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Press Review


(Saturday, November 15)

“Haykakan Zhamanak” says that the downing of an Armenian combat helicopter near Nagorno-Karabakh dealt a huge blow to renewed international efforts to revive the Karabakh peace process that followed last August’s upsurge in fighting in the conflict zone. The paper says that Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev have met for three times since August, raising some hopes for progress in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process. “But the shooting down of the Armenian helicopter has nullified everything and the situation now appears to be as tense as it was in August,” it says.

Commenting on the November 12 incident, “Hayots Ashkhar” says that Armenians continue to “trust in the professionalism of their armed forces” and are unanimous in thinking that “the enemy must be given a response.” The pro-government also says that Armenian politicians and pundits must exercise restraint in their public comments on the incident and refrain from telling the military what to do. “If it has been said that there will be retaliation, then we will definitely see it,” it says. “When, where and how? That is not a subject of public discussion.”

“168 Zham” criticizes the Constitutional Court for validating Armenia’s accession treaty with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). “The Constitutional Court’s decision did not come as a surprise,” writes the paper. “The court has always expressed the will of Armenia’s authorities. But yesterday’s court ruling was different from previous ones in that it expressed the view of not only the authorities but also Armenia’s practically entire political class.” It argues that virtually all major opposition parties tacitly or openly support Armenia’s membership in the EEU.

“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” notes that the Constitutional Court hearing preceding the ruling was amazingly short. The pro-opposition paper says that the court could have imitated a serious consideration of the treaty with a longer session. “Are you scared of angering people in Moscow?” it asks the Armenian authorities.

“Zhamanak” stands by its view that by joining the EEU Armenia is “surrendering its sovereignty” to Russia. “The Eurasian Economic Union is a trap for Armenian statehood which will be active as long as the Russian Federation is strong enough to impose political decisions on Armenia,” claims the paper.

(Tigran Avetisian)

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