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DASHNAKS NOT SEEKING SARKISIAN'S RESIGNATION
Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenialiberty.org
Sept 8 2009
Armenia -- Hrant Markarian, a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation party, at a news conference on September 8, 2009.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) is not
demanding President Serzh Sarkisian's resignation yet despite its
strong condemnation of his conciliatory policy toward Turkey, a leader
of the influential nationalist party reiterated on Tuesday.
Dashnaktsutyun, which walked out of Sarkisian's coalition government
in April, stepped up its criticism of that policy following last
week's publication of draft agreements on the normalization of
Turkish-Armenian relations. Its leadership is particularly furious
with Yerevan's recognition of Armenia's existing border with Turkey
and acceptance of a Turkish proposal to conduct a joint study of the
mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
Hrant Markarian, the de facto head of the opposition party's
governing Bureau, went as far as to accuse Sarkisian of "splitting
the nation" and liken him to former President Levon Ter-Petrosian,
Dashnaktsutyun's longtime foe. "I'm afraid Serzh Sarkisian is doing
what Levon Ter-Petrosian would have liked to do," he said.
Dashnaktsutyun was bitterly opposed to Ter-Petrosian and sought to
unseat him throughout his 1991-1998 presidency. Ter-Petrosian's softer
line on Turkey and in particular his refusal to bring up the Armenian
genocide issue in his dealings with Ankara was a key reason for that.
Markarian made clear that his party, which is particularly influential
in Armenian communities abroad, has no intention to campaign for
Sarkisian's resignation and would content itself with the dismissal
of Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian at this stage.
"Surely, by demanding the foreign minister's resignation we are
showing our attitude to the president," he told a news conference. "But
demanding the president's resignation is a totally different matter. Of
course, it's not ruled out, it's not taboo.
"We may arrive at such a conclusion one day. But we have not arrived
at such a conclusion yet."
In a further sign that Dashnaktsutyun has not burned all bridges with
the Armenian government, Markarian added that he and other party
leaders will request a meeting with Sarkisian after he returns to
Armenia from a visit to Croatia later this week. He warned at the
same time that the Sarkisian administration will "commit a suicide"
if it fails to heed the opposition concerns about the ongoing
Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.
Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenialiberty.org
Sept 8 2009
Armenia -- Hrant Markarian, a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation party, at a news conference on September 8, 2009.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) is not
demanding President Serzh Sarkisian's resignation yet despite its
strong condemnation of his conciliatory policy toward Turkey, a leader
of the influential nationalist party reiterated on Tuesday.
Dashnaktsutyun, which walked out of Sarkisian's coalition government
in April, stepped up its criticism of that policy following last
week's publication of draft agreements on the normalization of
Turkish-Armenian relations. Its leadership is particularly furious
with Yerevan's recognition of Armenia's existing border with Turkey
and acceptance of a Turkish proposal to conduct a joint study of the
mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
Hrant Markarian, the de facto head of the opposition party's
governing Bureau, went as far as to accuse Sarkisian of "splitting
the nation" and liken him to former President Levon Ter-Petrosian,
Dashnaktsutyun's longtime foe. "I'm afraid Serzh Sarkisian is doing
what Levon Ter-Petrosian would have liked to do," he said.
Dashnaktsutyun was bitterly opposed to Ter-Petrosian and sought to
unseat him throughout his 1991-1998 presidency. Ter-Petrosian's softer
line on Turkey and in particular his refusal to bring up the Armenian
genocide issue in his dealings with Ankara was a key reason for that.
Markarian made clear that his party, which is particularly influential
in Armenian communities abroad, has no intention to campaign for
Sarkisian's resignation and would content itself with the dismissal
of Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian at this stage.
"Surely, by demanding the foreign minister's resignation we are
showing our attitude to the president," he told a news conference. "But
demanding the president's resignation is a totally different matter. Of
course, it's not ruled out, it's not taboo.
"We may arrive at such a conclusion one day. But we have not arrived
at such a conclusion yet."
In a further sign that Dashnaktsutyun has not burned all bridges with
the Armenian government, Markarian added that he and other party
leaders will request a meeting with Sarkisian after he returns to
Armenia from a visit to Croatia later this week. He warned at the
same time that the Sarkisian administration will "commit a suicide"
if it fails to heed the opposition concerns about the ongoing
Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.