Ruben Hakobyan Refutes Levon Zurabyan.
“On April 9, an unprecedented thing happened; the main political forces of the country – the Armenian National Congress (ANC), the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), and the Heritage Party – didn’t attend Serzh Sargsyan’s swearing-in,” Levon Zurabyan, an ANC MP, made this statement the other day. www.aravot.am inquired during a conversation with Ruben Hakobyan, the leader of the Heritage Party parliamentary group, whether he also thought that the PAP hadn’t attended Serzh Sargsyan’s swearing-in, while a part of the PAP MPs had been there. He replied: “Of course, they were there. Your question already contains the answer. I don’t want to comment on what he says at all. How could they not attend, when number two attended, the majority of the parliamentary group attended? Now, I don’t know what Levon Zurabyan means, but he says such things, it is a thesis not worth commenting on.” We inquired what being present at Serzh Sargsyan’s swearing-in meant for him. In Ruben Hakobyan’s words, “If you think that the election was rigged, if you describe the election that has taken place in the state as illegal and rigged and then go to congratulate, naturally, you should clarify on which side you are. One congratulates the person whom one acknowledges as the elected candidate. Everyone has his political image, and everyone understands uniquely what suiting actions to words means. It doesn’t matter for us. They should clarify for themselves where they are, and given their attitude, the people will understand in what part of the political stage they are.” In response to our question how the ARF had behaved, in his opinion, given the fact that it had neither gone to the swearing-in nor stood by the movement on that day, reminding about their political agenda. Ruben Hakobyan replied: “Every political force chooses its attitude itself, and I respect every political force. However, certainly I would like the ARF to be more active, but representatives of the ARF governing body have always been at the rallies, Armen Rustamyan regularly made speeches, some of their representatives made speeches even at the meetings in the regions. Certainly it would be much better, if they were more active, but if they have made that decision, have their arguments, I respect their arguments.” Mr. Hakobyan also stressed that he would never talk about the ARF and the ANC in the same breath.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
