“Haykakan Zhamanak” notes that Prime Minister Karen Karapetian spoke of his “very good” rapport with President Serzh Sarkisian but did not praise the latter when he talked to reporters on Monday. The paper says that this contrasted with regular statements by senior Republican Party (HHK) figures extolling Sarkisian’s virtues. “In short, there was no sign of [Karapetian’s] unconditional acceptance of Serzh Sarkisian’s leadership,” it says. “Karen Karapetian thus publicly threw a gauntlet at Serzh Sarkisian … It is strange that Karen Karapetian is taking the risk of challenging Serzh Sarkisian. It is obvious that he could not have done such a thing on his own. This is a case of the prime minister taking advice from his Moscow friends.”
The U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, Richard Mills, tells “168 Zham” that “at least two” American companies are taking an interest in Armenia’s hydropower sector. “But there need to be projects and it should be clear how such investments would be made and whether they are commercially viable,” he is quoted as saying. Mills also says that the U.S. government and its embassy in Yerevan are continuing to look for ways of Armenia’s “broader regional integration.” “We are already supporting Armenia’s efforts to liberalize its energy market, which is necessary for large-scale electricity supplies between Armenia and Georgia and for reaching other markets through Georgia,” he adds.
“Doing a revolution in Armenia is very difficult not only for the opposition but also the government, if it decides to drastically change the economic situation or the public mindset or to carry out major reforms in the social sector,” editorializes “Hraparak.” “The reason for this is that our society is not only terribly conservative … but also resents any novelty, be it a new law and order, a new idea or a new partner and neighbor.”
(Tigran Avetisian)