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HOVANNISIAN'S MOSCOW TRIP: ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER REPORTEDLY MEETS WITH KREMLIN OFFICIAL
POLITICS | 12.04.13 | 10:43
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Opposition Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian's surprise visit
to Moscow has perplexed many in Armenia despite the fact that the
opposition leader made a mention of his plans at an April 9 late
afternoon rally in Yerevan's Liberty Square.
Nothing specific has yet been reported about details of Hovannisian's
stay in the Russian capital as Heritage members have been reluctant to
reveal them. But all of them insist that their leader could not have
left for Moscow without an invitation or arrangements made in advance.
They also insist that after a one-day trip Hovannisian will be in
Yerevan for an evening rally on Friday during which he is due to
make a program speech. He is also likely to speak about results of
his trip to the Russian capital.
Addressing supporters on Tuesday Hovannisian said that, if need be,
he was ready to go to Moscow and meet with Russian President Vladimir
Putin "to bring a victory for the Armenian people from there". But
local pundits doubt that the opposition leader may have met with the
Russian president or prime minister in Moscow.
However, the local daily, 168 Zham, reported, quoting its Moscow
sources, that while in the Russian capital Hovannisian met with
Vladimir Chernov, head of the department for inter-regional and
cultural ties with foreign countries affiliated with the Russian
president's administration.
"Chernov was appointed to this position in April 2012 and, judging
from the Russian media publications, he is considered to be one of
the officials actively involved in the Eurasian and Customs Unions
projects. It is enough to note that at the March 16 forum in Yerevan
entitled "Economic Aspects of Eurasian Integration and Armenia"
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Vyacheslav Kovalenko read out Vladimir
Chernov's rather than Vladimir Putin's message," writes the newspaper.
Certain information on Hovannisian's visit to Moscow is also presented
by the Zhoghovurd paper, which, too, cites its sources in the Russian
capital. It says that as of 9 pm Thursday Hovannisian had not yet
held any official meeting or any meeting of a "political" nature.
The newspaper's sources excluded that any official from the Russian
president's administration would receive Hovannisian. But for his day
in Moscow not to be wasted, wrote Zhoghovurd, President of the Union
of Armenians of Russia Ara Abrahamyan got himself involved in this
matter. The newspaper's sources reminded that deputy chairman of the
Heritage party Ruben Hakobyan for many years had served as Armenia's
consul in St. Petersburg and, naturally, has close relations with
the affluent Russian-Armenian businessman. It is yet unclear who
Abrahamyan could have set up Hovannisian for a meeting with in Moscow.
Zhoghovurd suggests that by undertaking such a trip the Armenian
opposition leader perceived by many in Armenia as a pro-Western man is
trying to show that he can work with the Russian authorities as well.
American-born-and-bred Hovannisian, who moved to Armenia to serve
as its first foreign minister after the nation gained independence
in 1991, has largely been regarded as a pro-Western politician not
least due to his being not fluent in Russian, which is the second
most commonly spoken language in Armenia.
During the latest presidential campaign the 53-year-old oppositionist,
however, on several occasions demonstrated his good command of the
Russian language, including during a meeting with the ambassador
of Russia to Armenia. At the same time, Hovannisian has rejected
as wrongful the perception of him as a pro-Western politician as he
advocated Armenia's strengthening ties with both the West and Russia,
but on condition that these relations are developed "horizontally"
rather than "vertically", which he claims is the case now.
After hearing criticism for being unable to manage his supporters
in leading what proved to be a failed attempt of marching on April 9
through a Yerevan boulevard where the Presidential Palace is located,
Hovannisian is now being criticized by some for undertaking a trip to
Russia and thus bringing foreign powers in Armenia's internal affair.
In this connection Heritage Party secretary Stepan Safaryan again
stresses that Hovannisian "is neither pro-Western, nor pro-Russian".
"Hovannisian is a pro-Armenia politician, a politician who loves
Armenia and there is nothing loftier for him than the independence
of the Republic of Armenia," he says. "But it does not mean that
the elected president [editor: Hovannisian] cannot look around and
engage with countries that expressed their position on the disgraceful
presidential election. In fact, it was not so much the recognition
of the outcome of the election as an attempt to promote the current
authorities' further robbery of the people's freedom. Therefore, Raffi
Hovannisian wants the return of this freedom and it is about this that
he will be talking in places from where this robbery was promoted."
Earlier, Hovannisian repeatedly dismissed congratulations to President
Serzh Sargsyan on his reelection that had been sent also from the
United States and other Western democracies. He said he was also
"ready to go to Washington, Brussels or elsewhere" to convince these
world power centers of the "victory of the Armenian people."
POLITICS | 12.04.13 | 10:43
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Opposition Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian's surprise visit
to Moscow has perplexed many in Armenia despite the fact that the
opposition leader made a mention of his plans at an April 9 late
afternoon rally in Yerevan's Liberty Square.
Nothing specific has yet been reported about details of Hovannisian's
stay in the Russian capital as Heritage members have been reluctant to
reveal them. But all of them insist that their leader could not have
left for Moscow without an invitation or arrangements made in advance.
They also insist that after a one-day trip Hovannisian will be in
Yerevan for an evening rally on Friday during which he is due to
make a program speech. He is also likely to speak about results of
his trip to the Russian capital.
Addressing supporters on Tuesday Hovannisian said that, if need be,
he was ready to go to Moscow and meet with Russian President Vladimir
Putin "to bring a victory for the Armenian people from there". But
local pundits doubt that the opposition leader may have met with the
Russian president or prime minister in Moscow.
However, the local daily, 168 Zham, reported, quoting its Moscow
sources, that while in the Russian capital Hovannisian met with
Vladimir Chernov, head of the department for inter-regional and
cultural ties with foreign countries affiliated with the Russian
president's administration.
"Chernov was appointed to this position in April 2012 and, judging
from the Russian media publications, he is considered to be one of
the officials actively involved in the Eurasian and Customs Unions
projects. It is enough to note that at the March 16 forum in Yerevan
entitled "Economic Aspects of Eurasian Integration and Armenia"
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Vyacheslav Kovalenko read out Vladimir
Chernov's rather than Vladimir Putin's message," writes the newspaper.
Certain information on Hovannisian's visit to Moscow is also presented
by the Zhoghovurd paper, which, too, cites its sources in the Russian
capital. It says that as of 9 pm Thursday Hovannisian had not yet
held any official meeting or any meeting of a "political" nature.
The newspaper's sources excluded that any official from the Russian
president's administration would receive Hovannisian. But for his day
in Moscow not to be wasted, wrote Zhoghovurd, President of the Union
of Armenians of Russia Ara Abrahamyan got himself involved in this
matter. The newspaper's sources reminded that deputy chairman of the
Heritage party Ruben Hakobyan for many years had served as Armenia's
consul in St. Petersburg and, naturally, has close relations with
the affluent Russian-Armenian businessman. It is yet unclear who
Abrahamyan could have set up Hovannisian for a meeting with in Moscow.
Zhoghovurd suggests that by undertaking such a trip the Armenian
opposition leader perceived by many in Armenia as a pro-Western man is
trying to show that he can work with the Russian authorities as well.
American-born-and-bred Hovannisian, who moved to Armenia to serve
as its first foreign minister after the nation gained independence
in 1991, has largely been regarded as a pro-Western politician not
least due to his being not fluent in Russian, which is the second
most commonly spoken language in Armenia.
During the latest presidential campaign the 53-year-old oppositionist,
however, on several occasions demonstrated his good command of the
Russian language, including during a meeting with the ambassador
of Russia to Armenia. At the same time, Hovannisian has rejected
as wrongful the perception of him as a pro-Western politician as he
advocated Armenia's strengthening ties with both the West and Russia,
but on condition that these relations are developed "horizontally"
rather than "vertically", which he claims is the case now.
After hearing criticism for being unable to manage his supporters
in leading what proved to be a failed attempt of marching on April 9
through a Yerevan boulevard where the Presidential Palace is located,
Hovannisian is now being criticized by some for undertaking a trip to
Russia and thus bringing foreign powers in Armenia's internal affair.
In this connection Heritage Party secretary Stepan Safaryan again
stresses that Hovannisian "is neither pro-Western, nor pro-Russian".
"Hovannisian is a pro-Armenia politician, a politician who loves
Armenia and there is nothing loftier for him than the independence
of the Republic of Armenia," he says. "But it does not mean that
the elected president [editor: Hovannisian] cannot look around and
engage with countries that expressed their position on the disgraceful
presidential election. In fact, it was not so much the recognition
of the outcome of the election as an attempt to promote the current
authorities' further robbery of the people's freedom. Therefore, Raffi
Hovannisian wants the return of this freedom and it is about this that
he will be talking in places from where this robbery was promoted."
Earlier, Hovannisian repeatedly dismissed congratulations to President
Serzh Sargsyan on his reelection that had been sent also from the
United States and other Western democracies. He said he was also
"ready to go to Washington, Brussels or elsewhere" to convince these
world power centers of the "victory of the Armenian people."