“When there is malice, jealousy and self-importance in us”

  The hunger striker Raffi Hovannissian explains why Levon Ter-Petrossian despite other members of the ANC did not even approach him.

 Yesterday responding to “Yerkir’s” question how he would explain the ANC leader Levon Ter-Petrossian’s attitude towards him during the rally at the Freedom square, the head of the Heritage party board Raffi Hovannissian said that he did not want to assess anyone’s activities or idleness, “Everyone has his own internal system of values, his human face as well as his political face and position. If we played different roles, if we changed our places, one was on the stage and the other was at a hunger strike, I can say that whoever the hunger striker compatriot was, a president, an ordinary citizen, a governmental officer or an oppositionist I would be willing to be the first to visit and to support him and to share his pain and the possibility of his demand’s solution with him. In this case I can say that I was not hopeful of that. If I were he, I would do. In my opinion, since the first president of the RA is a very smart man, educated, well-read, this was not the lack of political culture, but political position. And one man’s, Raffi Hovhannissian’s opinion is that that political position will not contribute to the coexistence of the unity between the society and the nation, to the rule of law agenda, but quite the opposite. That is why I am not calling for or asking for or demanding anything, but it would be good if now every single man reviewed his own position and why not his view on political culture.” By the way he told me that he stood up and greeted the people who had entered the Freedom square, “I could make a speech, if I had received an offer. If they had offered me I would have approached with pleasure.” In the meantime, the pro-government press assessed Raffi Hovhannissian’s hunger strike as “a secret operation” the other day stating that it would be followed by the ANC entering the Freedom square. To support that suggestion they mentioned the fact that on March 3 evening Levon Zurabyan, David Shahnazaryan, Andranik Kocharyan and David Matevosyan visited the Heritage party office, who not only offered their help and support to the Heritage party representatives on behalf of the ANC, but also thought appropriate that the ANC and the Heritage party started mutual discussions, adjusted their actions and supported the initiatives of each other. Responding to “Aravot’s” question whether or not there was such or any kind of agreement during that meeting Raffi Hovannissian answered, that on March 3, after the police actions, when they were holding an out of turn meeting of the board, “A few people from the ANC approached. Supporting, respectful visit it was, without any prearrangement. They came, supported, asked how Anahit Bakhshyan was and left. And I think those who witnessed yesterday’s events at the Freedom square, can understand that my decision to fast at the Freedom square has nothing to do with anybody and even with the regaining control over  the Freedom square. This was just a citizen’s entering the square that belongs to him.”

Answering the question what prevented the opposition forces to act together the Heritage leader said, “The main reasons are of personal, psychological and complex nature, which are used against all of us with different doses and do not allow the people to leave their own past mistakes in the past, their past interparty contradictions and understand that only standing in the same square we can reach the desired goal.” A bit later he added, “When there is malice, jealousy and self-importance in us, I assure you it is impossible to reach a political result. Yesterday rally approved the reality that the future prosperity of Armenia should be considered outside the triangular of the three presidents.”

Responding to “Aravot’s” question what the explanation, in his opinion for the fact, that after three years of stiff resistance and not permitting to organize a sit-down strike at the Freedom square the government made such a concession, was; whether the reason was the presence of the European officials or maybe there were certain prearrangements, Raffi Hovannissian answered, “Let everyone take the credit for it. I do not care for that. I think the people themselves regained their right. Both the police and the Heritage party and the ANC are truly secondary expressions.”