Haven’t seen anything, haven’t heard anything

09/07/2008 Arpi MAKHSUDYAN

“No Armenian can make the Genocide issue a matter of discussion or endanger it. Serzh Sargsyan’s statement is important because Armenia has issues with its neighbors. The Legal State has spoken a lot about the relations with neighboring countries and signified their regulation,” Turning to Serzh Sargsyan’s statement on the establishment of an Armenian-Turkish commission of historians to investigate the fact of the Armenian Genocide, Heghine Bisharyan, the head of the Legal State faction noted. According to Bisharyan currently Armenia has three crucial issues – the internal situation in the country, fulfillment of the requirements of the PACE resolutions 1609 and 1920 and regulation of Armenia-Turkish relations. As of the last point she mentioned that Armenia has economic relations with Turkey. “We have problems with flights; we have a large number of compatriots, who work in Turkey, we have people, who rest there, however we don’t have diplomatic relations. It means that we have issues with our neighboring countries and Serzh Sargsyan was right to touch upon it,” said Bisharyan. When speaking of the internal situation of the country, the former outstanding oppositionist spoke of the rallies organized by Levon Ter-Petrosyan and the consequences. “It would be better if Ter-Petrosyan spoke of his future plans and agenda of activity than lead people to uncertainty. The time and people have already estimated the real value of Ter-Petrosyan,” she said. According to her if the rallies take place in the country regarding some issue it is quite understandable. “But what is the point of transporting people from different spots and bring them to the center for a protest?” Bisharyan thinks that the society had social and economic issues and is not very interested in political issues. “During the rally in Gyumri I was in one of the villages of Gyumri and one of the villagers was concerned about irrigation issues, harvest collection and sale. They are not interested in politics,” she said as a response to the question of one of the journalists as if the rallies are a form of political communication. The Legal State has mentioned many times that it is planning to establish rule of law, however doesn’t undertake any steps to punish the actual culprits of the March 1 events. They are not initiating to punish the law enforcers, who filed fake accusations against oppositionists and kept them jailed for a long time; filed false criminal cases against them. As a response to these questions of the journalists Mrs. Bisharyan said, “If some violations took place in the country it doesn’t mean that the law in the country is endangered. We have said that we are going to build a rule of law and we strive for them. I believe that some day all the guilty ones will be punished.” Of course when speaking of the March 1 events Bisharyan didn’t mention a name of any government official in the list of the culprits. Moreover, as a response to the question, “whether the government is not guilty of the events” she said, “I am not a lawyer and cannot comment on that but I think that the fault is that they should have prevented the protests so much longer to avoid the bloodshed.” According to her NA ad hoc commission will examine and provide more details of the events of March 1. “I signify the participation of both the government and opposition representatives in the activities of the commission, which will make it more transparent and effective,” said the Legal State MP and hoped that the ad hoc commission will become a bridge between the opposition and the government. “I don’t think that the dialog between the opposition and government is in a deadlock. Whenever there is the will it will take place,” she thinks.