“Zhoghovurd” praises Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s video address that followed the disruption of a news conference planned by former President Robert Kocharian on Tuesday. He said that “all individuals who committed crimes against the state and the people will be held accountable.” “Although Pashinian did not name any names it is obvious that his remarks also applied to these events [related to the probe of the March 2008 unrest,]” comments the paper. It says at the same time that Pashinian has still not directly commented on Kocharian’s arrest and subsequent release.
“I am not afraid of Robert Kocharian,” writes the editor of “Hraparak.” “I don’t see a danger emanating from him. I do not feel sorry for him or defend him. But nor do I consider him the main cause of our misfortunes. I do not think that had it not been for him we would have had a better country. I also do not think that only he is to blame for [what happened on] March 1. But I can understand those people who have been looking for a single guilty individual, a single enemy and are now venting their negative emotions on that person. I realize that it’s a natural phenomenon and that Kocharian himself had formed this attitude with his activities … But I am totally opposed to the concept of repression in principle, no matter who is targeted by it.”
“Aravot” sees a geopolitical “fire” escalating around Armenia. “In essence, Russia, Turkey and Iran are entering a period of very serious crises,” writes the paper. “At least in the case of Russia and Turkey, we can assert that there is an unprecedented crisis in their relations with the U.S. Armenia has no reason to share this trio’s hostile attitudes towards the West. It actually has many reasons to do the opposite.” It says that in order to better cope with these geopolitical challenges the Armenian authorities should speed up the conduct of snap parliamentary elections and thus cement internal stability. The paper also calls for a “restart” of Armenia’s relations with the West.
(Tigran Avetisian)
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