Let us not forget about Robert Kocharyan

Does the government feel the wind of the opposition today?

 Thank God, there is no lack of opposition in the internal political situation of our country, there are many oppositions, they are different and not like each other. I think it is unarguable that the government perceives different wings of the opposition differently; it seems that the advantage is given to the ANC and the ARF, the Heritage Party and other opposition units are somewhat in the sideline. Moreover, the government-ANC relations are in the condition, when the ruling party deputy chairman, the press secretary, eventually the RA president’s head of staff officially respond to the ANC proposed list and the offer to start a dialogue on the pre-term election, however the ANC decides “not to pay attention to those” and demands the response of the president. Does this not mean that one of the existing oppositions in the country “has been spoiled” more than the others?

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Samvel Nikoyan, listening to those observations of ours, said that a struggle for resources has taken place in the country for past 3-4 years and “certainly, the government refused to use all its resources, because in any case the government is responsible for any event and any move.” According to Samvel Nikoyan, the opposition used all the exterior pressure against the government of the RA, “Let us leave it in the past, because a man has to look into the future. The ANC says let us have a dialogue, but it forgets that the dialogue has already taken place and as a result of that dialogue the opposition rallies freely in the Freedom Square, as a result of the dialogue the prisoners are released, as a result of the dialogue efforts are made to make it possible to completely uncover the March 1 events and many other issues  that, in my opinion, were resolved as a result of the dialogue. When they offer to bring the dialogue to the level of equality and one of the oppositions offers 5 or 6 people to talk about the so called pre-term election, it means that the given opposition puts itself in a funny position. According to the Deputy Speaker of the NA, maybe by doing this the opposition tries to solve its own problems, to influence the electorate or the rally participants, but according to our interlocutor, it is just obscure, “And presenting every offer from the equal rights perspective is just funny, since any government that has self-respect cannot allow one of the oppositions existing in its country to be the party of the equal rights relations.”

To our remark, if it happens, then what, Mr. Nikoyan responded, “I am for the atmosphere of tolerance, I am not for the struggle of resources, but for the joining of the resources, but trying to take on the governmental functions in the state now means they want to be both the opposition and the government, but it cannot be.” Commenting on our question whether there is certain jealousy among different wings of the opposition, Samvel Nikoyan said, “If I answered your question in the chess language, I would say certainly, the chess is a smart game, is a game of patience, is a game of thinking, all the moves have to include concord and notion, but if one is offered blitz chess, in blitz chess there are always wrong and hasty moves.”

Prosperous Armenia faction MP, deputy chairman of the permanent NA committee on economic development issues Vardan Bostanjyan during a conversation with us, answering the question whether he is under the impression that the government discusses, fulfills or not fulfills only the ANC proposals these days and does not pay much attention to the others to say the least, said, “In my opinion, there is no such thing, the opposition notwithstanding the artificial division just has a wing that is inclined to go for a dialogue (I do not know myself what interests they pursue in that dialogue) and again formally there is another opposition that envies the opposition that goes for a dialogue. The government basically does not have to care much for this, in my opinion. The government cares for the problems that regardless of the opposition can be of importance for the country.”