“Zhamanak” is unhappy with an Armenian state medal which President Serzh Sarkisian awarded to Alexei Miller, the visiting chairman of Russia’s Gazprom monopoly, on Thursday. The paper says the award came just over a week after harsh criticism of Russian-Armenian gas dealings that was voiced by opposition lawmakers during heated parliament debates in Yerevan. The paper seems to agree with their claims that Armenia’s Gazprom-owned gas distribution network has been “ripping off” its customers. It argues that the retail price of Russian gas supplied to Armenian households is twice as high as the wholesale tariff paid by the Gazprom-Armenia operator.
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” also blasts the award, comparing Gazprom’s activities in Armenia to severe damage that had been inflicted on the country by various medieval conquerors. “This is not to say that Serzh Sarkisian should have snubbed Mr. Miller in lieu of meeting him,” writes the pro-opposition daily. “But he could have at least displayed a bit more dignity and not hung a medal on his lapel.”
“Aravot” says that a worsening macroeconomic situation will force Armenians to tighten their belts in the coming years. “According to various calculations, remittances from Russia, which support thousands of our fellow citizens, have fallen by 30-40 percent,” argues the paper. “The reason for that is clear: a severe economic situation in Russia which, judging from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s statements made yesterday, will linger on for quite a while. But Western assistance [to Armenia] has also shrunk.”
“Hayots Ashkhar” says that the latest European Parliament resolution on the 1915 Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire is a massive blow to Turkey coming ahead of the 100th anniversary of the tragedy. The paper says that Ankara has now been left completely isolated on the international stage in its policy of genocide denial. “The passage of this resolution right after the Mass held by Pope Francis heralds the final stage of the recognition of the Armenian genocide by the Western societies,” it writes. “From now on, virtually all European and Catholic countries will follow the example of these two pillars of European civilization.”
(Tigran Avetisian)