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ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONIST URGES FOR PRESIDENT'S PRESENCE IN LIBERTY SQUARE
TERT.AM
14:06 ~U 15.03.13
Smbat Ayvazyan of the opposition Republic party has called for
President Serzh Sargsyan to visit Yerevan's Liberty Square for meeting
Raffi Hovhannisian, his major rival in last month's presidential
election, who now holds a hunger-strike.
Considering the former opposition candidate's protest an extreme step,
Ayvazyan said the current circumstances should urge Sargsyan to head
to the protest site for "returning power to the people".
"I have said personally that it isn't worth going [on a hunger-strike]
as that is an extreme step. We still had steps which could have been
taken, but the man has made his decision, and I respect it. I think,
nonetheless, that Raffi Hovhannisian profoundly evaluates the existing
situation in the country and finds it is necessary to take extreme
steps," he said, adding that he supports Hovhannisian notwithstanding
his disapproval of that form of protest.
Hovhannisian, who considers himself an absolute winner in the February
18 election, declared his hunger-strike after on Sunday, demanding
Sargsyan's withdrawal. He had earlier said that the re-elected
president's April 9 inauguration would be possible "only over my
dead body".
Ayvazyan said the former candidate had initially chosen right tactics,
by starting a tour to different regions. "He should have visited many
places before appointing a date for a gathering in Liberty Square,"
he told Tert.am.
Asked what can be expected on April 9, the Republic party's leader said
there is still quite enough time until then to allow the authorities
to thinks of possible steps.
"Raffi has done his job; he went to the [presidential] residence to
meet Serzh Sargsyan," he said. "It is now for Serzh Sargsyan to set
aside his complexes to head to the square to have a public meeting
and discuss what to do next," he added.
Hovhannisian thinks the crowd in the square would have a normal
reaction to Sargsyan's public appearance. "I am sure nothing out
of the ordinary will happen. There will be no unusual call when he
comes for a meeting with people. I think he is obliged to do that,
but it is up to him to decide whether or not to do so," he added.
Commenting on the authorities' remarks that Hovhannisian is not
properly evaluating the situation, Ayvazyan said, "It doesn't matter
how many people we now have here. What matters - and we are aware of
it - what happened on the election day. The people went and rejected
them; we know that, at least. Does it really matter how many people
there are now?" he asked.
http://www.tert.am/en/video/LJWcWNUj8tg/
From: Baghdasarian
TERT.AM
14:06 ~U 15.03.13
Smbat Ayvazyan of the opposition Republic party has called for
President Serzh Sargsyan to visit Yerevan's Liberty Square for meeting
Raffi Hovhannisian, his major rival in last month's presidential
election, who now holds a hunger-strike.
Considering the former opposition candidate's protest an extreme step,
Ayvazyan said the current circumstances should urge Sargsyan to head
to the protest site for "returning power to the people".
"I have said personally that it isn't worth going [on a hunger-strike]
as that is an extreme step. We still had steps which could have been
taken, but the man has made his decision, and I respect it. I think,
nonetheless, that Raffi Hovhannisian profoundly evaluates the existing
situation in the country and finds it is necessary to take extreme
steps," he said, adding that he supports Hovhannisian notwithstanding
his disapproval of that form of protest.
Hovhannisian, who considers himself an absolute winner in the February
18 election, declared his hunger-strike after on Sunday, demanding
Sargsyan's withdrawal. He had earlier said that the re-elected
president's April 9 inauguration would be possible "only over my
dead body".
Ayvazyan said the former candidate had initially chosen right tactics,
by starting a tour to different regions. "He should have visited many
places before appointing a date for a gathering in Liberty Square,"
he told Tert.am.
Asked what can be expected on April 9, the Republic party's leader said
there is still quite enough time until then to allow the authorities
to thinks of possible steps.
"Raffi has done his job; he went to the [presidential] residence to
meet Serzh Sargsyan," he said. "It is now for Serzh Sargsyan to set
aside his complexes to head to the square to have a public meeting
and discuss what to do next," he added.
Hovhannisian thinks the crowd in the square would have a normal
reaction to Sargsyan's public appearance. "I am sure nothing out
of the ordinary will happen. There will be no unusual call when he
comes for a meeting with people. I think he is obliged to do that,
but it is up to him to decide whether or not to do so," he added.
Commenting on the authorities' remarks that Hovhannisian is not
properly evaluating the situation, Ayvazyan said, "It doesn't matter
how many people we now have here. What matters - and we are aware of
it - what happened on the election day. The people went and rejected
them; we know that, at least. Does it really matter how many people
there are now?" he asked.
http://www.tert.am/en/video/LJWcWNUj8tg/
From: Baghdasarian