Naira Zohrabyan, a Prosperous Armenian Party (PAP) MP, said during a conversation with “Aravot” that there had been no changes in the approaches of PAP.
– President Martens’ speech during the congress of the European People’s Party (EPP) aroused various commentaries, even that not mentioning PAP was dictated from within Armenia. Nevertheless, did you manage to find out what awaits PAP during the February congress of EPP?
– I think Raffi Hovhannisyan answered your question quite satisfactorily, saying that Europe sometimes used double standards and he didn’t see any grounds for not naming PAP. It was just impossible to clarify from President Martens during two days of congress why PAP was not named, however you know that I officially referred to EPP leadership and it was said in their answer that there was no decision made on any party and the decision would be made only at the beginning of the upcoming year. I just have to repeat that whatever decision EPP makes on the four political forces in Armenia, it will be an absolutely political decision and it is clear that it will not be caused by this or that party’s being more or less European at all. I think it is clear to everybody that PAP doesn’t fall behind in any criterion from any other party that applied for observer. I repeat their decision will be absolutely political. By the way, I have talked to some of the members of monitoring mission the other day who were also in Marseille and Martens’ speech was a surprise for them too. Whereas the final conclusion of EPP must be based on the report of that very monitoring mission. Anyhow, it will be clear in February what political decision EPP will make. Regardless of their decision, our party will continue realizing the program articles on European integration – If it will be through cooperation with EPP, good, if not, it is not a problem.
As for the hints that it is possible some people worked against PAP, I wouldn’t like to think it is so and wouldn’t like it to be so.
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– Let us refer to the internal political problems. It is said much about participating in the parliamentary election with a common coalition list. It is even rumored in what proportions the future alliance will be. Does PAP discuss such an issue?
– Neither our party nor the coalition discussed an issue of common list. PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan explicitly said in his speech about the form of participating in the election during his latest interview and there has been no change in our approaches on that issue. As for the people who make public various and extremely funny proportions, perhaps extra imagination is not a bad thing, but surely not in journalism where facts and reality must be the most important things. Whereas one can come up with such sci-fi analyses in particular recently and in particular on that trite subject that one thinks how much unused and spare fantasy is gone.
– Some parties have already started work on party lists. Will the proportional list of PAP be changed in any way?
– One of the important conditions for every party’s viability is also the appropriate and healthy change of generation. No one is irreplaceable and no one has a property certificate for his seat in the parliament. There is one clear criterion for PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan, it is the work done by each man and it will be the principle for approach to everyone. As for proportional list, there are no discussions on that in the political council of the party at the moment.
– PAP is often blamed for trying to win the votes of people through charity. Whereas the latest amendments to the Electoral Code will forbid any charity in the pre-election period.
– We have also participated amending the Electoral Code and we voted in favor. Therefore let them, for whom charity is means for winning electoral-political dividends, be concerned. The Prosperous Armenia Party had never done anything for charity and exceptionally Gagik Tsarukyan Foundation has implemented charity programs, because there are a lot of unsolved social problems in our country. And the party hasn’t even tried to gain political dividends from the serious social programs implemented. Let them, for whom charity is seasonal and whose “season” always surprisingly coincides with the pre-election period, be concerned. By the way, it would be good, if some foundations also read those articles of the Electoral Code.
– Messages voiced in the ANC leader’s speech at the last rally caused various debates. Whereas PAP doesn’t particularly hurry to respond to Levon Ter-Petrossian’s messages more specifically.
– Both the first president and his teammates explicitly said that it was a political analysis. I think, we, on the other hand, explicitly and properly responded that we take that analysis into consideration.
Interviewed MARGARIT YESAYAN
