The 11th Congress of the Republican party, which was held on November 10 in the Dinamo Sports Complex after Vazgen Sargsyan, was an exclusive event because the leader of the Ararat wing of the Armenian Church Arch-bishop Navasard Ktchoyan, also made a speech. He first prayed and then from the podium announced that in the upcoming presidential elections the votes given to the RPA will combine the votes given to them during the parliamentary elections. But let’s just go one by one.
RPA deputy-chairman Tigran Torosyan, who was sure that the upcoming presidential elections will not roll our country backward for 10 years but will move us forward, has also spoken about the recent statements of Armenia’s First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, which he made during his speeches. In this regard he said, “It is worthless to touch upon the teaching manner of the speech, the labels and qualifications not tolerating any type of objections, as well as the description of the country’s terrible present and the hopeless future, because our people are sick and tired of eloquent but still empty words. If some people hope that the people have bad memory, after a very little period of time they will become sure that they are wrong. One more shocking fact. In his speech in the Liberty Square Ter-Petrosyan brags about the level of freedom during his governance period. He probably forgot that in 1996 they met the people with tanks to withstand the expression of their free will.” According to Torosyan, “Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s masterpiece is the following conclusion: ‘the Armenian side’s achievements in the Karabakh war were greatly conditioned by chaotic and anarchic situations of the transitional periods falling between the Governments of Mutalibov and Elchibey on the one hand and Elchibey and Aliev on the other.’ Spite and hatred are really destructive. It was difficult to imagine that the person, who was the first President of the country and who pretends to lead the same people, can express such kind of contempt for the memory of the thousands of devoted people who achieved success and victories at the price of the unspeakable deprivations suffered by the people.” When greeting the Congress of his coalition partner the chair of the Prosperous Armenia party, Gagik Tsarukyan mentioned that they are willing to enforce the candidate of the RPA. “Today the RPA will nominate its presidential candidate and we should have one candidate to be able to concentrate all our efforts to lead him to victory. With our decision we will carry a strong responsibility for the future and prosperity of our country. For this purpose we need political stability and security, national solidarity and optimism,” said Tsarukyan. By the way, from the ARF party, which has also signed a memorandum with the coalition forces about cooperation, Hrant Margaryan and the head of the ARF faction, Hrayr Karapetyan were present at the Congress. In his speech Karapetyan mentioned that the RPA has played a significant role in the independence process of Armenia. Then he mentioned, “Our cooperation has been unprecedented during those years. The RPA and ARF have cooperated since they times they represented the opposition.” Despite the agreement made during the ARF-Levon Ter-Petrosyan meeting, by which the two party candidates are going to be tolerant to each other, Karapetyan also named the recent activities of Ter-Petrosyan as “revanchism”. He said, “It’s obvious that the intentions of the previous government are full with the aspiration of revenge on the incumbent government. They are attempting to turn the history of the country backward. We are announcing that the wheel of history cannot roll backward. It should always go forward. The more responsibility we take in the history of the country the more the expectations of the people are going to be.” The director of the board of the “Yerkrapah” Volunteers Union, Lieutenant-General, Manvel Grigoryan also welcomed the RPA Congress, however his message was read by the deputy-chair of the board, Khachik Mkrtchyan. From the “Spirit Trial” organization, Sasun Michaelyan made a speech. The director of the Camera Theater Ara Yernjakyan also made a speech. He mentioned that the RPA is the exclusive force, which pays attention to the theater. The Congress also hosted the Chief of Staff of RA President, Armen Gevorgyan, ULP chair Gurgen Arsenyan, chair of HJAM party Seyran Avagyan, chair of the “National Security” Party, Garnik Isagulyan… Now let’s speak about the speech of the Archbishop Ktchoyan. By referring to Ter-Petrosyan he said that the ones, who are trying to forge the future based on the past are only using their imagination because the past is already gone. To the ones, who believe that the incumbent government is full of flaws the Archbishop advised to first notice their past deeds and crimes and later criticize the others. Ktchoyan alerted to everyone that a very important moment for the country is approaching (he means the presidential elections) and has advised the 1250 delegates of RPA to act as productively as possible. “Is there anyone, who doesn’t have flaws?” he asked and answered, “No.” He later compared the Armenian people to the destiny of Armenia. “The past is gone and the present makes you accountable. For the future you need an assignment. Act as long as you have the time,” this is how the Archbishop concluded his speech.