“One cannot lead the country in an adventurous way”

RLP faction MP, head of the permanent committee on agricultural and environmental issues of the NA Khachik Harutyunyan is convinced the opposition-government dialogue could be only welcomed.

 –       You presented a resolution draft at the PACE PA on the use of the uncultivated territories of agricultural importance that along with the other problems will contribute to reducing the poverty, the number of starving people and the uncontrolled migration processes, am I right. Please, tell me whether we are the very country, I mean the agricultural situation, to present such a resolution and on that issue.

–       Any member of the delegation of any member state of the PACE PA has the right to present drafts of resolutions notwithstanding in what condition this or that sphere of that country is.

You know last year was bad for our country from the agricultural point of view; we suffered a substantial economic collapse, one of the reasons of which was that 150-160 thousand hectares of land were left uncultivated. As I know, this problem exists both in the CIS, as well as other developing countries, and since the issue of food supply is quite critical all over the world, there is a real food deficit, as a result of which the prices continue to go up, it is necessary that the West  and the international financial institutions correctly assess the situation and provide financial and technical support to the respective countries in order to use this huge potential.

–       If your draft is passed of what significance will it be for our very country?

–       The PACE PA resolutions are more of consultative manner; those are discussed at different structure of the PACE and become a guide for future projects.

–       Let us get back to Armenia now. The opposition speaks of the necessity of pre-term elections, and the coalition seems not to agree on the pre-term and claims that the right thing is to prepare for regular elections. At the latest rally of the ANC, an idea was voiced about sitting at the discussion table with the government. In your opinion, how realistic is this?

–       Today there are no basic reasons for neither parliamentary nor presidential pre-term elections. Why speak of a thing that is groundless. The NA has never been idle, it has always been active and has worked effectively, we have passed many laws that I hope will improve the condition of the country and the people. And if there is a necessity to sit at the same table with the opposition – I believe that necessity has always existed and today there is – the country and the people will only gain from that.

–       It was also well-trodden whether the coalition will go for the election separately or with the joint list; in your opinion, what is the right thing to do?

–       Yes, they spoke of that question very much. In reality, the coalition has not discussed the issue yet, however I would say that the forthcoming election is not the first one for the Rule of Law Party, we have traveled quite a long and hard way and always participated in the elections separately. Now, while the coalition has not made its final decision yet, the issue is suspended.

–       You are the RLP responsible for Lori region, you communicate with the people, what is the RLP rating, is there a disappointment with the RLP?

–       We have said lots of times that we had a loss in rating at the time, we accept it, however the rating of the party gradually started to regain its ground, especially now, when active processes take place, I mean the government-fundamental opposition dialogue, that once again testifies to the fact that we made the right decision in 2008. We welcome and encourage the steps of rapprochement made by the government and the opposition and think that those will ease the political tensions and bring stability. Today it is appropriate to draw parallels between the processes three years ago and the nowadays processes, positions, assessments and slogans. In 2008, Artur Baghdasarian stated that one cannot lead the country in the adventurous way since there exist interior and exterior challenges in the country, one cannot jeopardize the future of the country, and today the same ideas are voiced from Matenadaran or the Freedom Square.

Anyway, I think that our people have always had the lack of tolerance, and if now they try to fill in that gap, that can be only helped and supported.

–       Actually, what the fundamental opposition was blaming Artur Baghdasarian for, it turns out they repeat roughly the same scenario today, and at the press conference Nikol Pashinyan stated that they do not have so much deficit of shame and will never tread in Artur Baghdasarian’s path.

–       After three years of running the RLP and Artur Baghdasarian down the people who denied any cooperation with the government speak of a dialogue today, this testifies to the absence of shame or any other feelings. We have never accused anyone groundless, but acted according to the objective reality and within the scope of tactfulness. Everybody knows that Artur Baghdasarian has always proved with the way he traveled that he is a man of principle, honor and dignity and in order to be like him or to travel his way one must have at least one of the above-mentioned qualities.