During the closing ceremony of “Baze -2013” All youth gathering in Tsakhadzor, the President Serzh Sargsyan responding to the question of members of the Youth gathering on who might be the most preferable presidential candidate for Armenia at the coming presidential elections in Azerbaijan on October 9.
Serzh Sargsyan said, “Armenia, and not only Armenia, is interested in the neighbors which have taken the democratic path of development. Thus, when it comes to a neighbor, especially to a partner in negotiations, Armenia in invariably interested in a democratic Azerbaijan. However if we disregard this fact for a moment, the answer to the question is the following: we’d rather see the incumbent President Ilham Aliyev win. We have been going through a tough and long process of negotiations, and if we outline the framework for the solution of the problem it will at least contain the public endorsement of the principles proposed by the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group. They have been actively negotiated for the last four years. Certainly, I wouldn’t say that the process is very lively now, nevertheless a certain progress has been made, and if after the elections President Aliyev is able to display political will and to rise above his fanatical Armenophobia, I believe that would be the most acceptable choice for us.”
Aravot.am asked the psychologist Ashot Hakobyan to evaluate the response of the President, to which he responded this way: “If judgments in the policy begin with “if”, I do not admit it, I do not consider that kind of thinking in policy serious. The course of several years showed that the “if”s said by Serzh Sargsyan are excluded, what miracles should make Aliyev’s Armenophobic position change. It is the same as to say that if the war were not to happen in such-and-such year, my grandfather would not to go to war, and I would have a grandfather. We do not expect qualitative changes, and here the diplomacy of a familiar Satan is working, in other words, I know that the opposite side is a Satan, but I am negotiating. Our President estimates Ilham Aliyev at least slightly positive, because this figure is familiar to us, he is understandable, guessable. But, unfortunately, I think we should seek for the charges, accumulation of quality changes not among political figures of neighboring countries, but among us, we should want that,”-said Ashot Hakobyan.
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According to historian Arshavir Gasparyan’s opinion, the response of our President was more diplomatic, but not original. “Our President tends to see a democratic candidate in Azerbaijan, this is the good will of our President, and Azerbaijan is far from having a democratic candidate, even registering one of such, Aliyev’s clan is so strengthened in Azerbaijan that democracy can not be even a far away dream for this country. I think it was correct answer, our President actually wants to have a correct and delicate relations with neighboring countries.”
Levon Mutafyan, renowned theater critic and publicist, posts on his Facebook page regarding the same issue, – “Many have raised their concerns in the Facebook, brandish swords, saying help, RA President supports Ilham Aliyev, saying that he supports Aliev to be reelected for the president of Azerbaijan… And they are labeling the President … And I’m very happy to know that Serzh Sargsyan has expressed such an idea. Finally, our President entered the diplomatic original games and filled his idleness and indifference of recent months with a very interesting statement, which is actually not a support to Aliyev, but, on the contrary, shakes the faith towards him in his country, raises significant layers of society against him…
Armenophobia for Aliyev, animosity against Armenia has became a public policy, Azerbaijani community accepts him first of all for Armenophobia, while RA President declares that Aliyev is preferable … This is the true diplomacy appropriate to nowadays, when you can disable the enemy with its own weapon… Now Azerbaijani opposition will declare everywhere that Aliyev is in business with Armenia, that his statements about war are agreed with authorities of Armenia … And such statements will help Azerbaijani community to finally understand that the war is needed not for him, but Aliyev clan to become rich and to oppress his own people … I welcome the move of our President, especially when I have inserted similar statement-advice… My dear friends, the enemy is won by not only fighting against him, but also expressing positive opinion of him. It’s time for us to master the secrets of Turkish diplomacy….”
Nune AREVSHATYAN
