By Vestnik Kavkaza
Zhamanak compares the last-week searches in offices and apartments of activists of Founding Parliament with searches on Freedom Square on March 1st 2008. “In fact, the explanations were the same: finding weapons and preventing riots. It turns out FP has gone through a ‘March 1st’. Fortunately, there are no victims,” the newspaper reports.
“The authorities are using all the leverages which they have, their right to initiate criminal cases. They are hiding political activists in prisons with no serious reasons for this,” Graparak reports, doubting the legal grounds for the arrests and accusations of preparing mass riots against members of Founding Parliament: “The fact that they intended to hold a meeting on April 24 or the fact that they had a motto ‘100 years without the regime’ or the fact that they were talking about a change of power couldn’t be evidence which proved a crime. These were components of a political struggle.”
“It is well-known that the law-enforcement agencies of Armenia don’t rely on the Criminal Code. They live by their own notions of the law – any step against the authorities destabilizes Armenian statehood. Another question is whether we have statehood at all, if the authorities of the country live by their notions of the law,” Chorrord Ishkhanutyun writes.
“Armenia’s economy has turned out to be ‘abandoned’ in recent six months. Probably some people who call themselves ‘the authorities’ try to look after it, but they fail,” Zhokhovurd reports.
“6-7 months had passed since Serge Sargsyan intended to go and sign documents on Armenia’s joining the Eurasian Economic Union. The majority of forecasts which could be heard at the time focused on the fact that Armenia’s membership in the EaEU wouldn’t result in anything good for the country’s economy. The Armenian leadership and activists who praised any step by them actually accused the authors of the pessimistic forecasts of betrayal. Their main argument is that Armenia will gain benefits in coming to the markets of the EaEU countries, i.e. Russia. However, it seems the Russian market is closed to everybody, including Armenia, as one cannot trade with a country which has an unstable exchange rate of its national currency. As a result, in the first two months of 2015 Armenia exported goods for $533 thousand to Russia instead of $40.135 million in the same period a year ago. Nothing was exported to Belarus or Kazakhstan. The ‘romps’ of Armenia and Russia led to the fact that exports to Ukraine fell 75 percent: in the two first months of 2015, goods worth $2.5 million were exported to the country instead of $10 million in the same period last year.”
“The volume of foreign investment in the Armenian economy was very low in the first quarter of 2015. According to our sources from the Ministry of Economy, Armenia has never seen such a situation,” Aykakan Zhamanak reports, noting that official data on foreign investments in Armenia in the first quarter will be summed up and reported only in May. According to preliminary information, the picture is disastrous.
“Piddling investments are registered in the energy sphere, mining industry and agriculture. The general volume of investments is about $10 million; in recent years the index was $120-150 for the same period. Predicting such a picture, the National Statistics Service of Armenia decided to use a new method of calculating foreign investments last year. It had nothing in common with the previous one. A balance of the indices and official statistics are not presented,” the newspaper reports.
The Armenian parliament is dissatisfied with the head of the apparatus, according to Zhokhovurd. “On March 16-19 the fourth session of the Parliamentary Assembly Euronest took place in Armenia. It turned out that during those days the apparatus of the National Assembly of Armenia worked without weekends, in an emergency regime. The head of the apparatus of the parliament, Grayr Tovmasyan, stated that employees would be financially awarded for good working, but he decided to award only some of the employees. As a result, dissatisfaction appeared among the staff of the Armenian parliament.”
“According to our sources, the PJSC ‘Electricity Networks of Armenia’ will address the Commission for Settlement of Public Services in early May to solve the problem of increasing electricity rates for consumers,” Aykakan Zhamanak reports. “It is suggested to increase the rate by 6 drams. Thus, the daytime rate per 1 kWh will cost 48 drams, the nighttime rate – 38 drams. It will also be announced that Russia has decreased gas prices for Armenia from $189 to $167 for 1000 cubic meters. However, the decrease of gas prices won’t affect consumers,” the newspaper notes.
Due to the decrease in gas prices, the gas rate won’t be increased for Armenian consumers: 156 drams for 1 cubic meter and $270 for 1000 cubic meters for major consumers. If the gas prices were not decreased, the gas rate for consumers would grow by 5-6% because of the devaluation of the dram, i.e. the population would have to pay 165 drams for 1 cubic meter of gas,” the newspaper reports.
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun reports that the State Committee for Cadastral Register under the government is also involved in the process of spending budget money in vain.
“The structure spent 108 thousand drams ($230) to buy three plants: 70 thousand drams to buy two boxwoods and 18 thousand – dumb cane. They also had to buy three pots, black soil and pay for delivery. Of course it is not bad that the leadership of the State Committee for Cadastral Register wants to decorate its workspace with plants, but the question is how much money is spent for these purposes? Couldn’t they buy cheap plants in our socio-economic situation?” the newspaper notes.
Aykakan Zhamanak published a photo of Kim Kardashian on the front page. The newspaper reports: “In the context of Kim Kardashian’s visit, social networks’ users ironically discuss the topic. Some say that her image is not worthy of being an image of an Armenian woman; others grieve that she doesn’t live in Armenia; a third group don’t know who she is. Everybody has a right to an opinion. However, obviously, the woman deserves the deepest respect, as due to her outstanding skills she has managed to become one of the stars of world show business.”
Continuing the topic, 168 zham reports: “Can Armenia be interesting for the world without a visit by Kardashian or another star? Can Armenia become a state which will be well-known in the world not only for stars of Armenian origin, but also independence, prosperity, decent conditions of living? This is the main question which should be discussed by the authorities when they say good-bye to Kardashian,” the newspaper writes.
