“Zhoghovurd” says that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian set “new rules of the game” for members of his government on Thursday when he announced the start of more “large-scale” reforms in Armenia. The paper expects Pashinian to take “drastic actions” in his staffing policy. “It is obvious that many in the government have not yet adapted to the new realities, thereby trying to impede reforms initiated by the government,” it says. “We are talking about old and especially newly appointed cadres.” The paper says that Pashinian’s government will be headed for trouble unless he “gets his team into shape.” “After all, you can’t sustain the society with a revolutionary euphoria for a long time,” it says.
“Aravot” says that while the government’s ongoing fight against corruption is a good thing the ministries and other government agencies must not be only focused on it. “This is the job of specialized bodies, law-enforcement structures that are obliged to take appropriate measures,” writes the paper. It is unimpressed with some of Pashinian’s ministers. “They don’t take bribes? That’s very good. But they must also do something in addition to not doing something. Are they waiting for elections? But things will be harder after them. Time for taking unpopular steps is running out.”
“Hraparak” is disappointed with what it sees as the Pashinian government’s failure to embark on a major liberalization of the Armenian economy. “Our government has chosen a different path: the path of establishing the law and order, punishing those who evade taxes, sending masked officers to business firms and identifying criminals,” writes the paper. “This path is meant to establish justice but is very bad for economic growth.”
“Zhamanak” quotes a Russian political analyst, Fyodor Lukyanov, as saying that he expects no major changes in Russian-Armenian relations following the diplomatic row over criminal charges brought against Yuri Khachaturov, the secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). “I think there is an understanding in Moscow that that has nothing to do with Russian-Armenian relations and is an internal affair of Armenia,” says Lukyanov.
(Tigran Avetisian)
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