The representatives of the Armenian authorities are speaking of the resolution presented by the head of the Swedish delegation to the PACE Goran Linbland with ignorance. Generally when any anti-Armenian statement or documents are generated in the European institutions, the Armenian government tries to ignore such things, or at least they show that they are ignoring and such things cannot affect nor have dangerous results. It seems everyone is governed by Robert Kocharyan’s idea that the PACE is not a soviet political bureau, which documents are crucial.
However, this draft developed by the Swedish delegation is stricter than any previous statement. The main content of this document focuses on the illegality of the involvement of the army in the events of March 1. Limbland and other 20 delegates, who undersigned the document, say that the direct involvement of the army in these events contains components of attempt of a revolution. They find that the defense minister’s order #0038 dated February 23, 2008, can be a proof that the army headquarters had received an order to gather and be mobilized in certain places in Yerevan before March 1.
The resolution requests from the Armenian government to investigate and discover all the information concerning the involvement of the army in March 1. The draft calls on the EU states to press on the Armenian authorities to carry out such investigation, and recommends the monitoring committee to discuss the issue immediately and include in the upcoming report. It is worth mentioning that Armenia is still under monitoring. Four days before that the co-rapporteurs on Armenia in the PACE, John Prescott and George Colombier, released a statement requesting from the Armenian government to present a timeline for the fulfillment of the recommendations presented by the ad hoc looking into the events of March 1-2. The co-rapporteurs are planning to visit Armenia in the near future and it is not excluded that they may include the demands of the daft developed by the Swedish delegation in their next report.
We tried to find out whether the authorities are worried about this initiative in the PACE and what scenarios they foresee. Zaruhi Postanjian, member of the Armenian delegation to the PACE, said this was not a sensation and there could be three possible scenarios. First, this document will be sent to the PACE bureau. The bureau can send it to the monitoring committee for information. According to the next scenario, the bureau may consider the resolution and send to the corresponding committee for the purpose of preparing it for discussion at the plenary session. And according to the third scenario, somehow the bureau may decide not to consider it. “This resolution can have two solutions; either it will not be proceeded or will be sent to the monitoring committee for information. I think there is a small possibility that based on this draft the bureau may send to the upper instance for the preparation of the report,” said N.Zohrabian. She says the initiator of the draft G.Libland is sponsored by the Azeri lobby and is famous with his pro-Azeri activities as a delegate. Zohrabian, who used to be in the NA ad hoc, said did not know anything about the minister’s order. “There have been comments on part of the defense ministry and I have nothing to add,” said Zohrabian concerning the army’s involvement in the events of March 1. By the way, the minister’s order #0038 was published in the media last year. “I am ordering the army forces to transform to a ready barrack situation starting from 6p.m., February 23, and wait for my next order,” writes Mikayel Harutyunyan’s order.
RPA faction deputy chairman Galust Sahakyan thinks that the PACE delegates have written this draft based on the information received from Armenia. He believes this information was provided by the opposition. “The situation is like they can be used by foreigners, but this is not the case,” says G.Sahakyan.
The opposition Heritage and ANC forces have always said that they were preparing and sending documents to the PACE. Documents have been sent by the relatives of the March 1 victims as well.
Artyusha Shahbazyan, member of the ARF and NA ad hoc, says he does not know anything about the mentioned order either. “During our examination we did not meet any concrete fact showing that the army was involved in concrete actions. There have been some small things connected with the uniforms. We examined the situation, visited the depot and the ministry as well. We discussed the issue in time and did not find such facts showing that any persons or the army were involved in concrete actions,” says A.Shahbazyan.
Even if our interlocutors make efforts and try not to remember about the army’s involvement in the events of March, even if the opposition is sure of that and submits facts and proofs, even if Linbland is sponsored by Azerbaijan for lobbying, there is a very small possibility that this draft may become a document in the PACE. Firstly, the Armenian opposition is not represented in the monitoring committee discussing the document. As for Armen Rustamyan, who has received an opposition ticket from the PACE, he will protect not the opposition’s but the government’s viewpoint. Secondly, it doesn’t matter how much this institutions has threatened, in practice it has always ignored the illegalities and inaction on part of the government. Such initiatives and drafts mainly serve for the purpose of applying pressure on the Armenian government in connection with other issues.