“In terms of politics in Armenia, I am emphasizing, politics, and not in terms of values or cultural, in addition to sporadic individuals and marginal elements, there are no pro-Western forces. Should they be, then instead of twenty or thirty-member protests, they would have long organized a multi-mass Maidan,” such opinion was expressed by the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan in his recent interview with iLur.am. In March 1 rally, Levon Ter- Petrosyan had also announced that Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union is irreversible, and European integration in the foreseeable future is impossible. Many people criticized Levon Ter-Petrosyan for it. As said by the first president, “It is the same as I have said that the earth revolves around the sun, and I was accused for it. For us, the opponents, I think the denial of my allegation should not present any difficulty. For bringing shame upon me, it’s just enough for them to turn the process of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union, or at least to present a clear and convincing program of its revocability to the public.” In this respect, in the interview with Aravot.am, the public activist and candidate of historical sciences Haykak Arshamyan retorted the program demanding ANC leader, “There was a program for 3.5 years. Armenia proceeded in this way. And, now, if there is a Customs Union and the Quartet battle, and I don’t know a struggle of what, it’s also the same Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s contribution. Every time to say, I am sorry, it didn’t work out, we should put up with this reality, is a little incorrect. If you put up with the situation, and leave it just as it is, I do not consider it acceptable. If he finds that it is an irrevocable fact and irreversible reality, then maybe he is in favor of such relations between Armenia and Russia”. As for the existence of the so-called pro-Western forces, according to Haykak Arshamyan, it is just the issue of living or non-living with democratic values. “I think that there are quite a lot of people in Armenia, even in the government who believe that democratic values are high values, in other words, the authoritarian regime and human rights violation is a very bad thing. If tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people are not going out to the street, it does not mean that there are no people in Armenia who follow the democratic values. This estimate is not so true.” Haykak Arshamyan is sure that the CU membership, as announced by Levon Ter-Petrosyan, is not irreversible, “As for irreversibility, I will bring a very rough example, with the same success, Azerbaijan can attack Armenia and Artsakh be conceded to Azerbaijan within a week, and Levon Ter-Petrosyan would announce that it is an irreversible fact, let’s put up with this reality. Making such a comparison is not appropriate to the first president. If he supports such Armenian-Russian relations, let him say it explicitly that he supports it, at that time many people will express their opinion. Whereas, he just states the fact and then says, come and deny my words. It’s not a topic for discussion in this case.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
