Vladimir Karapetyan, an Armenian National Congress (ANC) representative nominated for MP in no. 2 electoral district, stated during a press conference today that “apostate from the Genocide” Serzh Sargsyan is in the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).
After the press conference, we asked Mr. Karapetyan to explain what he meant by saying that S. Sargsyan has betrayed the Genocide. “I have written many times about that, I have thoroughly examined and presented the issue. According to the latest information, 6-7 countries recognized the Genocide during Ter-Petrossian’s presidency, more than that during Kocharyan’s presidency, but during Serzh Sargsyan’s presideny, only one country has recognized the Genocide. No process has been initiated in any country and those protocols that were signed and included the article on the historians’ sub-commission offered Turkey an opportunity to prevent the Genocide recognition process in any country. Serzh Sargsyan was well-aware of that, he just took that step at the time to win the support of the international society, to suppress the opposition, the Armenian National Congress (ANC). I claimed and will always say that this amounts to betrayal.”
In response to our question “But at least the Armenian National Congress leader didn’t treat those protocols badly, as, let’s say, the Heritage Party or the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). Isn’t there a contradiction?” Vladimir Karapetyan said, “I don’t know how he treated it, I treat it as I have said.” We inquired, “Is it your own opinion?” and he responded “No, Ter-Petrossian strongly criticized the historians’ sub-commission and the main thing about signing the protocols was the sub-commission, everyone knows that.”
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We want to make just a few quotes. The first from the pre-election program of the RPA, the leader of which Serzh Sargsyan is, “We will join the efforts of all Armenians at the threshold of the 100th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide to internationally recognize a terrible crime against humanity, to prevent genocides in the future, to rule out and condemn apostasy.”
And the second from the interview given by Levon Ter-Petrossian to Moskovskiye Novosti newspaper on June 23, 2011,
* When Serzh Sargsyan’s administration became engaged in active communication with Turkey, I remembered your words that every president of Armenia, whoever he is, will be compelled to do that.
* Yes. It should and will be exactly so.
* In that case, what did Serzh Sargsyan do wrong?
* Well, he did everything correctly. One should always keep that issue on the agenda. Because without normalizing the Turkish-Armenian relations, without opening the border, Armenia doesn’t have a prospect of development.
Melanyan BARSEGHYAN
