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DAILY MEDIA REVIEWS
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News, 07 Dec, 2007.
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ARAVOT publishes an interview with Levon Sardarian, the former lead reporter and political commentator of Armenian Second TV, discussing his sudden and unexpected firing. Sardarian says that he is not aware of the real reason for his dismissal, but asserts that it was most likely prompted by his participation in an opposition rally. Sardarian explains that he was absent from work for personal reasons and when he returned to work the first day after attending Ter-Petrosian’s rally, he was asked to submit a resignation letter. He alleges that the news director of Armenian Second TV, Shavarsh Gevorgian, told him that he was not a productive worker. Sardarian contends that shortly before his dismissal, he prepared two reports, one on Georgia and its foreign policy and the second one on the presidential elections in Armenia, neither of which were aired because Presidential Spokesman Victor Soghomonian disapproved of them. Sardarian states that his firing is also motivated by Presidential Chief of Staff Armen Gevorgian recalling that two days before the 2003 presidential elections, Sardarian was invited to the presidential office where he met with Armen Gevorgian. He was asked to air a story about the Lizin factory. (The newspaper reminds readers that in 2002, the U.S. State Department mentioned in a report that the Lizin factory transferred banned technology to Iraq and that the factory belongs to Armen Sargsian, the brother of former Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian. Later, the board of directors of the factory categorically denied the information). According to Sardarian, Armen Gevorgian had already drafted the report in Russian but Sardarian asked for some time to check the facts in the report. As is mentioned in the newspaper, Sardarian was unable to find any documentation showing a connection between Armen Sargsian and the factory. Sardarian then refused to air the report and was consequently reprimanded by Shavarsh Gevorgian. Sardarian has not been allowed to enter the TV station since his dismissal. Yesterday, ARAVOT requested an official answer from Shavarsh Gevorgian about why he fired Levon Sardarian. The response was, “It is our internal business.” Gevorgian added that his reporters never ask the chief editor of Aravot newspaper why he fires his own employees.
REGNUM quotes former Russian Atomic Energy Minister, Victor Mikhaylov, as saying that he hopes that Armenia will reject U.S. assistance in shutting down the Armenian power plant (APP). According to Mikhaylov, in the past, Soviet atomic energy specialists modernized the APP and that for many years fuel has been supplied to the APP free of charge from Russia. He added that cooperation on the APP project has primarily been done with Russia. He expressed hope that Armenia will accept Russia’s proposal to refuse assistance from the United States. He noted that Armenians understand that the activities of the United States are aimed at strengthening their political influence on Armenia.
AZG, MEDIAMAX and HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK quote portions of former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s interview with Russian Kommersant. Ter-Petrosian noted that the most important Armenian-Russian agreements were signed during his time in office. “Armenia was the first to join the agreement on CIS. Agreements on collective security, joint defense of the borders, a single air defense system, the military base in Gyumri, and the establishment of ArmRosGazprom were established when I ruled. Today’s authorities have added nothing new. Can you even remember one agreement, which they have signed?,” Levon Ter-Petrosian stated. He also criticized handing Armenian enterprises over to Russian ownership as a repayment of the national debt. “Here many people blame Russia, but Russia is not guilty. It is just that the present authorities of Armenia, to make their lives easier and not to pay the interest on Russian debts, solved the issue this way – giving property in return. This one-hundred-million dollar debt could be solved in a different way. Putin himself repeated twice that this was not the initiative of Russia, but Armenia,” Levon Ter-Petrosian stated.
HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK claims that despite his efforts to demonstrate that the prospect of competing with ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian in the February 19 presidential election does not scare him, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsian is failing to keep his cool. As evidence, the daily cites a recent example when Sargsian refused to answer a question posed by a Russian Kommersant reporter inquiring as to why pro-government newspapers and TV channels are filled with anti-Ter-Petrosian propaganda if the prime minister does see him as his major rival. “I do not want to discuss the Armenian presidential election with a Russian journalist. You are not very informed about local developments and you write incorrect things,” Sargsian retorted.
ARAVOT’S Chief Editor Aram Abrahamian says after 17 years of closely watching political developments and processes, he is still surprised how deeply narcissistic many politicians are. Abrahamian further notes that he did not like an interview recently given by President Kocharian to a Russian-language newspaper, Golos Armenii, in which he criticized Ter-Petrosian by reiterating what opposition leaders said when Ter-Petrosian was President. Kocharian stated that Ter-Petrosian and his Armenian National Movement destroyed the country and robbed it. Abrahamian asks, “If so, why was Robert Kocharian so tight-lipped before 1998 when he came to power and why was he glorifying Ter-Petrosian at that time? Why did he accept Ter-Petrosian’s invitation to come to Armenia and become the country’s Prime Minister?” Abrahamian singles out another portion of the interview when Kocharian told the journalist, “Top members of the Armenian National Movement were not persecuted, otherwise half of them would have been behind bars.” The chief editor concludes that this actually means that Kocharian knew that these people had committed crimes but he did not report their crimes to law-enforcement bodies, which is also a serious crime. (See excerpts from the Golos Armenii article in the December 6th Media Review).
ARAVOT points out that Deputy Parliament Speaker Vahan Hovannisian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation complained to George Colombier, a PACE Monitoring Commission reporter on Armenia, about local TV stations, who he said avoid certain reports so as not to make the authorities angry. This is especially the case after GALA TV in Gyumri was subjected to intensive tax investigations after it broadcast a speech by ex-president Ter-Petrosian.
World Boxing Champion Israel Hakobkokhian will not participate in the 2008 presidential elections. Yesterday, the Chairman of the Prosperous Armenia Party, Gagik Tsarukian, promised to give him the necessary 8 million drams, which the champion refused to take. “I met Gagik Tsarukian. He said that he appreciated my efforts and wanted to give the money without any profit. I refused to take the money, since I preferred not to get engaged in the game,” added Hakobkokhian. Covered by ARAVOT, HAYASTANI HANRAPETUTIUN, HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK, AZG and ARAVOT/
Virtually all newspapers report that nine candidates submitted applications to the Central Electoral Commission for participation in the upcoming presidential elections. According to the election schedule, today at 18:00 p.m. is the deadline for the submission of applications. Among them are the leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party, Artur Baghdasarian, the leader of the National Unity Party, Artashes Geghamian, the leader of the People’s Party, Tigran Karapetian, the leader of the National Democratic Union, Vazgen Manukian, the former Councilor of the President of the Nagorno Karabakh, Arman Melikian, a member of the Dashnaktsutiun Bureau, the Vice-Speaker of the Parliament, Vahan Hovannisian, the leader of the Republican Party of Armenia, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsian, the first President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosian, and the leader of the National Consent Party, Aram Harutiunian.
HAYOTS ASHKHAR and AZG quote Prosperous Armenian leader Gagik Tsarukian as saying that his party will officially announce its support of Prime Minister Serzh Sargsian for the upcoming presidential elections on December 20. Asked to comment on Levon Ter-Petrosian’s return to the political field, Tsarukian said “What can I say? If a person wants to do something, has a new program to propose, if the nation trusts him, if he believes in his program, in the nation, he does his job. The elections will show.” Speaking about the recent developments pertaining to MP Khachatur Sukiasian, Tsarukian said that all enterprises are checked once a year and that he warned the directors of his enterprises to work hard, so that no violations are revealed.
HAYOTS ASHKHAR, ARAVOT and HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK, A1PLUS cover the press conference of New Times Party leader Aram Karapetian. A1PLUS writes that although Karapetian will not participate in the presidential elections as a candidate, he promises to continue “amusing” Robert Kocharian. As he has promised, he is going to publish numerous violations carried out by Kocharian and his administration. “If it amuses Kocharian then I should say that he is a masochist.” He added, “I have the impression that Robert Kocharian is a sectarian. Mr. Kocharian is not familiar with psychology, while I have studied it. The feeling of fear makes one laugh, mock or sing loudly. If he reads Freud and study the science, he will see the reflection of his fear there. Though Kocharian does not like reading, if he reads, something will change inside him. Even Ostap Bender said: ‘Shura, you should read papers from time to time, they will brighten your mind.”
According to ARAVOT, by a vote of 83 to 8, Mkhitar Mnatsakanian, the Chairman of the Armenian Red Cross Society and a MP representing the Prosperous Armenia Party, was elected Chairman of a Parliament committee on human rights and social issues yesterday.
Tax inspectors have confiscated thousands of newly printed leaflets announcing former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s upcoming rally in Yerevan. News of the confiscation emerged on Thursday. According to Aleksandr Arzumanian, a close Ter-Petrosian associate, an activist of the opposition’s Alternative movement was detained by officials from the State Tax Service (STS) while receiving 4,000 leaflets from a printing house in the capital on Wednesday. He said the activist, Artak Arakelian, was taken into custody on the grounds that he had no documents certifying the origin of the fliers. “After keeping him in custody for six hours they fined him 15,000 drams ($50),” Arzumanian told RFE/RL. The STS officials also inspected the Van Arian printing company’s books and briefly detained one of its employees, he said. A spokeswoman for the STS, Alina Khudoyan, essentially confirmed the information, saying that the leaflets were “temporarily” confiscated because Van Arian did not input the Alternative order into its accounts in order to evade taxes. Khudoyan said the tax collection agency fined the company, rather that Arakelian. Speaking to RFE/RL, she could not say when the leaflets will be returned. A group of Ter-Petrosian supporters marched yesterday. Supporters handed out leaflets and DVDs of Ter-Petrosian’s recent speeches to city residents and urged them to attend Saturday’s rally. / Covered by ARAVOT and RFE/RL/
“Most Armenians regard their government’s stated fight against corruption as ineffective and believe the illegal practice will become even more widespread in years to come, according to a new opinion poll conducted by Transparency International,” writes RFE/RL. Its latest Global Corruption Barometer is based on population surveys conducted in more than 60 countries, including Armenia, with the aim of gauging their citizens’ perceptions and experiences of corruption. According to the leaders of Transparency’s Armenian affiliate, the Center for Regional Development (CRD), 54 percent of some 2,800 Armenians randomly interviewed by the U.S. Gallup organization last summer believe the scale of bribery, nepotism and other corrupt practices in their country will increase in the next three years. Only 20 percent of them predicted a decline in graft, said Varuzhan Hoktanian, the CRD’s deputy chairman. Respondents described the judiciary, police, the tax inspectorate and universities as the most corrupt institutions. |
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