“Azg” says that President Serzh Sarkisian will be primarily responsible for the track record of Armenia’s new government which is being formed by Prime Minister Karen Karapetian. “If the situation in the country is really very grave, then he is the one who should bear responsibility in the first instance,” writes the paper. It says that Sarkisian can no longer make the prime minister a scapegoat for his administration’s economic failings. “Especially considering the fact that not much time is left before the full entry into force of Armenia’s constitution,” it says.
“Members of the new government are already saying and doing weird things,” writes “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun.” “For instance, the newly appointed Finance Minister Vartan Aramian says that drawing up a state budget with unrealistic revenue targets would mean placing a time bomb under the country. He is right to say that. But what does a budget with unrealistic revenue mean?” The paper wonders whether Aramian thinks that the government can collect more or less tax revenue in the existing economic environment. It suspects that the minister meant that “given the current state of the economy it is not realistic to collect so much money.”
“And he is certainly right,” continues “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun.” “Remember what Serzh Sarkisian said several months ago? He claimed the opposite. We collected an unprecedented amount of taxes this month and there is room for further improvement, he said.”
“Zhamanak” reports and comments on Karapetian’s strong condemnation on Thursday of a “primitive theft” of government funds set aside for travel expense of various government officials taking business trips abroad. The paper notes that Karapetian’s predecessor, Hovik Abrahamian, said earlier this year that his government will make procedural changes that will allow it to save money spent on air tickets. “So the theft did not stop even after that,” it says, adding that it remains unclear just how Karapetian will fight against the alleged practice.
(Nane Sahakian)