Thursday, July 2, 2015

Is Armenia About To Have A Revolution?



Martin Vladimirov, OilPrice.com: Could Armenia Be The Next Ukraine?

When Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of the Russian Federation Council's International Relations Committee, said the protests in Armenia against a 16.7 percent power price hike follow a color revolution scenario sponsored by Western powers, many commentators rushed to compare the crisis in Yerevan with the 2014 protests in Kyiv that toppled the pro-Russian president, Victor Yanukovych.

However, the street protests in Armenia have more to do with the overall economic situation in the country than with proxy clashes between foreign countries. Although the main power supplier, the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) company, 100 percent-controlled by the Russian state-owned energy giant Inter RAO United Energy Systems, is behind the proposal for a steep power price hike, Armenian activists reject the notion that the protests are anti-Russian. What they have demanded is a halt of widespread corrupt practices in the power sector, which ultimately are the real reason why prices have to go up.

WNU Editor: I have a few friends from Armenia .... the story is always the same .... life is very hard for those who live in Armenia. Employment and economic opportunities are limited, and tensions are always high with Azerbaijan over territorial disputes. Will this unrest spread .... I give it a 50-50 chance right now.

More News On The Unrest In Armenia

Armenia Whacked by Protests Over Electricity Price Hike -- AP
Armenian Protests Continue Despite Suspension of Price Hike -- Moscow Times/Reuters
Kremlin official: Energy prices are Armenia’s internal issue -- Armenia Now
Three weddings and a fuel subsidy as Armenia's electricity protests spread -- The Guardian
In Armenia, the Government Waits Out Protests -- Stratfor
Armenia’s Mini Maidan Gives Voice To New Generation -- World Crunch
Russia warns against 'color revolution' in Armenia -- Reuters
Putin’s Armenia Shock -- WSJ
Why the Armenian Spring Is Not Maidan 2.0 -- Samuel Ramani, Huffington Post

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