The aim is to weaken the opposition

The ARF and the “Heritage” Party respond to the supervisor of the ANC central office

 “Today the ARF heads, leadership is completely attached to the nowadays oligarchy-clan system. They have their place in that system. And their leader goes to the presidential palace every week and gets instructions on what the ARF and its TV channel’s attitude should be”, said the supervisor of the ANC central office Levon Zurabyan during the interview given to lragir.am. He also added, “The only function the ARF can perform is the role of being sent on business trip to the opposition from the presidential palace and creating an illusion of disintegration of the opposition.” “Aravot” asked the ARF faction MP Ruzanna Arakelyan to reflect on these claims, “I would be very grateful if you had asked based on what facts he said that kind of thing. Of course, every politician can do populism, as it is in the case at issue, he can express any kind of an insult. But for me the words of a politician are words only when they are based on some strong facts and arguments. These very words are neither based on any facts, nor are arguments and explanations produced. And as much as it is not based on the facts, it is groundless and maybe it will be too strict if I say slanderous. Since the ARF always acted absolutely independently regardless of whether it was part of the establishment or not, especially when it came to the people, national security issues, national top priorities. The decisions on the issues, which are top priorities for the ARF as challenges, were made completely independently after discussions. We have never received any orders on how to act from anybody. For a normal political power, if it is to act for the good of the country and not to lead the people to a deadlock, it is important to at least know, what the establishment thinks, it is a whole different story.”

In the same interview, Levon Zurabyan reflected on the “Heritage” Party too saying particularly, “Today that party has no real political influence and their membership is limited with a few dozens of people. It is the consequence of their separation at a certain moment from the united struggle and keeping distance from the people’s movement.” The secretary of the “Heritage” faction Larissa Alaverdyan said, “I cannot see an analytical mind here. What is the desire, what is the aim to weaken or to strengthen the opposition? There is a call for weakening the opposition in Levon Zurabyan’s words. I am convinced that it is not right to act, as an oppositionist, nowadays only within the framework of the ANC, even if it is a very powerful organization. I stick to the idea that multiple forces should unite around a common project and common issues. This is the problem. And I think that the ANC does not go farther in resolving this issue, than calling “Come and join us”. I am convinced that if they analyze the situation more carefully, they will see that all of our calls are not aimed at weakening the ANC, but at strengthening the opposition with its variety and activating common actions.”

 P.S. The previous day at the “Mirror” club the leader of the “Heritage” faction Stepan Safaryan also reacted on the claims made by Mr. Zurabyan, “We hear such assessments all the time in different fields, the RPA talked with the PAP (the Prosperous Armenia Party), with the RLP (the Rule of Law Party) and others with terms of the same weight.” He also added, “I have to remind the numbers of the 2009 election of the Yerevan city elders council, when the RPA, the PAP, the RLP, the ANC, except for the Heritage Party, were able to lead 50 percent of the electorate, I mean the influence of those parties combined is 50 percent.”