The topic at online Aravot “Face to Face” talk-show is discussed between Garnik Isagulyan, leader of the “National Security” party, and Stepan Safaryan, Secretary General of “Heritage” party.
Aram Abrahamyan – Today, in one of the newspapers I read that Armenia’s second President actually has stated that he wants to become president and will not allow conducting Constitutional amendments that will obstruct his intention. Do you agree?
Garnik Isagulyan – First of all, I definitely exclude that the second president of Armenia has made such expression, everyone makes comments. I must say that this allegation does not meet the reality, because no matter what Constitution will be adopted, it cannot prohibit anyone to nominate its candidacy for the presidential elections.
A. A. – Even for the third time?
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G. I. – When we adopt the Constitution, which says, for instances, that a citizen cannot be a president of Armenia more than twice, then the rule will be in effect after adopting the Constitution, and will be effective afterwards, and it cannot be an obstruction for the first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan and the second President Robert Kocharyan to nominate their candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections.
A. A. – Suppose the Constitution is 2017, and the elections are held in 2018. Won’t it affect them? And Why?
G. I. – It won’t affect, because the Constitution begins to be effective upon its adoption, before that another Constitution was effective, and they are under the former Constitution.
A. A. How do you interpret, does this statement contain such things, or not?
Stepan Safaryan – I, frankly speaking, view the issue in the course of the last 3-4 years, first, in the context of Robert Kocharyan’s shadowed activities, then since last year, I think, it was on December 26 when he gave his first interview, but it was visible that his activities though mediated by other political forces, was aimed at returning him to power. I do not know what newspaper it was and what observations were made, however, the matter that Robert Kocharyan wants to return to power, the minimum program for him, initially, was, as Levon Ter-Petrosyan would say, the model of the last resort: jumping onto the president’s seat through the prime minister’s seat. But since, recently, Serzh Sargsyan suggested a condition saying that the prime minister should be acceptable by everyone, I think that Kocharyan realized that he cannot be acceptable by everyone. I think that the three RA presidents should leave the Republic of Armenia alone, I do not even want to see any of them in the future as a leader of the country. I, as a citizen, and as a young politician, have lived and seen, they have already proven their ability, and all that these 3 presidents were able to do is nowadays the Republic of Armenia, all three of them begot the country into this situation, therefore, any one of them, regardless of whether the Constitution allows or not, or the Constitutional amendments would allow, or not, any one of them has no moral right to run again, and claim for the leadership position of Armenia. I think that they all just wrecked Armenia, and our independence, they did not even made an attempt to “blink” their eyes when conceding Armenia’s strategic assets during these years, and literally destroying democracy, therefore, it is unacceptable for me to even discuss this issue.
A. A. – But, your approach seems a bit contradicting the wonderful Quartet’s approach.
S. S. – The wonderful Quartet does not have an item in its agenda about bringing Robert Kocharyan, if anyone of my party will raise such item in our party’s agenda, in that case, I would have a problem to think seriously. I am confident that no such problem will be ever raised in the agenda of “Heritage” party. No matter what hopes Kocharyan cherishes associated with the activities of the Quartet, it is obvious that in these days, on the one hand, we have civil movements – “I am against” movement, on the one hand, we have systemized actions of the Quartet, and on the one hand, we have the activities of the second president of Armenia. No matter what synchronism we see, no matter what correlations we see between these 3 chains, I cannot rule out the possibility that Kocharyan is having some expectations to combine the processes. However, I exclude that the “Heritage” party will ever raise the issue of returning him to power, or contributing to it.
Prepared by ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
The “Face to Face” talk show is implemented by the Open Society Foundations-Armenia. The views and analyses found in this talk show are expressing the opinions of the participants and are not approved by the Open Society Foundations-Armenia, or its Board. This talk show is made possible thanks to entire financial support by the Open Society Foundations-Armenia, under the mass media support program, grant No 18624.
