Debates are needed

27/01/2008

Yesterday intelligentsia representatives held a discussion at “Mirror” club, where they expressed hope that an environment would be created in the country to organize civilized debates enabling the society make a conscious choice during the elections. The head of the eastern sciences department of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Ruben Safaryan said that he expected civilized campaign and was supporting Serzh Sargsyan. “I worked for the first president’s office, but it does not stop me from giving my vote to Serzh Sargsyan. The situation in Armenia is a result of difficult processes: new society classes are being formed in Armenia and the authorities have taken the responsibility to do that. In fact, the ruling class has economic and political power, which is a normal thing in such countries. If we refer to the history, we will see that it is how states are formed. In difference with other countries social processes are proceeding faster,” he said.

Safaryan also says that the ongoing social processes show that the existing government should stay in power to help the development and any “change of the government will not bring to positive results”. The head of the NAS literature institution Azat Eghiazaryan says that he hopes that a good environment for holding debates will be created in Armenia: “Such debate can be helpful in our country; it will help to be oriented but not to direct everything against one candidate and in favor of another,” he said. Eghiazaryan did not say for whom he was going to vote and said the following: “Serzh Sargsyan is trying to make contact with all classes of the society and do certain works, which is better than just speaking slogans. Fighting corruption is not easy. There need to be many changes. If the PM manages to create a good moral environment and in addition to the works he has done during these months, I will support him,” he said. Writer Marine Petrosyan said that he was going to vote for former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan since she believed that he would be a literate leader of the country.