Wednesday, March 12 2014

 

Mr. Vice-Speaker, how do you assess
the domestic political situation created in Armenia?

 

The situation is ordinary – the
opposition has been criticizing the authorities, but the latter have been
trying to work normally. Finally, this is not the first spring that starts by
the opposition rallies. So, everything is natural. But I think that this time
the opposition made a false start, as they themselves understand very well that
no serious political processes will happen in Armenia before the regular parliamentary
election in 2017. The normal political strategy supposes participation of
political forces in the elections and making changes by means elections. For
instance, local government election are being held in Armenia at present. The RPA has gained a
victory in the major part of cases. The Prosperous Armenian Party has gained
victory in several regions and ARFD gained a victory only in one region. As for
the Armenian National Congress, it has not taken part in the election at all. It speaks for
itself.

 

So, you think that the domestic political situation in
Armenia is calm and one should not wait for any extraordinary processes. What
can you say about the activeness of the civilian sector because of the public
dissatisfaction with the last steps of the government?

 

I think that in this context as well
the situation has been developing naturally. Armenia is a democratic country
and civilians have a right to express their viewpoint about any problem and
choose any constitutional ways for doing that.

 

What will be the result of the cooperation of the four
non-coalition parties (Armenian National Congress, Prosperous Armenia Party,
ARFD and Heritage Party)?

 

If you remember, these four forces
consolidate from time to time during the parliamentary elections and after
them, but this consolidation has given no special result. I think that the
agenda put forward by these political forces today is artificial. If there is a
need to replace the government, the president together with the ruling majority
will do that without waiting for the advice of the opposition. All over the
world the government is appointed and dissolved by the leadership of the
country.

 

At the latest rally of the opposition, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, the leader of the Armenian National Congress, the first
President of Armenia, compared the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party,
businessman-parliamentarian Gagik Tsarukyan with the head of Georgian Dream
Bidzina Ivanishvili. Do you consider that comparison to be relevant? Are there
any local Ivanishvilis in the political field of Armenia?  

 

I think Armenia has no Ivanishvili
of its own.

 

How do you assess the factor of the second president of
Armenia in the ongoing domestic political processes given Robert Kocharyan’s
recent interviews and the fact that for the first time Head of Kocharyan’s
Office Viktor Soghomonyan has not denied the second president’s possible return
to the mainstream politics?   

 

Our party has never held any debates
on possible return of Robert Kocharyan to the mainstream politics. Our party
continues its programs regardless of certain politicians’ plans. 

 

Mr. Sharmazanov, according to the latest media reports,
the draft constitutional reforms, which are currently being prepared, aim to
ensure Serzh Sargsyan’s power retention after his second term of presidency, i.e.
the document envisages the republic’s transition to a parliamentary government,
where the Prime Minister will have the main power. According to the same media
reports, Serzh Sargsyan is planning to become a Prime Minister after 2018. How
would you comment on this?    

 

I do not think it is tactful to
assess the document, which is still being elaborated and has not been published
yet.

 

Do you think the Customs Union will
be accomplished without Ukraine?

 

The consequences of the current
developments in Ukraine are unpredictable. Armenia only wants all the processes
in that country to go on peacefully, without any radical display. As regards
the Customs Union, I do not think that the structure will not be accomplished
without Ukraine. I think that Armenia will become a Customs Union member in
2014. 

 

Mr.Sharmazanov, many experts have recently started
drawing parallels between the Crimea and Nagorno-Karabakh. They say that the
possible self-determination of the peninsula through a referendum may become a
precedent for Karabakh. What’s your opinion of that? 

 

The grounds of Nagorno-Karabakh’s
self-determination are very strong and one should not look for precedents in
this context. As regards the Crimean referendum, it had precedents such as
Abkhazia, Ossetia, and East Timor. In general, the principle of peoples’ right
to self-determination tends to prevail today throughout the world. The ongoing
processes in Europe are direct evidence of that. For the moment, Europe is
experiencing two parallel processes of self-determination: Catalonia is trying
to get separated from Spain and Scotland - from Great Britain. It says it all.