– How would you comment on the fact that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation again initiated a vote of no confidence to the government?
– The proposal of the opposition party on expressing distrust to the government the PM considers the right of the political force. That question is of political content, as on one hand, our partners have an opportunity to voice the issues exciting them, and on the other hand, they try to attract the attention of voters. We see that matter in this angle.
– Aren’t the negative social-economic indexes, which you brought up, enough ground for demanding the government’s resignation?
– What about the failure of the predicted indexes?
– There is no state in the world, where there are fulfilled indexes. That is why there is a crisis, and if you follow not only the events taking place in Armenia, but also in the world, you will see that the crisis is a great challenge for governments, and all the economic indexes are reconsidered once a week. I am calling the mass media to cover the registered processes objectively for avoiding additional stir.
– But you were saying that the global crisis would pass Armenia.
– Yes, every government is trying to pass and overcome crises. So we will also do our best to pass it. And our citizens will judge to what extent we succeeded in that.
– Are you going to follow the ex-speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and resign to work in the Republican election staff in order to provide the most unprecedented elections of the 20-year history of Armenia?
– No.
– What about rumors that you allegedly lobbied for Samvel Nikoyan to become NA Speaker by considering his victory your personal victory?
– I have responded to this once before and your imagination goes beyond bounds. I reproached the journalist for their fantasies and added that this was a decision of the Republican Party. Samvel Nikoyan worked effectively in the office of the deputy speaker and it was logical that he should replace the former speaker.
– Nikoyan stated that he was going to be your political backbone. Wasn’t Abrahamyan your support? And how would you evaluate the government’s relation with the NA?
– I find the collaboration with the NA very efficient. The coalition parties support the government and in this sense nothing has changed in the National Assembly. And this collaboration is growing. The backbone of the government is the coalition parties. And in this regard not much has been changed in the NA. We have a coalition declaration and a serious political backbone in the parliament.
– How would you explain the growth of emigration in Armenia?
– During the past 20 years 1,2 million citizens have left Armenia but we haven’t entered the phase of growth of this number. Vice versa, the rates of emigration are reducing. Because the main wave of the migration was registered in 1990-1995.
– The statistics of international organizations and local NGOs prove that during the past several years the rates of migration have drastically increased.
– During this period the rates have dropped. The better the social and economic situation in the country is, the lower the emigration rate is. And I think this is objective and natural. I think it is not correct to compare emigration tendencies of the periods between 1990 and 95 with the current tendencies.
– Are the rates of migration after March 1, 2008 also incomparable?
– No, they are not.
– Will Armenia become a member of the EurAsEc?
– At the moment Armenia has a status of an observer in EurAsEc and the regimes, which have been introduced by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan within the framework of the joint customs zone of that structure are not technically possible to introduce in our country. There is no experience in the world practice, according to which a country affiliates the Customs Union, without having common border with it. If the products are to be exported through a second country, it means that all the functions of clearance must be implemented. That is, all the advantages of the customs zone are pushed away. From that viewpoint, affiliation with the Customs Union becomes senseless. Introduction of the European standards into Armenia will give an additional opportunity to freely enter to the European big joint market. In these directions we will go on with our cooperation with our partners of the European Union.
– How would you comment on the internal political situation of Armenia in light of the fact that the ANC leader expressed willingness to collaborate with the PA? And the PA members consider the recent arrests of some of their representatives as attempts of pressure on the party.
– The Congress leader merely presented his analysis and he mentioned that this is merely an analysis. I think the subjects, which should comment on this analysis, are free to do so. I don’t think I should comment on those.
– Having considered the recent arrests do you think there is pressure on the Prosperous Armenia?
– Arrests should not be politicized and linked to the party. Arrests can be carried out also for Republican Party members in case of similar situation. In this case no one will claim for the political sub-context. This is a dangerous trend. On the other hand I understand that we are approaching the elections and we are searching political contexts. I don’t think there are any other contexts.
– Will the RPA list be led by S. Sargsyan?
– Ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) will discuss party list for parliament elections after New Year holidays when the party will start to discuss the list.
– What do you think about the possibility that the RPA and PA may run with a joint list?
– The members of our party have differing opinions and approaches. We will not publicly come up to express our opinions about this matter as long as we don’t have the decision of the executive body of our party. We will let you know when we make the decision.