Epress.am News from Armenia
In Armenia, the political year is closed, we’re moving ahead only by inertia and there’s nothing new — the wheel spins one (rotation) back, one forward. This was said by New Times party leader Aram Karapetyan, while meeting with journalists in Yerevan today.
“The most important issues are the events happening outside [the country] and their reflection in Armenia’s inner political life. I think that the most discussed topic in Armenia right now is the State Duma election in Russia and its resulting consequences,” he said.
Karapetyan stressed the fact that in Russia, the ruling United Russia party had a 14% drop in votes compared to the last parliamentary election. “We all know very well that in Armenia, no matter how much the authorities’ rating declines, all the same, at the end is written as much as must be written. The conclusion from this is that in Russia, they’ve begun to pay attention to electoral elections.”
In the events taking place in Russia, the party leader also sees traces of the West. “Even the Council of Europe declared that the election has to be annulled and new elections held. In 2008, when 10 people were fatally shot in Armenia, the Council of Europe never made such a demand — and that, when the situation here was more severe.”
The party leader was surprised by the fact that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton immediately commented on the election in Russia. Why didn’t the US State Department do that in Armenia’s case? he asked.
“Despite that [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan has been considered a man of Russia, those who defended him the most were Western bodies. In this inexplicable situation, there are two options: either he’s not Russia’s guy in geopolitical terms or being Russia’s guy, he’s brought it closer to pro-Western forces and values. The conclusion from this is that the protests in Russia are financed by the West,” Karapetyan concluded.