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ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS DIFFERENCES OVER CUSTOMS UNION DECISION WON'T AFFECT CONSOLIDATION EFFORT
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/48558/armenia_heritage_party_raffi_hovannisian_oppositio n_politics
POLITICS | 18.09.13 | 11:44
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Opposition Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian, who has strongly
criticized the decision of the current political leadership to join
the Russia-led Customs Union, believes that the relatively milder
reaction to the development from other opposition politicians will
not harm the effort on consolidation in Armenia.
"Many have not expressed their position on this yet. I do not want to
forestall their final positions, but what I expect in the coming months
is not a one-vector or one-subject struggle. Before this decision,
which has transgressed the people's view, we have a lot of issues
over which we can consolidate," Hovannisian told ArmeniaNow.
He thinks that the Customs Union will restore the vertical relations
that once existed in the Soviet Union and that Armenia is joining
this union because of "the quality of its illegitimate authorities."
The main opposition Armenian parties, except Heritage and Free
Democrats, have not explicitly pronounced against President Serzh
Sargsyan's decision to join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus
and Kazakhstan.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutyun), for
example, criticized the form in which the decision to join the Union
was made and presented to the public (without any public discussion or
consultations with political parties), but the ARF Executive Council
of Armenia representative, MP Armen Rustamyan said that the decision
is a matter of "Armenia's existence" and that the situation is very
similar to the one that existed in 1918-20 when Armenia had to join
Bolshevik Russia in what later became the Soviet Union. "Our task is
to hand 42,000 square kilometers of territory over to our generations
to come," said Rustamyan.
The opposition Armenian National Congress party also, in fact, stopped
short of criticizing the leadership for the decision itself. Moreover,
answering questions from ilur.am website readers, the party's leader,
ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan expressed an opinion that Armenia's
European integration has been an "adventure" on the part of Sargsyan.
And the Prosperous Armenia Party led by affluent businessman Gagik
Tsarukyan, which has positioned itself as an alternative to the current
government, said through its spokesman that it would present its
position when "Armenia has at least embarked on the path and traveled
some way" towards the Customs Union. At the same time, Tsarukyan said
that he does not want deterioration in Armenian-Russian relations.
Heritage's Hovannisian, who is getting ready for another public
rally in Yerevan on Friday, believes that despite some differences
on the issue of the Customs Union they can still cooperate with
other political parties over "a thousand and one domestic issues",
such as human rights, "the stolen elections", etc.. Nevertheless,
he considers that a state of emergency has been created and that
Armenia's joining the Customs Union endangers the nation's statehood.
"Mr. Sargsyan must resign for the sake of Armenia," said Hovannisian,
who, according to the official results of last February's presidential
elections, finished second and for weeks disputed Sargsyan's reelection
by means of street protests.
At the same time, the opposition leader emphasized that his being
against the Customs Union should not be construed as his being
anti-Russian. He said that he would equally oppose Armenia's
Association Agreement with the European Union should it contain a
provision damaging Armenia's sovereignty.
"We are against the restoration of the Soviet Union and are in favor of
Armenia's statehood, and only if these two circumstances are respected
we will have a strategic relationship with Russia. But the West should
change its approach, too," Hovannisian underscored.
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/48558/armenia_heritage_party_raffi_hovannisian_oppositio n_politics
POLITICS | 18.09.13 | 11:44
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Opposition Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian, who has strongly
criticized the decision of the current political leadership to join
the Russia-led Customs Union, believes that the relatively milder
reaction to the development from other opposition politicians will
not harm the effort on consolidation in Armenia.
"Many have not expressed their position on this yet. I do not want to
forestall their final positions, but what I expect in the coming months
is not a one-vector or one-subject struggle. Before this decision,
which has transgressed the people's view, we have a lot of issues
over which we can consolidate," Hovannisian told ArmeniaNow.
He thinks that the Customs Union will restore the vertical relations
that once existed in the Soviet Union and that Armenia is joining
this union because of "the quality of its illegitimate authorities."
The main opposition Armenian parties, except Heritage and Free
Democrats, have not explicitly pronounced against President Serzh
Sargsyan's decision to join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus
and Kazakhstan.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutyun), for
example, criticized the form in which the decision to join the Union
was made and presented to the public (without any public discussion or
consultations with political parties), but the ARF Executive Council
of Armenia representative, MP Armen Rustamyan said that the decision
is a matter of "Armenia's existence" and that the situation is very
similar to the one that existed in 1918-20 when Armenia had to join
Bolshevik Russia in what later became the Soviet Union. "Our task is
to hand 42,000 square kilometers of territory over to our generations
to come," said Rustamyan.
The opposition Armenian National Congress party also, in fact, stopped
short of criticizing the leadership for the decision itself. Moreover,
answering questions from ilur.am website readers, the party's leader,
ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan expressed an opinion that Armenia's
European integration has been an "adventure" on the part of Sargsyan.
And the Prosperous Armenia Party led by affluent businessman Gagik
Tsarukyan, which has positioned itself as an alternative to the current
government, said through its spokesman that it would present its
position when "Armenia has at least embarked on the path and traveled
some way" towards the Customs Union. At the same time, Tsarukyan said
that he does not want deterioration in Armenian-Russian relations.
Heritage's Hovannisian, who is getting ready for another public
rally in Yerevan on Friday, believes that despite some differences
on the issue of the Customs Union they can still cooperate with
other political parties over "a thousand and one domestic issues",
such as human rights, "the stolen elections", etc.. Nevertheless,
he considers that a state of emergency has been created and that
Armenia's joining the Customs Union endangers the nation's statehood.
"Mr. Sargsyan must resign for the sake of Armenia," said Hovannisian,
who, according to the official results of last February's presidential
elections, finished second and for weeks disputed Sargsyan's reelection
by means of street protests.
At the same time, the opposition leader emphasized that his being
against the Customs Union should not be construed as his being
anti-Russian. He said that he would equally oppose Armenia's
Association Agreement with the European Union should it contain a
provision damaging Armenia's sovereignty.
"We are against the restoration of the Soviet Union and are in favor of
Armenia's statehood, and only if these two circumstances are respected
we will have a strategic relationship with Russia. But the West should
change its approach, too," Hovannisian underscored.