Have you become so disappointed in Levon Ter-Petrossian and the Congress that, although you stood by the first president at the time, you now say that you want Serzh Sargsyan to win? In response to this question of www.aravot.am, Azat Arshakyan, a former member of the Supreme Council, said today: “First of all, Levon Ter-Petrossian abandoned the struggle. He removed a very big obstacle in Serzh Sargsyan’s way to reelection by that very move. I mean his latest decision.”
We asked to clarify whether he was disappointed by that, he replied: “I am not disappointed in Levon Ter-Petrossian. I am saying, ‘Long live the president. The first president left, long live the incumbent president.’ I don’t think that since Levon Ter-Petrossian has left, Armenia should be without a president. Armenia must have a president, and whoever is elected in the short run, he will be our president. And I say thank you to Levon Ter-Petrossian that he struggled. I say thank you to him also for leaving, that he told us to act as we wished, every one of us separately. Since he, the commander, has left, we should live as we wish.”
We inquired what the Congress’s destiny would be, whether it would dissolve, disappear, he replied: “It had better dissolve, because the Armenian National Congress (ANC) rallied around him. The ANC was Levon Ter-Petrossian and the parties. Now the parties should continue their work without Levon Ter-Petrossian.”
According to Azat Arshakyan, Levon Ter-Petrossian himself was a strong rival to Serzh Sargsyan and could be a serious obstacle in his way to reelection. In response to our question whether Levon Ter-Petrossian would have been a strong rival even without the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), he said: “He would have been even stronger with the PAP. I think the Congress’s potential has reduced recently. That is the very reason why Levon Ter-Petrossian left. So the resources of the ANC had diminished.”
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Azat Arshakyan made a very interesting statement. “I think that the ANC and Levon Ter-Petrossian had done what they had been supposed to do. Levon Ter-Petrossian and the Congress ousted Robert Kocharyan from power and had nothing else to do. Levon Ter-Petrossian stated they would destroy the regime, didn’t he? The regime is destroyed. Levon Ter-Petrossian actually thought he had done his job; that is why he left. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left.”
In response to our observation that Levon Ter-Petrossian had also called this government – not only Kocharyan’s rule – an authoritarian regime during the parliamentary election, he said: “You’re right, Levon Ter-Petrossian was consistent in that sense, but he also talked about realpolitik, didn’t he? In some cases, pragmatic moves should be made – cooperation with the enemy’s enemy or some intrigues. I don’t think I have the right to criticize Master Levon Ter-Petrossian.”
When we expressed surprise that according to him, since the first president had left, the incumbent president had to be saluted, Azat Arshakyan said: “Yes, why not? I think that Serzh Sargsyan will purge Armenia of anti-political elements. There are many worthless people in politics. I think Serzg Sargsyan will remove them and will go down in history by that.”
Since Azat Arshakyan had a business, we asked him whether he “plays into Serzh Sargsyan’s hands” because of his business, he assured that he had had that business also during Robert Kocharyan’s presidency when he had been oppressed.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
