“Zhoghovurd” reports on Armenian parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan’s speech delivered at Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, on Wednesday. Mirzoyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to “warm” ties with Russia while criticizing Russian lawmakers for attending an “anti-Armenian” demonstration in Azerbaijan. “Frankly, Mirzoyan did not say anything extraordinary,” comments the paper. “He only noted the fact that some Russian parliamentarians participated in anti-Armenian actions in Baku. But if we take into account how the previous parliament speakers behaved vis-à-vis their Russian counterparts during the HHK’s 20-year rule, fearing expressing independent views and challenging them, Mirzoyan’s speech looks like an act of bravery.”
“Zhamanak” notes that Mirzoyan voiced the criticism on the Russian parliament floor and that the Russian parliamentarians’ trip to Baku was also denounced by the Armenian Embassy in Moscow. “This is certainly a somewhat audacious manifestation because in the past official Yerevan was extremely cautious about that kind of developments,” writes the paper. “It is not the first time that Russian government circles or circles close to the Russian government gravitate towards Baku’s propaganda machine.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that political groups opposed to Armenian territorial concessions to Azerbaijan held a rally in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on Wednesday. “It remained clear what was the point of organizing the rally and telling widely known truths,” comments the pro-government daily. “Does anyone in Armenia think that Artsakh (Karabakh) is just a territory, not homeland? Does anyone consider the ‘lands for peace’ principle acceptable? … The current authorities make clear that the ‘lands for peace’ principle is unacceptable and they are not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh. Therefore, they are not authorized to make territorial concessions either.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
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