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DOESN'T SERZH SARGSYAN WISH TO MAKE CHANGES?
April 20 2013
Vahe Hovhannisyan, a Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MP, would not like
"Tigran Sargsyan to gain experience at the expense of the wellbeing
of Armenia and our people." * Mr. Hovhannisyan, what do you think
of Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment as Prime Minister? * The main
demand made by social and political forces and citizens these days is
changes. This is about visible changes in all spheres, all fields. The
mechanism of making changes is very simple: the policy should be
changed; the programs and the people who carry out those programs
should be changed. Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment testified to the
fact that none of these three changes is made; maybe, there is no
wish or resource to make changes. * What message does Serzh Sargsyan
send to political forces, particularly the PAP, which aspired to the
prime ministership, by Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment? * I think that
Serzh Sargsayn sends no message whatsoever to political forces. He
just reappoints Tigran Sargsyan as Prime Minister, and since all
important decisions are made single-handedly in Armenia, there is
almost nothing to discuss. As for the Prosperous Armenia Party, you
will not find any official statement, any opinion expressed publicly
by the party's leader or pivotal figures that the PAP aspired to
the prime ministership. The Prosperous Armenia Party participated
in the 2012 parliamentary election with a new program, with a new
political team and was ready to take on any amount of responsible to
carry out its programs. The PAP won roughly half a million votes, but
it turned out that it was not sufficient in modern Armenia to make
changes constitutionally. * How will you comment on the reason for
Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment put forward by the Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA) press secretary yesterday? "We basically agree that
Tigran Sargsyan's Cabinet was able to perform tasks required of it,
and we hope that its work will improve. Despite all the problems,
Tigran Sargsyan's Cabinet undertook a task in 2012 to ensure 7%
growth, and that task was performed. Tigran Sargsyan has gained much
experience in the past few years, and the team is ready to meet the
challenges that exist today, along with him." * Here the opinions of
the RPA and Armenia substantially differ. What task did Tigran Sargsyan
perform? Did he avoid 14% economic decline? Did he transform Dilijan
into a financial center? Or did he transform Gyumri into a cultural
center or a technology park? He urged the people to keep their savings
in drams, and the dram devaluated by 20%-25% in just one day.
Did Tigran Sargsyan successfully struggle against corruption? You tell
me! Did the emigration rate decline? Did the external debt reduce? The
poverty rate of the population has reached 35%? The list is long. As
for experience, I wouldn't like Tigran Sargsyan to gain experience
at the expense of the wellbeing of Armenia and our people.
The price is too high. By the way, in the not so distant past, Serzh
Sargsyan said and I quote, "...Tigran, I assess the work of the Cabinet
very negatively, very negatively. We have been talking with you about
these issues for four years, four years, but these processes continue;
it will be fine in six months, in one year...."
You can draw your own conclusions. * If the PAP had been trusted
with the prime ministership, would the PAP have been able to take on
this economic burden? * It is a thankless thing to talk with ifs in
real politics. Let me just say that the PAP can shoulder any burden
in the field of government. There is a political team, elaborated
program and most importantly political will to solve the problems not
single-handedly, but based on the principle of broad consolidation
with other political forces. * And what do you think of the PAP's
chances in the Yerevan City Council election? * I think they are
very good, and the meetings with the residents of Yerevan are also
grounds for that. I think that if we are able to stop the machine of
electoral fraud at least by half, the PAP will win this election. *
Since the opposition has failed to unite in the pre-election period
yet another time, do you think there can be some post-election union
and what results will it yield? * As far as I know, no one has made
too much effort to unite the opposition forces. I myself didn't
attach too much importance to that union before the Yerevan City
Council election. Unfortunately, on the Armenian political stage,
the institution of backroom deals efficiently operates next to public
politics. I am against the principle of taking the same path all
the time. However, at least three forces - the PAP, the Armenian
National Congress (ANC), and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) - have put forward a formula, which is the optimal one for the
moment, and its principles - not to struggle against each other and to
jointly struggle against electoral fraud - are followed. Let me repeat
that this is quite a functional formula and much more efficient,
than useless political consultations and attempts to satisfy the
exaggerated aspirations of certain people. NELLY GRIGORYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/04/20/153787/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
April 20 2013
Vahe Hovhannisyan, a Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MP, would not like
"Tigran Sargsyan to gain experience at the expense of the wellbeing
of Armenia and our people." * Mr. Hovhannisyan, what do you think
of Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment as Prime Minister? * The main
demand made by social and political forces and citizens these days is
changes. This is about visible changes in all spheres, all fields. The
mechanism of making changes is very simple: the policy should be
changed; the programs and the people who carry out those programs
should be changed. Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment testified to the
fact that none of these three changes is made; maybe, there is no
wish or resource to make changes. * What message does Serzh Sargsyan
send to political forces, particularly the PAP, which aspired to the
prime ministership, by Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment? * I think that
Serzh Sargsayn sends no message whatsoever to political forces. He
just reappoints Tigran Sargsyan as Prime Minister, and since all
important decisions are made single-handedly in Armenia, there is
almost nothing to discuss. As for the Prosperous Armenia Party, you
will not find any official statement, any opinion expressed publicly
by the party's leader or pivotal figures that the PAP aspired to
the prime ministership. The Prosperous Armenia Party participated
in the 2012 parliamentary election with a new program, with a new
political team and was ready to take on any amount of responsible to
carry out its programs. The PAP won roughly half a million votes, but
it turned out that it was not sufficient in modern Armenia to make
changes constitutionally. * How will you comment on the reason for
Tigran Sargsyan's reappointment put forward by the Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA) press secretary yesterday? "We basically agree that
Tigran Sargsyan's Cabinet was able to perform tasks required of it,
and we hope that its work will improve. Despite all the problems,
Tigran Sargsyan's Cabinet undertook a task in 2012 to ensure 7%
growth, and that task was performed. Tigran Sargsyan has gained much
experience in the past few years, and the team is ready to meet the
challenges that exist today, along with him." * Here the opinions of
the RPA and Armenia substantially differ. What task did Tigran Sargsyan
perform? Did he avoid 14% economic decline? Did he transform Dilijan
into a financial center? Or did he transform Gyumri into a cultural
center or a technology park? He urged the people to keep their savings
in drams, and the dram devaluated by 20%-25% in just one day.
Did Tigran Sargsyan successfully struggle against corruption? You tell
me! Did the emigration rate decline? Did the external debt reduce? The
poverty rate of the population has reached 35%? The list is long. As
for experience, I wouldn't like Tigran Sargsyan to gain experience
at the expense of the wellbeing of Armenia and our people.
The price is too high. By the way, in the not so distant past, Serzh
Sargsyan said and I quote, "...Tigran, I assess the work of the Cabinet
very negatively, very negatively. We have been talking with you about
these issues for four years, four years, but these processes continue;
it will be fine in six months, in one year...."
You can draw your own conclusions. * If the PAP had been trusted
with the prime ministership, would the PAP have been able to take on
this economic burden? * It is a thankless thing to talk with ifs in
real politics. Let me just say that the PAP can shoulder any burden
in the field of government. There is a political team, elaborated
program and most importantly political will to solve the problems not
single-handedly, but based on the principle of broad consolidation
with other political forces. * And what do you think of the PAP's
chances in the Yerevan City Council election? * I think they are
very good, and the meetings with the residents of Yerevan are also
grounds for that. I think that if we are able to stop the machine of
electoral fraud at least by half, the PAP will win this election. *
Since the opposition has failed to unite in the pre-election period
yet another time, do you think there can be some post-election union
and what results will it yield? * As far as I know, no one has made
too much effort to unite the opposition forces. I myself didn't
attach too much importance to that union before the Yerevan City
Council election. Unfortunately, on the Armenian political stage,
the institution of backroom deals efficiently operates next to public
politics. I am against the principle of taking the same path all
the time. However, at least three forces - the PAP, the Armenian
National Congress (ANC), and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) - have put forward a formula, which is the optimal one for the
moment, and its principles - not to struggle against each other and to
jointly struggle against electoral fraud - are followed. Let me repeat
that this is quite a functional formula and much more efficient,
than useless political consultations and attempts to satisfy the
exaggerated aspirations of certain people. NELLY GRIGORYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/04/20/153787/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia