(Saturday, May 19)
“Zhamanak” comments on Friday’s meeting between U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mils and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. They reportedly discussed, among other things, fresh parliamentary elections and amendments to the Electoral Code sought by the new Armenian leadership. The pro-Western paper finds this fact significant, saying that the United States is signaling support for the idea of snap polls. It expects similar signals from the European Union and hopes that Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) will not obstruct the conduct of the elections.
“Aravot” carries an editorial on recriminations that were traded last week by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian and former Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian. Sargsian criticized Pashinian’s statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process made in Stepanakert, prompting a stern rebuke from Ter-Petrosian. The latter also attacked another ex-president, Robert Kocharian, being himself lambasted by a website close to Kocharian. The paper hopes that Ter-Petrosian, Kocharian as well as former President Serzh Sarkisian will make amendments to each other and accept the legitimacy of the country’s new leadership.
“Hraparak” says that Armenians’ level of civil consciousness is still insufficient despite the specular success of the democratic revolution led by Pashinian. “We must understand that regime change is not fun and nor is the country placed at our disposal a toy,” editorializes the paper. “It needs to go down a very serious path and it is incumbent on all of us to put it on a right course. The enemies of our country are not only those who will abuse their powers but also those who will see mistakes but stay silent.”
(Tatev Danielian)
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