– The RPA has already made announcements concerning forming a pr-election headquarter. What works have been done for this purpose?
– Elections are no news and these are the way of forming new government, which is a normal process. The society relates to elections normally; simply they have to make their opinion to vote for some power. The headquarter has not been officially launched yet, but we are doing the preparation works. I am in the same office now where the headquarter will be located. The confusions was due to the fact that the head of the headquarter was appointed with delay.
– You say that there is nothing serious here, but for the purposes of this headquarter one of the most prominent political figures, the speaker of the parliament was replaced. This is what you party said.
– As we have announced to the world, these elections must be free and transparent. This election will be a criteria showing whether we can cooperate with European countries. As you may know, recently we file an observer’s application to join the European democratic party. We must prove to everyone that we are preparing for fair elections. Europe will have eye on us and we are already doing the preparation works. As Hovik Abrahamyan was not in the executive body but the legislative one, he was already far from those issues. That is why he needs more time to mobilize those institutions. There may be people from the board of the party involved in the headquarter, but the headquarter will be accountable to the party board as it is the political body that directs the headquarter.
– Rumors are circulated that the coalition will run in the elections with joint party list. Does the RPA prefer participating in the elections separately or with a joint list?
– We have been asked this question for many times. This is a strategic issue and we will announce about it later. We must see what decisions can be favorable for the coalition.
– For more than one year there are discussions about the involvement of coalition parties in RPA’s pre-election plans. There are opinions that Serzh Sargsyan wants to make the PA and LS parties join them in a list during the upcoming elections. The recent arrests of PA representatives are explained as hunting and pressure on the PA to give place to the RPA’s decisions.
– The president has never made anyone do anything and all coalition powers united voluntarily. If anyone leaves the coalition, they will do it voluntarily too. The coalition does not write that we will participate in elections together but it writes that neither of the parties shall change the balance on the account of the other powers. These relations have been kept so far and we hope that we will continue that way during the presidential election 2013 too.
– Do you exclude the possibility that the PA may have its own candidate during the presidential election 2013?
– The PA has not made such announcement so far accepting the fact that Serzh Sargsyan is their candidate. It is the fourth year we are in the coalition; we have been together, we will participate in the elections together and in 2013 will elect S. Sargsyan president.
– The impression is that the situation is manipulated in a manner to make Tsarukyan propose his support for Sargsyan himself.
– Every day every party does its own analysis of the political situation. And they make their conclusions and as far as I see they want to stay with the coalition.
– Will the RPA invite the PA and LS into coalition again if they have majority as a result of the upcoming parliamentary elections? Or, do you think they may go out of the coalition and stay alone in the government?
– We could give up on the idea to make a coalition and have difficulties in coping with challenges in the political sector. We have not decided this issue about our party and we have not collected portfolios. If the government comprises of larger political powers and spectrum, such problems are solved easier. We have not thought about our party only and did not concentrate the portfolios in our hands. As a result there were people who did not like our decision as many people did not get positions in the government. We have a big party and ideologies, and the people that are with us have joined to us due to the ideologies of the team. They made their efforts and they have a right to demand positions instead. It is not good when the party people work day and night but portfolios are given to other parties. But we prefer stability in the country. We first of all care about the statehood and if we are together, it is easier for us to cope with challenges. We are a country in war; every day there are shootings and Azerbaijan is closely looking into the processes happening here.
– Would the stability be endangered if the PA and LS did not join the coalition? The opposition announces that if there is external danger, they will unite for the sake of state interests.
– If there is no inner stability, external powers may say that there is disagreement between the powers of the country. If the power is united, the power enjoys the support of larger groups and it is easier to cope with external challenges.
– Why was not the PA accepted by the EDP as an observer member?
– I think it is a matter of time and if it still does not join the, it is not a problem. If they were not accepted it does not mean they have problems in the coalition. We have had a very good cooperation and I think we will continue this cooperation in the future as well.
– The second president Kocharyan was the initiator of establishing the PA party. Does the RPA exclude the possibility that being supported by the second president the PA may be dangerous for them?
– There have been many rumors about the second president but he came up with a short and laconic announcement. We can leave Kocharyan alone. I think he is a man who thinks about the country too.
– Last week there was a small conflict between the parliamentary opposition powers, the ARF and Heritage parties, concerning the ideologies of Nzhdeh. Larissa Alaverdyan, who was nominated for the speaker’s position, said that the ARF and Nzhdeh had some agreement about the Mountainous Armenia in the past. As a result, the ARF was offended and refused to vote for Alaverdyan. This is what Armen Rustamyan said about their decision.
– I am happy that the opposition powers are speaking of Nzhdeh because he is the politician of all Armenians and history. Nzhdeh was also a member of the ARF. He fought for Mountainous Armenia, due to which currently it is a part of this Armenia. I don’t think these two powers had a conflict because of that; what I think is that Nzhdeh had a specific approach to issues, due to which he won. Nzhdeh is for all of us and all we share his success.