Paradise is nothing compared to this

10/10/2007 Rafael TEYMURAZYAN

Imagine extraordinary situation in Azerbaijan; all the national flags are bowed down. The prevailing color on the streets is black. The leadership of the country receives condolence letters from the leaders of all the states of the world. A “year of silence” is announced in the country, however this is not an obstacle for the Azerbaijani opposition to hold rallies and claim to join Armenia and become one of its marzes.

Instead Armenia is flourishing. Money is flowing everywhere, all the streets of all villages have lights (no words about how great the citizens are), everybody is coming for a temporary job in Armenia from all over the world, everybody is waiting in lines in front of Armenian embassies to get visas, many people are willing to replace paradise for Armenia… You are mistaken if you think that the above-mentioned is an unrealistic story about Armenia. We will probably witness all this after a year. Don’t you still believe? It’s your problem then. NA MP Galust Sahakyan believes that. Yesterday in Pastark Press Club he stated that in about a year Armenia is going to have such rates of development that we won’t even know what to do with that plentitude. Probably we will have to bring someone from outside to spend that money. If you still doubt that such a thing is going to happen remember that this was said by Galust Sahakyan. But if you still disbelieve read the following announcement of Sahakyan (we are typing it without correction word by word). “By the end of 2008 we are going to have quite plenty of money but we don’t have the experience we will have a hard time in spending it. At present Armenia needs some manpower, in certain cases quality manpower. I am sure that in 2008 we are going to invite people from different countries in order to be able spend that money and the monetary flows of donor organizations. We will be able to raise salaries. You must believe it because I am stating this. Previously what I have stated has come true.” Besides that Sahakyan states that there is considerable inflow of citizens to become members of the RPA and the party issues over one thousand membership tickets per day. Sahakyan thinks the political situation in Armenia is chaotic and absurd now. He explained that the opposition forces are announcing one by one to put up a presidential candidate but continue to make statements on putting up a common presidential candidate. According to Galust Sahakyan, the political forces will become more serious in November since the official nominations will be in November. According to him, people are now denouncing corruption, who were involved in it in the recent past. In a reference to ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian Sahakian said no one has the right to insult statesman in general and the ex-president in particular. "In the last analysis no person is able to achieve several great things during his activity. Armenia is independent today and Ter-Petrosian’s role in it is big," he said. Does this mean that the RPA is afraid of Ter-Petrosyan’s return to polics? Sahakyan said that he hasn’t personally said anyhting bad about Ter-Petrosyan and assured that the ANM has got nothing to be scared of. He has also mentioned that very often the price of independence is very costly regardless whether the attacks are from inside or outside. As of the upcoming presidential elections RPA member assured that the role of the RPA in the elections is going to be decisive but he avoided to definitely say whether Serzh Sargsyan is going to run or not. When speaking about this during yesterday’s press conference only said that Sargsyan should make up his own mind on this. The journalists have also asked Sahakyan about the incident, which lately occurred in Metropol Hotel in Moscow, during which RPA MP Tigran Arzakantsyan was attempted to be killed. One of the journalists tried to find out whether any other Armenian MPs or statesmen were present at the place of the scene. Sahakyan assured that there is nothing like that. He said that they play very well in the political arena not in the casinos. “Everybody fights everybody. Once they calm down they direction the arrows on us,” he said and added that they don’t consider their function to give response or explanation to every such accusation.