The Armenian newspapers wrote yesterday about Serge Sargsyan’s meeting with the members of editorial council of “Los Angeles Times” daily and cited a publication about it which had been printed on October 19. According to it, speaking about the NK conflict and answering the question about the role of religion for Armenia in the context of problems with Islamic neighbors, RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan had said: “We have always avoided of taking this factor into consideration and speaking about it. And not only in case of Turkey but in case of our neighbor Azerbaijan as well. Contrary to our desire that factor exists and it is big enough, that factor is very serious. When we observe that factor by thousands of years, maybe it is the main reason of our conflict. There are no Christians Easter from us, and if we may say so, we are at the edge of Christianity. But the edge has amortization problems. And we were being exhausted during thousands of years.” The PM also noted: “We have a problem in case of Karabagh conflict. Maybe we are one of those rare nations, which a Christian minority among Islamic majority. This factor also has an important role. I want to note once more that this factor exists.”
Answering to presidential candidate Serge Sargsyan’s above mentioned announcement, NDU leader Vazgen Manukyan told “Aravot” yesterday that he had written about that announcement in the newspapers. “Frankly speaking I don’t even want to believe That Serge Sargsyan has indeed expressed such an opinion, because it is not only true, but is also a very dangerous announcement and threatens to our state and national security”. “Karabagh” committee founder member Vazgen Manukyan reminded that the core of propaganda of different forces against Karabagh movement was the attempt to present it as a religious movement. “But the whole importance of Karabagh movement, our victories were connected with the nations’ self-determination, human freedom and right, and the core of that movement has never been religious and is not now. We didn’t allow some forces to present it in the context of ethnic or religious clashes”, – Mr. Manukyan said. He also reminded that one of our neighbor countries is Iran, which is not only an Islamic country but is also considered as a fundamental country, where Armenia has very good relations, where the local Armenians have equal rights of that country’s citizen and are not pursued as Christians.
Mr. Manukyan thinks that there are always marginal groups and movements in religious different communities, which would like to encroach regional conflicts, but the world develops in other way, and “we shouldn’t assure that Armenia is such a country where the core of independence, development and political struggle is religion”. “If a common citizen said it I would also have a negative remark. But when it says on of the leaders of the county, this means another thing. This simply strikes at our state”. Vazgen Manukyan also added that conclusions are made about our country by this kind of announcements “Because Serge Sargsyan is not an accidental figure. He is the Prime Minister of Armenia and presidential candidate”. By the way, NDU leader is sure that Serge Sargsyan’s above-mentioned announcement is not a mistake but a lack of knowledge.