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NEW TIMES PARTY LEADER SPEAK OUT ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MARCH 1ST FACT-FINDING GROUP
Shushan Stepanyan
http://hetq.am/en/politics/akarapetyan- 2/
2009/06/15 | 15:33
New Times Party leader Aram Karapetyan stated at a press conference
earlier today that the March 1st Committee hasn't accomplished its
mission of exposing what actually transpired on March 1, 2008.
"If Robert Kocharyan hasn't appeared before the committee and the
proper questions haven't been asked, then the committee hasn't
accomplished its stated mission," Mr. Karapetyan said.
According to Mr. Karapetyan, members of the secret command headquarters
created in 2007 included the police chief, the chief of the National
Security Service, Robert Kocharyan, Hovik Abrahamyan and Armen
Gevorgyan. "Over time, they were joined by Aghvan Hovsepyan, Vardan
Oskanian and Tigran Torosyan. Periodic working meetings were held at
the presidential office."
He said that by dissolving the Fact Finding Group and declaring a
general amnesty that those responsible for the March 1st tragedy
wished to close the case.
Turning to foreign affairs, Mr. Karapetyan said that none of the
departments responsible for crafting Armenian foreign policy was able
to understand that "we are being drawn into a Azeri-Turkish game".
He believes that Armenia is being drawn into such a game in which
it is alleged that relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are on
the outs and thus we must try to separate the Artsakh conflict from
general Armenian-Turkish relations.
Mr. Karapetyan claimed that at the end of 2008 the head of the
Azerbaijani presidential staff issued a directive to all the regional
leaders in Azerbaijan to display a contemptuous attitude towards
Turkey.
He asked what had changed over the years for President Sargsyan to
assume that Turkey would not close the border again in the future
after opening it now. He argued that Armenia had an open border with
Turkey before the start of the Karabakh conflict. Turkey closed the
border due to it and that nothing has dramatically changed in the
past twenty years.
Shushan Stepanyan
http://hetq.am/en/politics/akarapetyan- 2/
2009/06/15 | 15:33
New Times Party leader Aram Karapetyan stated at a press conference
earlier today that the March 1st Committee hasn't accomplished its
mission of exposing what actually transpired on March 1, 2008.
"If Robert Kocharyan hasn't appeared before the committee and the
proper questions haven't been asked, then the committee hasn't
accomplished its stated mission," Mr. Karapetyan said.
According to Mr. Karapetyan, members of the secret command headquarters
created in 2007 included the police chief, the chief of the National
Security Service, Robert Kocharyan, Hovik Abrahamyan and Armen
Gevorgyan. "Over time, they were joined by Aghvan Hovsepyan, Vardan
Oskanian and Tigran Torosyan. Periodic working meetings were held at
the presidential office."
He said that by dissolving the Fact Finding Group and declaring a
general amnesty that those responsible for the March 1st tragedy
wished to close the case.
Turning to foreign affairs, Mr. Karapetyan said that none of the
departments responsible for crafting Armenian foreign policy was able
to understand that "we are being drawn into a Azeri-Turkish game".
He believes that Armenia is being drawn into such a game in which
it is alleged that relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are on
the outs and thus we must try to separate the Artsakh conflict from
general Armenian-Turkish relations.
Mr. Karapetyan claimed that at the end of 2008 the head of the
Azerbaijani presidential staff issued a directive to all the regional
leaders in Azerbaijan to display a contemptuous attitude towards
Turkey.
He asked what had changed over the years for President Sargsyan to
assume that Turkey would not close the border again in the future
after opening it now. He argued that Armenia had an open border with
Turkey before the start of the Karabakh conflict. Turkey closed the
border due to it and that nothing has dramatically changed in the
past twenty years.