the paper. “That speech and its key points have already been forgotten.” It says that the Armenian authorities are not combatting corruption and economic monopolies simply because those are part and parcel of the ruling regime. “The authorities just cannot fight against themselves,” it says.

(Tigran Avetisian)

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