Naira Zohrabyan Says About Vartan Oskanian’s Wish to Become the President
* Vardan Vardanyan, a former Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Minister of Urban Development, was summoned to the main investigation department, Police of the Republic of Armenia, yesterday – how will you comment on that?
* One shouldn’t seek for special sensations in everything. An investigation is launched regarding the National Library and it is assumed that the former Minister of Urban Development has been summoned in its context to hear his opinion on certain issues. By the way, I am also convinced that Vardan Vardanyan has something to say regarding the National Library and will necessarily say it. Our party, the party leader, we closely follow this process and if we notice worrying issues and developments, which are beyond legal framework, naturally, we will necessarily respond.
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* Has Mr. Vardanyan presented the issue to the party leadership, are you aware what has really happened according to him?
* There is a constant contact between all members of our party and Gagik Tsarukyan and there is no case, process, on which Mr. Tsarukyan is not informed. And I repeat we will be very careful about this case and if there is a need for Vardan Vardanyan’s clarifications as a former minister, I am convinced that the former minister has the answer to all questions of interest.
* There are still speculations and various explanations of the fact that Gagik Tsarukyan wasn’t present at the parliamentary discussions regarding the Vartan Oskanian case – why doesn’t Mr. Tsarukyan make a statement?
* When information on the Civilitas case was first spread by the attorney’s office, Gagik Tsarukyan made a statement noting that he was standing by his fellow party member, that Oskanian enjoyed powerful support of the PAP and Tsarukyan and that the best experts in the field will be invited to Armenia, which has been done. And if some people didn’t understand Tsarukyan’s statement well or have problems with understanding, it is not our problem. Those who try to see diversity of ideas and controversies in the PAP make wrong calculations. There is no such thing and it cannot be, therefore, I would suggest that those who make such calculations not confuse the PAP with other parties they know. That is why I have to repeat once again that Gagik Tsarukyan’s explanation given to a news website – if anyone thinks that anyone in the PAP can make any statement on behalf of the party without informing and checking with the party leader in advance, that is the biggest mistake in their calculation and the so-called “analyses” that follow it.
The PAP is an open party, during internal discussions, everyone is free to express his opinion, but when there is a political decision, everyone must obey that decision.
* And how the party members treat Mr. Oskanian’s rather transparent hint at participating in the upcoming presidential election as a candidate?
* We haven’t discussed that issue in the party, because the party hasn’t discussed the issue of the presidential election yet. Mr. Oskanian stated when he first made public his personal opinion that it was not the opinion of the party, it was his personal
opinion. And if you are interested in my personal opinion on Oskanian’s personal opinion, I treat that opinion of Mr. Oskanian with great respect.
* Ms. Zohrabyan, what benefitted the tactic of boycott during the vote on the Vartan Oskanian case? Don’t you think that it would have been better, if the second biggest parliamentary group had participated in the vote and had also been engaged in lobbying among other “opposing” MPs, which, as it turned out, were also present in the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)?
* Boycott is a political tactic and we deemed appropriate to boycott that farce taking place in the parliament. I am convinced that it was the right decision.
* And when is the PAP going to discuss the issue of forms of participation in the presidential election?
* We haven’t set a concrete date. We will discuss it when we deem appropriate.
NELLY GRIGORYAN
