“I don’t want to even talk about the loss of Karabakh because I can’t imagine that,” former Foreign Minister Vahan Papazian tells “Kapital.” “In order to prevent that process ending in a tragedy we must first put our own house in order, renovate it, clean it. The first step that needs to be taken is to ensure a normal electoral process. This is, of course, a very difficult but feasible thing.”
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” comments on Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s claim that the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process moved forward during former Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s rule but has been deadlocked under his successor, Serzh Sarkisian. The opposition paper is bemused by Kocharian’s failure to react to Mammadyarov’s statement. “Shouldn’t we know what they agreed on [under Kocharian?]” it asks. The paper speculates that Sarkisian is simply unwilling to formalize Karabakh agreements reached by Kocharian and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that the Armenian Chamber of Advocates has asked the Council of Justice, a body overseeing the judicial system, to take disciplinary action against Mnatsakan Martirosian, a Yerevan judge notorious for his handling of politically charged cases. The paper says the move came in response to Martirosian’s earlier demands for disciplinary proceedings to be launched against the defense lawyers of seven opposition figures arrested for their role in the March 2008 clashes in Yerevan.
Vahram Mkrtchian, a leader of the pro-establishment Democratic Liberal Party of Armenia (HZhAM), tells “Aravot” that the seeds of Armenia’s “feudal” political order were sown during former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s rule. “Under Robert Kocharian, a modern model of the feudal order took hold in Armenia,” says Mkrtchian. “The same approach persists today: give money and get votes. In my view, the upcoming elections will play the role of a litmus test. Their quality will predetermine many further steps.” Mkrtchian also thinks that the May 31 municipal polls in Yerevan will not trigger the kind of unrest that followed the February 2008 presidential ballot.
“Hayots Ashkhar” is scathing about the campaign rallies of Ter-Petrosian and his Armenian National Congress (HAK), saying that speeches delivered by opposition leaders contain “only threats and lies.” “However, those lies often serve their purpose,” says the pro-presidential paper. “Therefore, it will be much more interesting to try to understand why that happens.” It also accuses the HAK of provoking “minor scuffles” with police officers present at its rallies.
(Aghasi Yenokian)