Press Review

Commenting on Prime Minister Karen Karapetian’s visit to Russia for the purpose of attending a Eurasian Economic Union heads of government gathering, “Zhamanak” writes: “The meetings of prime ministers are usually dull meetings that, in fact, decide nothing, as it is clear that the EEU is the club of presidents or top leaders. The more important aspect of Karapetian’s visit to Russia is what may happen in the backstage in connection with Armenia’s internal political life. More specifically, will Karapetian try during his visit to Russia to specify his prospects and possibilities in the fight for a new status quo in Armenian politics ahead of 2018?”

The editor of “Aravot” suggests that all opposition forces in Armenia have failed during the past 25 years during to ‘tactical errors’: “The tactical error of oppositions is that it seemed to them that getting more active a few months before the elections, creating alliances and giving a few critical speeches against the government will propel them into power and that if they fail, then in the next four or five years they can speak about usurpation of power by the government, demand an immediate change of government and snap elections. The tactical error is that these oppositions constantly castigate other oppositions and attack all those who disagree with them on some points. And now Yelk has come into the area. For now, at least, it does not take that path, which leads to a deadlock. The level of criticism is there, but there are no futile promises of an immediate change of power.”

“Hayots Ashkhar” writes: “A number of political forces that failed during the elections will, of course, continue to act as extra-parliamentary opposition. Among them one can mention Armenian Renaissance, a party established on the basis of Orinats Yerkir. It is very unlikely that the party led by Artur Baghdasarian will cease its activities, especially if we consider that it has a certain amount of material and propaganda resources. Zaruhi Postanjian’s Yerkir Tsirani party can also be regarded as an extra-parliamentary opposition force, but its representation in Yerevan’s Council of Elders makes its status a little bit different. Instead, the Heritage party that Postanjian was formally a member of is ‘fully extra-parliamentary’ and it is a question what will remain of it. Among the ‘extra-parliamentary’ forces is also the Armenian National Congress of ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian.” The paper concludes that the important thing is not how many “extra-parliamentary” parties are there, but “what kind of activities they will carry out.”

In connection with the recent escalation of tensions at the line of contact of ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in Nagorno-Karabakh “Zhoghovurd” writes: “It was expected that the situation in Karabakh will become tenser after the completion of an election cycle in Armenia. While in the past neither the United States nor Russia had any big interest in the settlement of this conflict, then the current geopolitical developments increase the necessity of at least neutralizing this painful knot in the South Caucasus. So, it is not without a reason that in response to the latest escalation of tensions the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued targeted statements, something that one can hardly remember being done ever. Thus, the co-chairs in fact tried to make it clear to Azerbaijan that its periodic deviations from the diplomatic process and agreed rules of the game are no longer acceptable.”

(Tigran Avetisian)