By Vestnik Kavkaza
The Zhamanak Newspaper reports: “The more active the internal political life of Armenia becomes, the more obvious is the fact that so-called political life is absent in the country. In fact, the real opposition is absent, as there are no discussions of important issues for the country’s fate, which are demanded by society, there are no conceptual alternatives.”
The former leader of Prosperous Armenia, the head of the Multi Group Company, Gagik Tsarukyan, held meetings with farmers of the Armavir and Ararat Regions of the republic. The meetings were recorded and broadcast by the Kentron TV-Company,” the newspaper points out.
“The return of Tsarukyan, his appearance in public, can be explained by only one thing: he is taking up a new political duty. However, the question is whether Tsarukyan’s return to social life is a result of his own decision or whether it is coordinated with Serge Sargsyan. The President probably doesn’t mind Tsarukyan’s return, as it will be controlled by him personally. Tsarukyan will play a role which is written by Sargsyan: we cannot even rule out his return to the position of the head of Prosperous Armenia. Serge Sargsyan has always strived for a two-party political system, but under the condition that the head of the second party fulfils his tasks. Probably Tsarukyan has agreed with the new distribution of roles, and President Sargsyan has given his political rehabilitation the green light,” Zhamanak reports.
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun reports: “It's as if the Commission for Constitutional Reforms ignored Serge Sargsyan’s view. The President stated that he didn’t support a parliamentary model of the political system. But everybody understands in Armenia that the initiator and the main benefiter of the shift to a parliamentary system will be Serge Sargsyan. This is the only way he can maintain his status as the first person in the country after his presidential term ends.”
Aykakan Zhamanak published an article headlined ‘Those who know no measure paint the town red’: “The question is not why Michael Minasyan is the ambassador of Armenia to the Vatican or why Arman Saakyan is the head of the Public Property Department or why the son of Ovik Abramyan, Argan Abramyan, becomes the Mayor of Artashat. The question is where these people would be if they were not sons-in-law of Serge Sargsyan or Gagik Tsarukyan, sons of the Premier or the Speaker of the parliament. The society knows them only in this status. Taron Markaryan, for example, was appointed to the position of the acting head of Avan as a present on his birthday; it seems to be a present from his uncles, who celebrated the event another day in his house. The question is not about the personal skills of the sons and sons-in-law, but about the people who really have power in Armenia.”
Turning to the upcoming summit of the Eastern Partnership in Riga, Ayuts Ashkhar reports: “The EU will adopt a mandate on holding talks with Armenia and signing a new agreement at the upcoming summit. Apparently, it will be beneficial for us, as relations between Armenia and Europe are as strong as a Catholic marriage. However, Europe doesn’t admit Armenia too closely either.”
“President Serge Sargsyan will participate in the Riga summit of the Eastern Partnership on May 21-22. A document on renewal of negotiations between Armenia and the EU will be signed there,” Aykakan Zhamanak reports, referring to its diplomatic sources and adding that there is no official confirmation of the information.
“The press secretary of Serge Sargsayan didn’t reply to our phone calls. Earlier, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan, didn’t rule out that Sargsyan would go to Riga. Anyway, Sargsyan was invited. According to our sources, after the summit, on May 25th, the parliament of Latvia and representatives of members of the Eastern Partnership will discuss the summit’s results, including an Armenian delegation,” Aykakan Zhamanak informs.
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun reports about a statement by the president of the EBRD on the need for a business ombudsman in Armenia: “See: almost for the first time one of the top European financial officials expressed a view on the need to establish such an institution in Armenia. In developed countries, with normal economic and political relations and a competitive market, a business ombudsman encourages development of the business sphere. However, in our country the institution will turn into another formal structure.”
“There are all the preconditions that the upcoming increase in electricity power prices will lead to wide-scale social indignation,” Aykakan Zhamanak reports, stressing: “It is not easy to explain the necessity of increasing the electricity power prices by 50% in three years, even if you do it with a very serious face. Of course, our energy system has accumulated debts, this is a fact. However, everybody understands that the debts are caused by poor management and theft. And citizens have nothing to do with that.”
“Thus, according to the Customs Service of the Russian Federation, imports of goods from Armenia amounted to $60.8 million in the first quarter of 2014 (an Armenian source states about $65.3). In the first quarter of 2015, imports of Armenian goods to Russia amounted to $24.1 million. Goods which are considered imports for Russia are exports for us. According to official Russian statistics, the export of goods from Armenia to Russia reduced by 250%. There is no information that the data is incomplete; so we can conclude the figures are final and precise. Why does Russia have information on imports of Armenian goods to its country, but Armenia hasn’t? It is almost impossible to answer this question,” 168 Zham notes.
