The secretary of “Prosperous Armenia” party faction, Aram Safaryan yesterday said that their party would be loyal to the coalition memorandum with ARP and would support one joint candidate during the upcoming presidential elections.
Answering to a question what might be changed if the first president decided to run for president and whether the opposition powers might unite and support one joint candidate Aram Safaryan said that it was up to Ter-Petrosyan and his party members to decide whether to run or not, but he didn’t think that the opposition powers might unite and support one candidate even if it were the first president. Journalists asked Aram Safaryan what he thought about Serzh Sargsyan’s announcement in Moscow that Armenia is ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the recognition of the right of the Karabakhi people for self-determination by Azerbaijan. “I relate to it normally, it is the only acceptable compromise by the international law, which we can do towards Azerbaijan,” said the PA faction secretary and added that Armenia and Azerbaijan have indirectly recognized the territorial integrity of each other long before since both the states are represented in UN, OSCE and the organization of Black Sea economic cooperation, which recognize only the ones that are legally recognized by the international community. “Direct recognition may happen only in case if Azerbaijan starts negotiations with its former, and existing independent territory – Karabakh, on the topic of satisfying the latter’s needs,” said Aram Safaryan and added that it could be a step accepted mutually, “i.e. when Azerbaijan recognizes the independence of Karabakh, in parallel we may recognize the independence of Azerbaijan.” The political stance of the PA to the issue of Karabakh is that the independence of Karabakh should be recognized. By the way, the journalists asked Mr. Safaryan why their party had received 200 thousand votes in case they had announced that they had over 380 thousand members. “These are sad words. I am ready to hear such words and give answers to them,” said Mr. Safaryan and gave the answer, according to which during August and September they re-calculated the number of their party members and that number was 80 thousand. Answering to the question how the number of their party members was reduced by 5 times Mr. Safaryan said that they had discussed that issue and found out whose fault it was.
