“Zhamanak” laughs off Russian parliament speaker Sergey Naryshkin’s claims that the decision to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was made by “Armenia’s citizens.” The paper says Naryshkin knows very well that ordinary Armenians had nothing to do with that decision. It says the Russians are simply exploiting the fact that virtually all major Armenian parties backed Armenia’s membership in Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
“Zhoghovurd” reports that recent months’ decrease in remittances from Armenians working in Russia is now being compounded by growing non-commercial cash transfers from Armenia to Russia. “This means that more and more of our compatriots living in Russia are grappling with financial problems and being helped by their relatives living in Armenia,” claims the paper. “The fact that Armenia’s economy is in serious crisis is not denied by anyone. But much more important is the fact that there are no ways out of it in sight because, as always, Armenia’s authorities are busy misappropriating good things created by Armenian citizens.”
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” reports that a spokesman for Robert Kocharian has effectively confirmed reports that a company belonging to the ex-president’s elder son, Sedrak, wants to buy a hotel in downtown Yerevan. The spokesman has refused to go into details of the possible takeover, saying that Kocharian’s office is not obliged to publicize information regarding members of his family. The pro-opposition paper strongly disagrees, saying that such information cannot be deemed private because it relates to a young man who became a wealthy businessman during his father’s decade-long rule. It recalls that Kocharian had been present at the inauguration of the Congress Hotel and publicly praised the architectural design of the structure built by an Italian firm over a decade ago.
(Tigran Avetisian)