On Saturday and Sunday presidential candidate PM Serzh Sargsyan met with the citizens of Erebuni and Kentron communities.
On Sunday Serzh Sargsyan met with the citizens of Erebuni community not far from the monument of Sasuntsi David and during that meeting asked the citizens to think about who can lead Armenia “to become a prouder country”. “Are they those people who are leaving their friends in danger, hiding under the dresses of their mothers or in comfortable apartments or those people who are going to protect their fatherland? Those people who are ready to sell a part of their country to get a position or those who deserve honored peace? Our people have passed through a lot of difficulties in the history. Only strong people can build a strong and honored state. We are strong people. Please refer to the history and see that the Armenian people have always been strong and have protected their lands, but there have always been individuals who offered to come, get their country and appoint them as the king of their country. We can build a strong and united state by uniting the potential and efforts of all the Armenians around the world. However, some candidates beg Russia, the others – the US. What will happen to the Armenians living in those countries? Have they thought about the fact that they are doing it to justify their own expectations and for their own interests?” said Serzh Sargsyan without specifying any names. However, it is clear that he means the first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Concerning his program aimed at building a “proud Armenia” Serzh Sargsyan said: “I am suggesting the vision of wealthy and protected Armenia, I am suggesting to build a country, where the young people have an opportunity to develop and the old people have good life. I am standing near the monument of Sasuntsi David and I am suggesting you to build a proud country, which is proud but not arrogant, active but not aggressive… You are here and your crowd makes some people be confused because you are showing that they are not the bearers of your ideologies. In several days you will elect a person, thus you will elect his program and development way too. We will live in an environment created by that person, thus we shall compare the candidates and their programs. The bearing point of my program is discovering and using the united potential of all the Armenians. Some other candidates are separating the Armenians and saying that some are from Yerevan, Karabakh and others are from other regions, etc. Yes, each of us was born in a region, in our small fatherland, and all we should be proud of our small fatherlands and serve our big fatherland, which is Armenia. The Armenian society, like all the other societies, is composed of different groups. One shouldn’t create a conflict between those groups, but unite them”.
According to Serzh Sargsyan, during his tenure in the internal affairs and national security ministers’ positions (1996-1999) many prosecutors, ministers, policemen were brought to court to answer for their professional failures. “Henceforth this struggle for justice and poverty reduction will continue. I believe that in several years we will have totally different country and I am calling on everyone to compare the platforms of those candidates who are suggesting a country better by four times in contrast of my suggestion to live in a country which is more developed twice in 2012. We will direct the state mechanisms to use them optimally and effectively,” said Serzh Sargsyan in answer to the announcements of other candidates.
On the same day Serzh Sargsyan met with citizens of Nubarashen community and as the PM he promised to open the newly built culture house soon and increase the salaries of the culture field employees in July. “We have serious potential to build a developed Armenia. We will increase the gross domestic product, budget of our country at minimum twice. In 2012 per capita GDP will be 7000 dollar,” Serzh Sargsyan promised.
The meeting with Kentron community citizens took place in Moscow cinema house. Answering to a question proposed by a participant concerning the announcements of some candidates concerning incorrect campaign Serzh Sargsyan said, “Certainly they are some candidates who are behaving incorrectly and are not separating things. However, we should not answer to hatred with hatred. After the February 19 new days will come and we don’t have the right to divide the society. In order not to bring more tension into the campaign process I am petitioning everyone to be quiet and modest, but after the elections those people who are misleading will have to answer for their actions. Those people will have to confess openly that they were mistaken and apologize”