“We, for one, are a party that is absolutely against Kocharyan’s return. I can say that. It is his personal opinion; I don’t want to comment on why he says so. I don’t know what he meant by that,” Armenak Dovlayan, the leader of the Green Party of Armenia, commented during a conversation with www.aravot.am today on the opinion expressed by Davit Shahnazaryan in an interview given to www.1in.am that the ANC had done everything to give the green light to Kocharyanism and that Kocharyanism had been revived on the political stage thanks to the Congress efforts.
Davit Shahnazaryan also said that when the ship turned 180 degrees, many of the passengers think that they are still on the right course. In response to our question whether he was also one of those passengers, he hadn’t realized yet that his ship had changed its direction, he said, “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t say so.” He assured that the ANC hadn’t betrayed its principles. In response to our question whether the ANC didn’t change its course by cooperating with the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), Mr. Dovlatyan said that there was no particular cooperation with the PAP, “If you have decided that the course, the path of the ANC has been chosen along with the PAP, it may be so.” In response to our question what
the speeches of the first president had meant in that case, he said, “The speeches are analyses, they are not a political course.”
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In response to an observation that the ANC members had not confirmed so far and didn’t accept that the PAP had also handed out election bribe, he said that he had not seen any such assessment, “No member of the ANC has said that the PAP hasn’t handed out election bribe, nor have they denied it.” We inquired what he thought then whether the PAP had handed out election bribe or not, Mr. Dovlatyan said, “I don’t want to make comments on that issue right now.”
Armenak Dovlatyan didn’t agree to the observation that a lot of members of the Congress were leaving the Congress these days because of the cooperation with the PAP, “A lot of members are not leaving.” In response to a question whether the Republic Party, the Liberal Party of Armenia, Andranik Kocharyan and Davit Shahnazaryan were not many already, in his opinion, Armenak Dovlatyan said, “No, it is not essential how many people have left or how many have joint.” We asked to clarify what was essential then, since they had been the pivotal figures of the ANC, the ANC member said in response, “No matter, pivotal figures are not irreplaceable.” In response to a logical question by whom they had replaced them – for example, Davit Shahnazaryan – then, Mr. Dovlatyan said, “Is it necessary to replace someone? Should we fill in the place of someone with someone else, should we replace? Everyone has his place, his role and importance. If someone decides to leave, there is no need to replace him. People who stay continue doing their job.”
However, Armenak Dovlatyan admitted that after those people had withdrawn from the ANC, the Congress had become weaker to some extent.
Mr. Dovlatyan doesn’t oppose the decision of the ANC to assume the 7 offices. According to him, “We had to assume them, because there are many things to do. One should present everything correctly, say for what and why. In case of right presentation, the ANC votes will not be lost.”
Davit Shahnazaryan also said that one couldn’t call the common candidate an opposition candidate, since it would be the oligarchy’s candidate. In response to our question regarding this who could play the role of the common candidate, in his opinion, Armenak Dovlatyan stated, “It is his opinion and I say it should be Ter-Petrossian.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
