Italian online newspaper European Affairs has published an article, entitled “Pashinyan-ruled Armenia amid an internal political crisis, COVID-19 threat and doubts about the future of the national economy.”

The article by Italian journalist Giuliano Bifolchi pointed out that Armenia is currently experiencing a deep political crisis and a severe state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AZERTAC reports.

The author said that the economy of Armenia, which is the most affected by the pandemic in the Caucasian region, is still dependent on foreign aid and donations, as well as diaspora organizations.

“Despite the change in the Armenian leadership following 2018 “velvet revolution”, which had given hope for a lasting and stable democracy in the country, the fact that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gained more power after two years has led to deep divisions within the current government,” read the article.

The Italian journalist noted that there is an internal contrast between the current leadership, which came to power in 2018, and the old Armenian nomenclature formed by ex-presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan, who were backed by their clans/families from the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Even in his speeches, Pashinyan does not rule out possible political unrest in the country, said the journalist.

The author stressed that Armenia, which gained independence in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, has a system characterized by internal strife between “oligarchs” and clans fighting for regaining control in the country, and this factor distances the country even further from the democratic principles established by the European Union, which the post-Soviet countries are striving to cooperate.  

Citing Hraparak daily of Armenia, the author wrote about the details of Kocharyan’s meeting with Sargsyan following his release from prison. He said that the former presidents consider Pashinyan to be a threat to the Armenian state, and therefore their goal is to eliminate internal conflicts and unite the opposition to end the Pashinyan regime.

The journalist said that since the seizure of power in 2018 following the “revolution”, Pashinyan has started a strong contrasting activity against Sargsyan and Kocharyan trying to divide the opposition and launch court proceedings. In this regard, he said the criminal case against Kocharyan triggered a great deal of noise, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally tried to intervene in the matter and ensured Kocharyan’s release, which led to a cooling of Yerevan-Moscow relations.

The Italian journalist also pointed out the criminal case launched against Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan on corruption charges.

The article also said that Mane Tandilyan, a member of the opposition Bright Armenia faction of the National Assembly, also criticized the Pashinyan government during the parliament’s June 25 extraordinary session to discuss the state budget for 2019. The MP slammed the Armenian government for failing to achieve any success in the field of reforms of the judicial, social and economic system.

The journalist noted that Pashkina's initiatives to change the country's constitution, as well as the interrogation and arrest of Sargsyan in connection with the failure of the April 2016 fighting, have met with serious opposition.

According to the article, if during the current internal politics the Armenian prime minister is facing strong opposition even within his government and witnessing the failure of his plan to arrest Kocharyan and Sargsyan, in terms of foreign policy, Armenia is slowly losing support from Russia, which is, in fact, necessary for the country’s economic survival thanks to the Eurasian Economic Union.

The author also pointed to the fact that the amendments recently made to the Constitution of Armenia provoked a protest from President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe Gianni Buquicchio. In his response letter to Hrayr Tovmasyan, who was dismissed from the post of chairman of the Armenian Constitutional Court by Pashinyan, Buquicchio said the Venice Commission is following the recent developments in Armenia, expressing concern over the failure of Armenian authorities to fulfill the recommendations given.

The journalist added that the Council of Europe sent a 20-page document of recommendations and notes to Armenian Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan, demanding greater attention to and revision of the amendments with the ultimate goal of safeguarding the Constitution.

Expressing concern over the current political situation in Armenia, the Italian journalist said the health and economic situation is also alarming in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that Armenia is among 11 countries at great risk of the second wave of the novel coronavirus.

The author also referred to a World Bank estimate about Armenia. “According to the analysis of the World Bank, Armenia is suffering a strong influence of the pandemic which led to the collapse of commodity prices.  The economic slowdown, according to the World Bank, has mainly affected the sectors that need manpower. The uncertainties about the COVID-19 pandemic will affect Armenia more, like the rest of the world, and if this situation will continue for a long time, the Caucasian country will face a serious decline in GDP,” he concluded.