5 minute read
The daily Haykakan Zhamanak claims Armenia will never be able to get a financial assistance from the US Millennium Challenges Corporation unless it restores the just management indicators relating to the corruption and management. The paper says it may be concluded from the response of the US embassy to Armenia that says that the MCC establishes partnership with countries having good management, free economy, investing in their own people. The paper explains that the correspondence of a country to the programs of the MCC is being decided on the basis of implementation of the MCC indicators. The paper says it is being assessed each November. The paper writes that the Board of the MCC did not discuss at its January 2011 sitting the issue on providing the second program taking into consideration Armenia's implementation of the indicator on corruption and management. The paper says the sources of the US embassy confirmed the truthfulness of its conclusion. The paper says Armenia may apply to the MCC for getting new financing till November, which means that the indicators must be improved by then.
Haykakan Zhamanak writes about the resignation of the governor of the Armenian province of Lori, member of the Republican Party of Armenia Aram Kocharyan. The paper says he is in vacation and submitted a resignation application. The paper says the reason of resignation is not officially mentioned. The paper claims the employees of the Lori governor's office say Kocharyan had some controversies with the prime minister. The paper continues that as of yesterday candidacies of former NA deputy Vahram Baghdasaryan, former Republican governor Henrik Kochinyan and head of the Lori province's police division Anubakh Hambaryan are circulating for the post. The most possible candidate, the paper says, is Henrik Kochinyan.
The daily Azg writes that Azerbaijani political analyst and deputy Rassim Musabekov made some revelations on why no progress has been registered in Kazan and what expectations Baku has for the coming future. The paper says Musabekov first says that "Russia's Foreign Ministry decided that with the consolidated efforts of Moscow, Paris and Washington it would be possible to tear from Azerbaijan an agreement over such scheme of conflict settlement which implies the secession of Nagorno Karabakh, through referendum. They did not succeed". The paper says if taking into consideration that the "possibility of secession", that is to say the possibility of international recognition of the NKR is the most essential at "Madrid proposals" over which Ilham Aliyev has been negotiating for at least five years, it is strange why Musabekov describes it as "decision made at Russian Foreign Ministry". The paper further says that Musabekov clearly states that no progress has been registered in Kazan as Baku did not have wish to sign a document implying NK's "secession possibility" which means Azerbaijan rejected the "consolidated efforts" of Moscow, Paris and Washington.
The semi-weekly 168 Zham writes that finally the authorities stated about creation of delegation for conducting negotiations with the Armenian National Congress. Though the authorities name it a task group, the essence of the issue does not change, the paper says. The ruling coalition has set up a 6-member group comprising of two members from each coalition parties – Republican Party of Armenia, Prosperous Armenia Party and Rule of Law Party. The paper says the group or the delegation, according to the initial information, will be headed by the chairman of the State Legal Affairs Standing Committee of the NA Davit Harutyunyan. And as to who are the rest members is not important as it is obvious they are not the ones the ANC would like to talk to. The paper says may be that is the reason why the Congress has appeared in inconvenient condition and has not yet responded to the statement of the authorities on creation of coalition delegation. The paper says on one hand the ANC needs dialogue on the level of delegations like air and water, on the other it will be inconvenient to conduct dialogue for instance with Gagik Minasyan or Mher Shahgeldyan, but the ANC seems not to have any alternative.