(Saturday, December 10)
“Zhoghovurd” reports that Prime Minister Karen Karapetian has said Armenian diplomatic missions abroad should help his government attract more foreign investment into Armenia. The paper dismisses the appeal. “No matter how hard our embassies work, they cannot create a favorable image for a country whose leader spent four years negotiating with the European Union and then, as he himself admitted, made a U-turn overnight and joined the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU),” it says.
“168 Zham” also criticizes that statement as well as Karapetian’s assurances that membership in the EEU is good for Armenia. “By entering the EEU Armenia subordinated not only economic but also other matters to Russia,” claims the paper.
“Aravot” looks at the correlation forces of the Armenian government and the opposition in advance of the April 2017 parliamentary elections. “Many of our political analysts think that our opposition is so weak now that it cannot pass the vote threshold,” writes the paper. “As always, the oppositionists claim the opposite. They are convinced that in case of free, fair and transparent elections they will win, especially if they act in an opposition alliance. We don’t want to say which claim is closer to reality. What is evident is that the opposition will have certain presence in the next National Assembly no matter how poorly it fares in the elections because … if the opposition is not represented in the National Assembly the whole world will conclude that there is no democracy in Armenia. In all likelihood, the authorities and pro-government forces will be calling the shots in these elections as well.”
“Zhamanak” says that Prime Minister Karapetian is not eligible to stand in the upcoming elections because he has not lived in Armenia for the past four years, something which is required by Armenian law. “Karen Karapetian has lived in Moscow for the past four years,” argues the paper. It says the chief of the government staff, Davit Harutiunian, has been “instructed to find a way out of the situation” and justify Karapetian’s inclusion on the electoral list of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia.
(Artur Papian)
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