The head of the political research institution at the president’s office, RA president’s adviser on national security issues Garnik Isagulyan is periodically conducting research of public opinion on different issues and reports to the president about the findings. In other words, as Isagulyan says, the president knows even about the society’s opinion on the issues happening outside of Armenia.
Only during this year, due to the institution led by Garnik Isagulyan the president has learned about 150 issues. Kocharyan has also been informed which candidate will be supported by the most part of the society during the presidential elections of 2008. However, Isagulyan says that they are not going to discover that information in order not to press the independent sociological organizations. Answering to our note that due to the fact that the mentioned institution is functioning at the president’s office it cannot be impartial, Mr. Isagulyan said, “That is the reason why we don’t want to discover our findings so that people don’t think that the political research institute at the president’s office wants to imply pressure on the public opinion and independent sociological organization with its findings. It is the reason why we are not going to publish our findings. However, we are conducting research in connection with any issue and we are periodically reporting to the president”. For instance, Isagulyan refused to answer to a question proposed by a TV company correspondent asking how much opportunity Levon Ter-Petrosyan has to be elected and said that he would speak about it, but some time later. “Believe me that I will speak about it in several days. Don’t suspect that I will give press conference dedicated to that issue. Levon Ter-Petrosyan said that he was throwing down the glove, and now I am taking up that glove and I will discover biographic information about the dark and cold pages of his life. I don’t think he is the candidate to refer to,” said the president’s adviser on national security issues.
We asked him whether it is possible that there may be conflicts or revolution during the presidential elections of 2008, to which Isagulyan answered that all we can sleep and wake up without worrying since such developments cannot happen in Armenia not only in the reality, but also theoretically. “I can say one thing for sure: you don’t have to worry, such things will not happen. Notwithstanding, there are some political forces, which names I don’t want to remind, which will try to misbalance the situation and make provocations, but I have numerously said and I am saying one more time that there will not be any revolution in Armenia since there is no civic demand for it. As for the announcements that are being spoken, you can accept such announcements like the ones that have been spoken during the past ten years too,” said Garnik Isagulyan. As the huge crowds attending the rallies of the opposition show that there are many people, who don’t like the existing authorities, we asked Isagulyan what the outcome of such rallies would be according to their research and whether the participants would go to their homes or to Baghramyan street after such rallies. “When people say the word “huge crowd consisting of thousands of people” I always try to find out how much it can be. If anyone is interested how much that “huge crowd consisting of thousands of people” will be in figures, he/she can come to my office and we will calculate together,” Isagulyan said and added, “I don’t think that there were over 7000 participants there ever. If anyone suspects, he/she can come to my office and we will take measures and make calculations how many people may gather there. Besides that, I don’t think that the majority of that crowd usually comes there due to the fact that they agree with all what is spoken in the square. There are many people there, who are really interested and they are coming there to satisfy their interests. Nothing more. Even it is not so important how many people are participating in their rally, the most important thing is the mood of the participants after such rally. I would like to ask the other political organizations, which have sufficient financial resources, to make such researches but not to calculate the number of participants there. The biggest rally they have had was their first rally, and now it is clear that the number of the participants is going down. I have many serious questions to many people, and I will ask those questions. Why not?” However, Isagulyan says that it is not so important now and the main goal of the authorities in this phase is “organizing good elections”. “Our main goal is organizing good elections, and I am sure we will. We should keep away from provocations, which will be organized by certain political powers. Today the state institutions of Armenia can prevent any violations, and no violation will stay without the corresponding result. Don’t suspect, this is the way we will do,” he assured.
By the way, yesterday we asked Mr. Isagulyan why he had taken up the glove Ter-Petrosyan had thrown down since he hadn’t been the target, to which Isagulyan answered smiling, “Because I have never loved them, and they can’t tell me that I have ever loved them”.