– As we see there is a dialogue between the Armenian National Congress and authorities as the president is making both verbal commitments and real actions toward the demands of the opposition. The Freedom Square was opened for the opposition and the political prisoners will be set free during this month. What will the opposition do after that? Will they raise new demands or will more straight in their demands?
– In fact the opposition’s stance has not change. The opposition has been demanding the release of political prisoners for during these years and now we claim that it is possible to enter into a dialogue with them only after the release of political prisoners. But this dialogue should be for the purpose of organizing extraordinary elections; both parliamentary and presidential. In fact nothing has changed. The ANC may raise many issues, ask questions, demand the replacement of people, but the opposition’s goal has been the same, which is restoring the Constitutional order in Armenia. This is the reason why the Armenian National Congress was established. The Congress may develop not 15 but 25 demands throughout its activity, but the main goal is the restoration of the Constitutional order and formation of legal authorities through elections. The ANC should pursue this goal. I have always said that the best dialogue is the free and fair elections. The sooner we do that, the more our country will benefit. If it does not happen, it is the failure of the country but not the opposition. In a word nothing has changed and the demands of the opposition are the same.
– Do you think that it is possible to change the power not through extraordinary elections but a scenario, when the opposition may raise a number of demands and the authorities may do them slowly and step by step? I mean in the same manner as it happened to the first three demands of the ANC.
– The opposition may raise new demands but I am saying it again that the primary goal of the opposition is the formation of legal authorities in the country. This can be done only through organizing free and fair elections. It is simply shameful to falsify elections in the 21st century. This must be stopped. This is the precondition of development. The consequences of falsified elections cannot be eliminated with other actions; it can be done only through organizing new fair and free elections. Authorities resulted from falsified elections are not able to become legal and legitimate.
– The leaders of the Congress periodically announce that there will be extraordinary elections but one year has remained till the parliamentary election. As for the authorities, the RPA representatives answer to such announcements by saying that the RPA does not have an issue of extraordinary elections in the agenda and will not discuss such possibility either. Do you believe there will be extraordinary elections during this year?
– We have done and will do our best to hold fair elections in the country. This will be beneficial for the entire country but not a group of people only. We have also done our best to make drastic changes in the countries smoothly without shocks or clashes. The opposition will be loyal to its policy and will reach its goals. But of course it is about the society’s active participation.
– According to your opinion, why did the authorities decide to fulfill some of the opposition’s demands?
– It happened as a result of the pressure of the international community, and also the society. They should have done it before.
– Does not the ANC worry about the possibility that in the condition of the growing discontent with the opposition the authorities may use this opportunity and create a third power in the country to take care of that part of the opposition’s followers as a competitor of the ANC? It is not excluded that the authorities may initiate the creation of such power.
– There have been such attempts. Of course if the ANC does not work well, people may follow other powers. I can see some people trying to attract attention in the political sector by criticizing the ANC but I believe people understand everything and know who can struggle against these authorities and who is able to cope with those problems.
– Why does the ANC address more critics at the former president Robert Kocharyan rather than the incumbent president? As a result of this people think that the ANC has a primary goal not to let Robert Kocharyan come back to power.
– These opinions are baseless. The incumbent government is the continuation of the previous one and both of them are responsible for the situation in the country. Both of them have been the guarantees of the criminal and oligarchic system in the country. The goal of the opposition is to get rid of this system as soon as possible.
– Do you believe in Serzh Sargsyan’s announcements to discover the events of March 1?
– Time will show because what he said are still nothing more than mere words.