“Haykakan Zhamanak” draws parallels between the October 27, 1999 assassinations in the Armenian parliament and the July attack by radical opposition gunmen on a police station in Yerevan: “Views that there were other people or countries that had brainwashed the gunmen before they stormed the parliament chamber and thus had used them in their own interests are, of course, more than founded. But it is a different matter and does not answer the following question: why did the motivation of the group continue to remain relevant 17 years later? Why were Sasna Tsrer gunmen saying almost the same things after they stormed the police station in Yerevan last summer?”
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” compares new Prime Minister Karen Karapetian to a dentist who instead of providing proper dental treatment is going to leave his patient toothless. “At this moment it is difficult to say whether Karapetian will prove a good specialist. He seems to be wearing the right clothes and possessing the right set of instruments. He knows numerous terms. But [like a careless dentist] he only seems to be good at pulling teeth out for the moment,” the paper comments.
“Zhamanak” reports about the Thursday meeting of President Serzh Sarkisian with representatives of the Syrian-Armenian community. “That the situation in Aleppo, where several thousand ethnic Armenians still remain, is extremely heavy has been clear even to those sitting in Yerevan. But it is, in fact, the first time that the Armenian authorities address the matter at this level. Meanwhile, it would perhaps have been a wise thing to do to create some operative headquarters at the presidential administration to deal with the issues of Syrian Armenians,” the daily writes.
“Hraparak” comments on the recent remarks by former controversial governor of Armenia’s Syunik province Surik Khachatrian that he will personally “organize” elections in the southernmost region as a member of the ruling Republican Party. The paper says: “This is exactly what we have been afraid of – that odious Republicans will again take the organization of elections in their hands to ensure votes for the ruling party by means of vote buying, violence, tough guys in the neighborhoods, bribing and intimidating election officials.” The editor of the daily suggests that, therefore, hopes that things will change with the appointment of the new prime minister are “futile”.
(Naira Bulghadarian)