Thinks Smbat Ayvazyan, a member of the political council of the Republic Party
– Do you share the idea voiced by the first president of the Republic of Armenia on the possible cooperation with the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) or Aram Sargsyan’s idea that he treats the cooperation between the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and PAP with reservations?
– Both politicians did not say any real thing about cooperation. Both made analyses what developments can be in Armenia, if PAP takes this or that step. PAP is to decide the rest. None of them made an offer to PAP or any other force. I don’t know whether it will happen or not, but neither the Republic Party nor ANC have an issue of cooperating with anyone on the agenda.
My personal opinion is that we have to do everything to conduct a snap election. The regular election should be turned into a snap election. We don’t have anything to do at regular election. The regular election will lead the country to the place, whence it will be difficult to get out. Remember the situation after regular elections before – this time the country will find itself in a much harder and worse situation. I am concerned, because if this election is held in the spirit of regular election, the country will not avoid bloodshed.
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– ANC has become rather passive lately, in this case how do you think the regular election will be turned into a snap one?
– In any case, whether it is a snap election or a regular election that should be turned into a snap one, one should prepare for a fair, transparent election. It is obvious that the ruling gang led by Serzh Sargsyan will not go for a snap election, because their life purpose is to keep their offices and to reproduce themselves. They cannot win votes that will be even close to reproduction through a fair election. They will do anything to conduct an unfair election, they have just taken on a task to Europeanize their steps. I.e. to do so as not to show this unfair situation rather obviously – that is the reason why they go to Europe, America, if they are called to Mozambique, they will go, to say that they will conduct a fair election. Well, you want to conduct, conduct a free election so as your people see, the society feels that you are going for a fair election, that will suffice, you don’t have to go to Europe or take the American Ambassador here and there and try to deceive the society. An atmosphere, a political stage needs to be established or steps are needed against it. Why do they speak of PAP? One of the coalition forces that has sufficient capabilities in terms of party structure, also, unfortunately, financial means to influence the election and ANC that is an important political organization for the country future – they can jointly guarantee a fair election in the country. The press spread the news that PAP leader has not responded to Ter-Petrossian and Ter-Petrossian has not raised any question, to which Tsarukyan has to respond. Tsarukyan, PAP has to answer the society whether in this cunning situation it will go for guaranteeing a fair election or not.
– PAP and its leader are the product of that cunning situation, why would they try to get rid of that?
– I realize that, but they see nothing is achieved in the country, it leads to nothing good. I suppose that party has reached some place and normal developments in the country are very important for it. Figuratively, if a man has a barbecue every weak to normally digest it, he wants his neighbor to have a barbecue once a month. They have to think like that.
– After the interview with Aram Zavenich about the possible cooperation with PAP there were some speculations that the Republic Party members discuss the issue of leaving ANC.
– The Republic Party is a type of party that expresses its viewpoint on any issue publicly. We have our viewpoint on any issue in ANC too and we express it – it is a different matter that we also take into consideration the viewpoint of the majority. We are of the type that if we decide something, we carry it through. We have decided that we will go for new developments in this country through the Congress and we will carry that through. If there is only one party left in the Congress at the end, that party will be the Republic Party, then we will make a decision. No such issue is on the agenda, we just have our viewpoint and we voice it and it is very good that it aroused public debate.
– Do you see any possibility of cooperating with the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)?
– To be frank, I rule out that such a thing will take place. If we cleanse the country of RPA, everything will be all right. If they woke up one morning and said that they would resign their commission, that would suffice. I think RPA is the evil today. The issue of personalities is different. Did you see what happened – there were a few moral people in RPA, namely Karen Karapetyan, the former Chief of Staff of the President, who can never be called a thief, a robber or a criminal, he was just doing his job, but he was fired. I don’t know Karen Karapetyan, the former mayor, personally quite well, but that guy was trying not to interfere with politics much, it seemed he wanted to work, he was not stealing in Yerevan, because he had accumulated wealth from other places, he had no problem, but one day we woke up and saw him fired. So there is no place for good staff in RPA. In 2007, when Serzh Sargsyan became the Prime Minister, there were a few educated ministers in the Cabinet, he immediately got rid of them – I don’t say they were good or bad, I say they were educated. Therefore, if RPA resigns its commission, the country and people will be satisfied. We will have only one problem – people will sacrifice sheep in every house and the number of sheep in the Republic will decrease, but that problem can be solved.
NELLY GRIGORYAN
