(Saturday, October 27)
“Zhamank” suggests that after failing to capitalize on foreign-policy and other issues, the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) is using its last resort – patriotism – in opposing the current government. The newspaper refers to the remarks by HHK parliamentary faction leader Vahram Baghdasarian who described the statement of John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, made in Yerevan as “unacceptable”, since, he claimed, it concerns traditional values. It writes: “The matter concerns Bolton’s call for Armenia not to be constrained by historical patterns and be more open to the outside world. Bolton says that Armenia should not regard Russia as the only savior, but should look at a level-playing field where despite some stiff competition among nations, there is also a big opportunity for development.”
“168 Zham” spoke to Modest Kolerov, editor-in-chief of the Russian news agency, Regnum, who asserted that Bolton’s statements in Yerevan were a call on Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian “to pay the United States for assistance with concrete steps, for example, with dynamics in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement that could be presented as an American initiative.” As for Russia, according to Kolerov, Moscow will not interfere, but will follow the current developments.
“Zhoghovurd” runs an article on the 19th anniversary of the Armenian parliament shooting in which the country’s prime minister, parliament speaker and six other officials were assassinated by a group of gunmen led by Nairi Hunanian. “October 27 is a day of mourning for many in Armenia. The terrorist act on that day 19 years ago beheaded the Armenian government. In the following years one question was always asked: who was behind the gunmen and on whose orders they were acting?... Whereas during the years of the presidencies of Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian the fact that many aspects of those assassinations remained undisclosed seemed logical to many, after the “velvet” revolution the Armenian society has had quite high expectations and in the near future the government ought to take steps in the direction of re-opening investigation into a separate case concerning the possible organizers of the assassinations,” the paper writes.
The editor of “Aravot” also reflects on the October 27, 1999 assassinations, suggesting that while Armenia would hardly have done any dramatically better in terms of building a democratic state and eradicating corruption but for that crime, still in the absence of two assassinated strongmen – Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian and Parliament Speaker Karen Demirchian – then president Kocharian went on to rule single-handedly, while political competition disappeared. “During the parliamentary elections of 2003, the president himself drew up the lists of two leading political parties and it was simply absurd to talk about mechanisms of checks and balances in such conditions… Armenia was plunged into a long period of stagnation as the country’s oligarchy and bureaucracy saw who the master was. And it went on for 18 years before this year’s revolution…. I think that instability that can at least open some doors is in any case more preferable than hopeless stagnation,” the daily’s editor writes.
(Tatev Danielian)
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