CELEBRATIONS PASSED OFF, BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN

In Armenia, the second term of Serzh Sargsyan has officially begun - a ceremony to inaugurate the new-old head of state was held in Yerevan on 9 April with the oath on the constitution and the Bible and with presidential symbols awarded.

However, the festival, in the opinion of the majority, turned out blurry. Russia's Gazeta.ru ironically said that "the spectacular entourage could not hide the fact that among the many foreign representatives there was not a single first person". The ceremony was also ignored by representatives of four (opposition) of the six parliamentary blocs. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was not even invited. The Dashnaks did not come. Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia, and of course, the Heritage party of Raffi Hovannisyan, who never admitted his defeat in the polls, did not wish to take part in the ceremony.

But most importantly, at the same time as the official inauguration ceremony of Serzh Sargsyan, his main rival in the election - Raffi Hovannisyan - organized an alternative "inauguration of New Armenia" at the Theatre Square in Yerevan. The rally, according to the Yerevan media, was very crowded. Raffi Hovannisyan raised the national flag and told the participants in the rally about the "victory of the people". The Heritage party leader called Sargsyan's oath and the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians false. "I do not recognize Serzh Sargsyan and the Catholicos if they give a false oath," Hovannisyan said and called on Sargsyan to repent before the "victorious people" and step down. Many experts believe that the venue for the inauguration also changed because of Hovannisyan's protest. In fact, the ceremony took place in the Karen Demirchyan Yerevan Sports and Concert Complex, which is very far from the city centre, while Armenian presidents were previously sworn in either directly in the parliament or in the Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. And it was decided to forego festivals "on the streets" such as the Coloured Sky Balloon Festival, which took place in 2008 - the street on that day was not on Sargsyan's side. They feared for good reason: in the evening the protesters tried to break through to the president's residence, but were stopped by the police. In short, Serzh Sargsyan's feast clearly failed.

Surely the president himself and the foreign visitors who attended the inauguration carefully kept away the thoughts of how "clear" and fair Sargsyan's victory was in the February elections. But the Armenian leader could not but realize that he would have to start his second term in a fierce political standoff.

Of course, in his inaugural speech Sargsyan continued to hand out lavish promises among voters. And he even had to acknowledge the existence of political tensions in Armenia after the presidential election, saying that citizens who voted for the other candidates "expressed their dissatisfaction with the problems existing in the country".

"In doing so, they sent the authorities a clear message, demanding more active work. Be sure that all signals were received," he said and promised to do everything possible to implement all the expectations and demands of society, noting that he understands very well that it will have to be done in conditions of growing poverty, unemployment and migration. However, he also said that there were "positive developments in the country" without specifying, however, what he was actually talking about.

But most importantly, it is already clear to the majority of experts: in order to get out of this situation, Armenia needs not only economic measures but also political steps. It is necessary to resolve the conflict with Azerbaijan, normalize relations with Turkey and give up territorial claims...

However, it is clear that Sargsyan, who took over as president of Armenia, is not ready for these long-overdue and necessary steps. And here such a "protocol detail" gives food for thought: after the inauguration ceremony, Sargsyan headed for Yerevan's Yerablur. Its official name is the "Pantheon of Military Glory". However, the "warriors" buried here are mostly "famous" for their monstrous atrocities against civilians. The official media mentioned that in Yerablur Sargsyan laid flowers at the grave of the notorious Andranik Ozanyan, who was "famed" for his monstrous and brutal massacres against the civilian population of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Monte Melkonian, an international terrorist who was killed in Nagornyy Karabakh, and his other "colleagues" from ASALA and similar terrorist groups are also buried in the same Yerablur. And you can guess what kind of policy will be conducted by the Armenian president who began his second term with this step and what this policy portends for his country.