Elections in Armenia

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Decision 2008: Ter-Petrosyan entry polarizes already-weak opposition

ArmeniaNow reporter, By Gayane Mkrtchyan

Armenia’s internal political life is gradually going through changes in the run-up to February presidential election. According to political analysts, these developments were only one-color before ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s bid. It is his joining the fray that caused activity in politics and this activity was followed by the polarization of the political field, which was confirmed by politicians in their statements this week.

“Despite the fact that today international political processes are in a two-pole field, soon it can become multi-polar, changing the black-and-white coloring of Armenia’s domestic politics,” says Spartak Seyranyan, a spokesman for the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutyun) Supreme Body in Armenia. Political analyst Yervand xxxoyan thinks that two main poles have been formed – the government’s pole is Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan and the opposition pole is former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Dashnaktsutyun has formed a small government pole.

“Even among the authorities there is not that consolidation and it participates with two poles – one big and one small. The opposition, in its turn, has decided to contest elections separately and several poles were formed around those persons,” the political analyst says. What is the reason for the failure to form a coalition? Why didn’t well-known opposition leaders respond to the first president’s call and form one united front?

“It is not always that any kind of opposition can unite. There are cases when from left to right all forces consolidate, however Armenia is not at that point yet,” xxxoyan says. Orinats Yerkir party leader Artur Baghdasaryan stated during his party’s congress this week the reasons why they did not join Ter-Petrosyan.

“Not only because we don’t consider the country to be a gangster state (as Ter-Petrosyan has characterized current status). But appreciating the same Ter-Petrosyan’s contribution to the establishment of our statehood, we are against his approach of dismantling the system of state power completely,” Baghdasaryan said. “Good or bad, we have built a country that is sovereign today and in many capital cities in the world there is our tricolor as a symbol of our sovereignty.”

During the 17th congress of his party, National-Democratic Union leader Vazgen Manukyan leveled harsh criticism at the former authorities, which excluded the idea of their forming a united front. “1998 was conditioned by 1996, October 27 [parliamentary killings] was conditioned by 1998, the elections of 2003 and 2007 were conditioned by October 27,” Manukyan said.

First secretary of the Armenian Communist Party’s Central Committee Ruben Tovmasyan stated that the Communist Party would not participate in the next elections since in the last 17 years no election passed in Armenia without wholesale riggings of the results. They won’t participate in the election campaign where there is no ideological struggle and won’t declare support for any candidate. Instead, this week the initiative group of the “Legitimate President-2008” movement stated that it supports the first president. Member of the initiative group of the movement, leader of the Homeland and Honor party Garnik Margaryan urges all candidates who occupy government posts to resign. According to him, it is a precondition for free and fair elections. Margaryan’s call targeted mainly Serzh Sargsyan.

“We will demand and will force him to step down in order for equal conditions to elect, to be elected and to become president to be created in the country according to what the Constitution requires,” he says. xxxoyan explains that by letter of the law it is obligatory that during the elections proper an official should not use administrative resources in campaigning.

“The prime minister must resign from his post. But if we take into account the rules of the game in Armenia, then during 17 years no such rule was applied in our country. This is our reality,” he says. Another pole in favor of the government has appeared in the political field this week. The small National Rebirth party led by former Yerevan mayor Albert Bazeyan followed the example of former Karabakh defense minister Samvel Babayan’s Dashink party to complete a merger with the Ramkavar-Azatakan Party of Armenia. Bazeyan, who was among radical opposition not so long ago, today has switched to a pro-government force that will – yet unofficially – support Serzh Sargsyan.

“I want to state once again that we are on the right path. If we continue to act like this, as a separate political party, without having opportunities to participate either in parliamentary or presidential elections, we could not see our programs realized and realize our dream to bring a new national rebirth to the Armenian people,” Bazeyan declared. Samvel Babayan, whose Dashink party dissolved itself about two weeks ago, found it impossible to reunite around the first president.

“If we were in the different poles in 1997 and could not come to agreement in the Karabakh issue, if tomorrow I stand next to Levon Ter-Petrosyan who states that he hasn’t changed his views, how will you look at me?.. It will be a betrayal of the idea,” Babayan says.

Source: http://armenianow.com/?action=viewAr...7&IID=&lng=eng

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Ter-Petrosian Reaffirms Conciliatory Line On Turkey

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian reaffirmed on Saturday his conciliatory stance on Amenia’s relations with Turkey, saying that Yerevan should leave it to the worldwide Armenian Diaspora to pursue international recognition of the 1915 genocide. He also deplored Armenian efforts to thwart Turkey’s membership in the European Union. The highly sensitive issue was a major theme of his latest speech at an anti-government rally in Yerevan, with Ter-Petrosian responding to government claims that his views on Turkish-Armenian relations are “pro-Turkish.”

Echoing long-standing claims by Armenian nationalist groups, President Robert Kocharian said in a newspaper interview last week that his predecessor is “ready to forget the genocide and turn Armenia into an appendage of Turkey.” State television and other media controlled by Kocharian, for their part, have cited Turkish press commentaries saying that Ter-Petrosian’s return to power would be welcomed by Armenia’s historical foe.

“Speaking about my being pro-Turkish are individuals who had sheepishly served Turks during a lengthy period of their adult life,” Ter-Petrosian shot back in a blistering reminder of the fact that Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian had held senior positions in the Communist hierarchy of Nagorno-Karabakh at a time when it was ruled by Azerbaijan. Ter-Petrosian stressed that three generations of his family “fought against the Turks in one way or another,” recalling in particular their participation in a 1915 siege of several Armenian villages on the Turkish Mediterranean coast by Ottoman troops.

“My grandfather took part in the heroic battle of Musa Dagh; my seven-year-old father carried food and water to [Armenian] positions; while my mother was born in a cave in those days,” he told the crowd. “If French warships had not accidentally passed by the Musa Dagh coast, then I would not have existed and, to the delight of Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian, spoken from this podium today.”

“In 1966, at the age of 21, during a demonstration held on the occasion of the genocide anniversary I was arrested [by the Soviet KGB] and kept in a Yerevan jail for about a week at a time when Kocharian and Sarkisian had not even heard about the word genocide,” he said. Ter-Petrosian said he continues to believe that genocide recognition should not have been included on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda after his resignation in 1998. “It is time to understand by setting ultimatums and cornering Turkey nobody can force it to recognize the Armenian genocide,” he said. “I have no doubts that Turkey will sooner or later recognize the Armenian genocide, but that will take place not before a normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations but after the creation of an atmosphere of neighborhood, cooperation and trust between our countries.”

Ter-Petrosian at the same time rejected as “unacceptable and offensive” Turkey’s calls for the creation of a Turkish-Armenian commission of historians that would be tasked with determining whether the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians constituted a genocide. He also criticized Ankara for its furious reaction to genocide resolutions adopted by various countries of the world under pressure from their Armenian communities. “Turkey must not confuse Armenia with the Diaspora and must not resent the latter’s behavior because the Diaspora is a consequence of the genocide,” he said. “Had it not committed a genocide, there would have been no Diaspora.”

Armenia’s first post-Communist government headed by Ter-Petrosian avoided raising the genocide issue in its dealings with Turkey throughout its tenure from 1990-1998. The Kocharian administration has likewise stood for an unconditional normalization of bilateral ties. However, it has declared genocide recognition a major foreign policy goal and welcomed relevant lobbying efforts by the Diaspora. The policy change was underscored by Kocharian’s 1998 speech at the UN General Assembly in which he urged Turkey to come to terms with one of the darkest episodes of its past. Ter-Petrosian dismissed such actions as mere gimmicks that have only antagonized the Turks and made the memory of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians killed in 1915-1918 an “object of immoral haggling” in the international arena. He claimed that Yerevan’s policy and Diaspora lobbying in Europe enable EU governments opposed to Turkey’s entry to the bloc to “exploit the genocide issue.”

“Isn’t it clear that Armenia can neither facilitate, nor impede Turkey’s membership in the European Union?” he said. “So why on earth do we send letters to Brussels demanding that the EU does not start membership talks with Turkey or set genocide recognition as a precondition?” “Isn’t it obvious that Turkey’s membership in the EU is beneficial for Armenia in the economic, political and security terms?” he added. “What is more dangerous: an EU member Turkey or a Turkey rejected by the West and oriented to the East? “Or what is more preferable? An Armenia isolated from the West or an Armenia bordering the EU? Our country’s foreign policy should have clearly answered these questions a long time ago.”

The Kocharian administration says that Armenia supports, in principle, Turkey’s accession to the EU but believes that should happen only after Ankara drops its preconditions for normalizing relations with Yerevan. “Armenia does not regard Turkey's potential membership in the EU as a threat to national security,” Prime Minister Sarkisian wrote in a December 2006 article in “The Wall Street Journal.” “Quite the contrary. We hope it will mean that Turkey will change, and be in a better position to face both its history and future.”

In an interview with Reuters news agency last July, Sarkisian accused the EU of turning a blind eye to Turkey’s long-standing economic blockade of Armenia. "Europeans are shy over these issues. They love to talk about human rights, about democratic values but it's much easier to talk rather than to implement anything," he complained. Armenian lobbying groups in Europe take a harder line, saying that genocide recognition should be a precondition for Turkey’s EU membership. One of them, the Brussels-based European Armenian Federation, plans to stage an anti-Turkish demonstration in the Belgian capital on Friday. The EU’s governing Council is scheduled to meet on that day to discuss stalled accession talks with Ankara.

Source: http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeni...F2E93754D6.ASP

[Mos]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

comon, it is almost certain that Serzj Sarkisian will be elected, who else has a REAL chance against him. Unfortunate, but that is what the result will be, 99%

[Lernakan]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Levon Effendi And The Recognition Of Armenian Genocide

Trying to completely devaluate the achievement of our country in the issue of the recognition of Genocide in the last 10 years, during December 8 demonstration Levon Ter-Petrosyan came out with different anti-national statements and conclusions.

The principle chosen by Levon Effendi in the evaluation of Armenian authorities in their policy regarding the recognition of Armenian Genocide derives from his practical interests. Which he formulates in the following way: “Politics is not words but first of all actions and only actions.” Based on this principle the ex-president states that, by including the issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide in Armenia’s foreign policy agenda the government in power: “ can’t differentiate practical politics from making announcements and swaggering” and periodically reach a deadlock.

It is indisputable that during his years of power Levon Ter-Petrosyan didn’t even try “to put pressure” on Turkey and the issue of the recognition of Armenian genocide has never been included in the Foreign policy agenda.

Turkey didn’t give way to Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s friendly gestures and has always imposed new and new pre-conditions for eliminating the blockade. As a consequence the process of the international recognition of Armenian Genocide marches on the same spot, and it was during the power of this very government that this issue recorded decisive success. Those who have any knowledge about arithmetic can count the results and conclude that if in the first sphere the achievements of the former authorities are the same, in the second the present ones have definitely recorded indisputable and apparent results in the issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide.

Trying to devaluate the achievements in this sphere as well, in his speech delivered in December 8 demonstration Levon Ter-Petrosyan advanced the idea, that by raising the issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide from the UN tribune the government in power, in reality was trying to make heroes from themselves: “ Had Kocharyan and Oskanyan had more serious intentions, they must have started a concrete process aimed at the recognition of the Genocide, by the protocol established under the UN charter, the result of which should have been the relevant resolution passed by that organization.”

A question arises here – what do they call the policy of regulating the process of the world recognition of Armenian Genocide, if not increasing the votes in support of this issue, given in the UN and only after that making the issue a matter of discussion in the United Nations Organization?

Is it a secret for anyone that, to settle any issue in UN, you must first of all get the approval of pivotal countries such as the USA, France, Russia and other countries of the Security Council? The fact that the issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide that has been adopted by Russia and has even obtained a force of all law by France is knocking at the doors of the US Congress and House of Commons of Great Britain, can’t be refuted even by Levon Effendi.

What did we get from the parade of the international recognition of Armenian Genocide that has been recorded due to the consistent policy pursued by the government in power?

First: we obtained and in future will obtain new and new guarantees for security from the superpowers and separate countries that have already recognized and will recognize Armenian Genocide.

Second: It was during the recent ten years that the world really came to know our country and our people, and learning about our past, not only did they show interest and sympathy towards Armenia but also made the issue of reinstating the violated rights the components of international politics.

Third: The “power of right” achieved by Armenia in the international arena, became one of those factors that made our “use of force in” Nagorno Karabakh comprehensible for the international community.”

Though even now Levon Ter-Petrosyan is trying to “naively” state that only if we establish “kind-friendly relations and atmosphere of trust” with our neighbors, will Turkey definitely recognize Armenian Genocide. A question arises here how is Levon Effendi going to establish the “kind-friendly relations and atmosphere of trust” with our neighbors, when for Turkey the pre-condition of friendly relations is our giving up the “Genocide allegations”.

This means either the ex-President is so naive that he didn’t manage to learn lessons from the failure of his policy towards Turkey, or most probably he is trying to mislead himself and us.

ARMEN TSATURYAN

http://www.armtown.com/news/en/has/20071211/212169369

[Artsakh]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Jailed Nationalist Sefilian Defends Ter-Petrosian On Karabakh
From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:01:57 +0400 (AMT)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JAILED NATIONALIST DEFENDS TER-PETROSIAN ON KARABAKH
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Dec 20 2007

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian's conciliatory discourse on
Nagorno-Karabakh prompted on Thursday unlikely support from a jailed
nationalist activist and government critic opposed to Armenian
territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.

Zhirayr Sefilian, a prominent veteran of the war in Karabakh, condemned
as "slander" government allegations that Ter-Petrosian is ready to
place the Armenian-populated territory back under Azerbaijani rule. In
a statement released from his prison, Sefilian said although he has
"serious disagreements" with Ter-Petrosian on the issue, he believes
that the latter "would not rush to resolve the conflict" in the event
of his victory in the February 19 presidential election.

"I am categorically against the notion that Levon is a president who
would surrender Artsakh (Karabakh)," he said. "True, we have serious
disagreements with him on the Artsakh issue, the most important of
them being our refusal to see any document envisaging territorial
concessions on the negotiation table."

"At the same time I am convinced that deep down, as Armenian people,
Levon Ter-Petrosian and his allies are also against conceding
territories, but because they are more pragmatic than us, they believe
that the conflict can not be resolved without concessions," he added.

Ending his nearly decade-long silence with a series of recent
speeches, Ter-Petrosian has said he continues to believe that Armenia's
sustainable development is impossible without a compromise peace deal
with Azerbaijan and accused the current Armenian leaders of dragging
out the conflict's resolution. He has said at the same time that they
are now ready to accept the kind of a peace plan which he advocated
before his resignation in 1998 and which they rejected as "defeatist."

President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and their
allies have responded to these statements with renewed allegations
that the ex-president wants to "surrender" Karabakh to Azerbaijan.

Sefilian, who is regarded as a political prisoner by his supporters
and many other opposition figures, denied such claims, pointing to
Ter-Petrosian's September 21 remark that the situation is now so
unfavorable for the Armenian side that he does not know what should
be done about it. "That is, Levon Ter-Petrosian hinted that he would
not rush to solve the problem," claimed the Lebanese citizen of
Armenian descent.

The main aim of Ter-Petrosian's bid to return to power, continued
Sefilian, is to "restore our statehood and constitutional order,"
rather than make peace with Azerbaijan. "Therefore, supporting his
return to power does not mean being in favor of ceding the liberated
territories," he said.

Sefilian and another war veteran, Vartan Malkhasian, were arrested
in December last year just days after founding a new pressure
group opposed to Armenian troop withdrawal from any of the occupied
Azerbaijani territories around Karabakh. They both were charged with
plotting a violent overthrow of the government. Only Malkhasian was
convicted of the coup charge by a Yerevan district court last July.

He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Sefilian was handed a 18-month jail term under another article of
the Criminal Code that deals with illegal arms possession.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg215047.html

[Artsakh]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Jirair Sefilyan's Statement
From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:22:56 +0400 (AMT)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JIRAIR SEFILYAN'S STATEMENT

Lragir
Dec 20 2007
Armenia

On December 20 the coordinator of the Civil Initiative for the Defense
of the Liberated Territories Jirair Sefilyan released a statement on
the question whether Levon Ter-Petrosyan will return Artsakh if he
is elected president.

"After the September 21 address of the first president of Armenia the
representatives of the Serge-Kocharyan regime and their propaganda
machine lost their nerve and attacked Levon Ter-Petrosyan with
different accusations, including the accusation that he wants to sell
Karabakh or he wants to do it after becoming president again. Over this
time Levon Ter-Petrosyan's supporters have answered these accusations,
however, I consider it as my duty to touch upon it," runs the statement
by Jirair Sefilyan.

Jirair Sefilyan thinks in 1998 no situation had occurred which would
compel Levon Ter-Petrosyan to resign for the settlement of the Artsakh
issue. "I am sure that he had other reasons to resign, and I think
it is not expedient to mention those reasons now," Jirair Sefilyan
says. He thinks each of the proposals on settlement offered since
1998 has been a step toward regress.

"However, for whatever reason, the devotees of the present regime
have never considered them as defensive. On the upcoming days we
will release the statements, ideas, outlook of this regime and the
pro-regime forces on the Artsakh issues since October 27, 1999. The
purpose is one: to remind our people who are accusing Levon, who
unlike them had the good sense and courage to reveal the content of the
confidential talks. These ones put on a mask of a pseudo-nationalist
and obeyed the recommendations of the Minsk Group that "the presidents
are ready for peace, the publics are not". To bring this idea into
being, the Armenian government was instructed to prepare people
to accept these difficult concessions. The anti-Armenian regime
which assumed the duty to "process" people, led by the minister of
defense Serjik Sargsyan, used the dependence of political forces,
the military, the intelligentsia and others to make them approve the
line of territorial concessions," Jirair Sefilyan says.

According to him, unlike the present government, Levon Ter-Petrosyan
has never trespassed on the political debate on Artsakh, and in
this debate he has always referred to the government and people of
Artsakh. "Under Kocharyan Artsakh left the process, and two people
started making decisions. If under Levon there was special (but
not enough) focus on the program of resettlement of the Liberated
territories, and privileges to migrants, thanks to which their
number grew day by day, these ones did the opposite thing, eliminated
privileges, put a person in charge of it who can hardly be referred
to as human, and in a short period of time the number of migrants
halved," says Jirair Sefilyan in his statement.

He says although Levon Ter-Petrosyan does not deny his past stance
on the issue of Artsakh, his statement that he does not know the way
out of this deadlock with Azerbaijan's stance becoming tougher is
evidence that Levon Ter-Petrosyan will not hurry with the settlement.

Meanwhile, according to Sefilyan, Serge Sargsyan stated in Moscow that
Armenia is ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,
besides he stated that Levon Ter-Petrosyan comes to return Karabakh.

"I am against the idea that Levon the president will return Artsakh.

It is not true. Yes, we disagree on the issue of Artsakh, and the main
disagreement is that we reject any document on the table of the talks
which include territorial concessions. At the same time, I believe
that Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his supporters, as Armenians, are also
against returning territories, but unlike us, they are pragmatic
activists and believe that the problem cannot be solved without a
compromise. Therefore, if they are offered a way out which will enable
the implementation of programs for stability in the region (railroad
and transport), we think they will agree to that option. In answer to
the question if there is another option, we say yes. After removing
this anti-Armenian regime we will reveal it, which we believe people
will approve. Unfortunately, we cannot call this public administration
a state. I am sure that if Levon comes to power, he will not consider
the settlement of the issue of Artsakh as a priority. He is coming to
restore statehood and constitutional order. And to be for his return
is not to be for returning the liberated territories. I repeat because
this issue is not involved in the program of "cleaning the Augean
stables". Therefore, the rumors and gossips that he is coming to
return Artsakh are clear slander and a result of ignorance," runs
the statement by Jirair Sefilyan.

In the end Jirair Sefilyan says no Armenian government will agree
to return the land liberated at the expense of lives of Armenians,
and if it happens, it will get people rise against that government.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg215072.html

[Artsakh]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Armenian War Veterans Divided Over 2008 Election

By Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenia’s intensifying presidential race appears to have split thousands of participants of the 1992-1994 war with Azerbaijan into two rival camps supporting Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and his leading opposition challenger, former President Levon Ter-Petrosian.

The endorsement of Ter-Petrosian’s presidential bid by a considerable number of Armenian war veterans is particularly noteworthy given his conciliatory views on how to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Sarkisian and other Armenian leaders have long been accusing Ter-Petrosian of favoring a “sellout” peace deal with Azerbaijan.

The Yerkrapah Union, the largest and most influential of the veteran groups, has so far refrained from endorsing any of the presidential candidates. Its leadership is largely made up of top army generals who have been loyal to outgoing President Robert Kocharian for much of his decade-long rule and are therefore unlikely to openly challenge his favored successor.

Still, many rank-and-file members of the union make no secret of their support for Aram Sarkisian, a radical opposition politician whose assassinated brother Vazgen was the founding leader of Yerkrapah. Sarkisian is now a leading political ally of Ter-Petrosian.

Deputy Defense Minister Manvel Grigorian and other Yerkrapah leaders could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. Other veteran unions were more forthcoming in naming their preferred candidate to RFE/RL.

The Union Of Freedom Fight Veterans, which also claims to have thousands of members, made it clear that it strongly backs a transfer to power from Kocharian to Sarkisian. It cited, among other things, the fact that the latter was a wartime commander-in-chief of Karabakh Armenian forces. “We believe that nobody has a better idea of the Artsakh problem and its resolution than Serzh Sarkisian,” said Hakob Grigorian, the union chairman. Grigorian also praised Sarkisian’s personal contribution to Armenia’s decade-long economic growth.

But according to other prominent veterans, that contribution has been anything but positive. “For us, Levon Ter-Petrosian is a more acceptable candidate than, say, Serzh Sarkisian, who has wrecked this country before our eyes over the past decade,” charged Mikael Apresian of the Council of Field Commanders.

Apresian told RFE/RL that the council will soon officially announce its backing of Ter-Petrosian’s presidential candidature. Among its leaders are also Arkady Karapetian, head of the Yerkrapah branch in Karabakh, and Vladimir Karapetian, commander of Tigran Mets, one of the largest Armenian volunteer militias that had successfully fought Azerbaijani troops.

Also endorsing Ter-Petrosian were the leaders of two other, smaller paramilitary groups known as “squads.” Like Tigran Mets, they were disarmed after a Russian-mediated truce stopped the Karabakh war in 1994 but seem to have maintained their organizational structure.

“We won the war under [Ter-Petrosian’s] leadership,” said Lendrush Tonoyan, commander of the Sasun squad. “All military operations were ordered by him.”

Tonoyan claimed that Ter-Petrosian’s victory in the February 19 election is vital for “the survival of Armenian nation.” “The plight of our people is no good today,” he said.

Ara Khudaverdian of the Kornidzor squad also made a case for Ter-Petrosian’s return to power. “I think there would be some personnel and other changes that will lead to some improvement in the socioeconomic situation,” he said.

According to some Ter-Petrosian aides, a total of two dozen former militias are now supporting the ex-president, who was forced to step down in 1998 for advocating more concessions to Azerbaijan. Ter-Petrosian reaffirmed his belief that Armenia’s long-term security and development is contingent on a Karabakh settlement as he returned to active politics in September. Kocharian, Sarkisian and their allies responded to these statements with renewed allegations that he wants to “surrender” Karabakh to Azerbaijan.

These allegations were emphatically denounced last week by Zhirayr Sefilian, another renowned war veteran who was controversially jailed by the Armenian authorities a year ago. In a statement issued from his prison, Sefilian, who supports Ter-Petrosian despite his strong opposition to Armenian territorial concessions to Azerbaijan, said he believes that the ex-president “would not rush to resolve the conflict” in the event of his victory.

(Photolur photo)

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2007/12/6653B53F-DF08-473C-A14F-5DECE33B197D.ASP

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

VARTAN OSKANIAN: "DO NOT DESTABILIZE THE COUNTRY"

"Some forces attempt to destabilize the country to come to power. I
urge these forces to give up their intentions," Armenia's Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian told a press conference today.

Vartan Oskanian stated that he considers "unacceptable" any efforts to
destabilize the situation to reach political goals. "The forces, which
strive to preserve power, or to come to power, should use exclusively
democratic tools and mechanisms," Vartan Oskanian stated. The Armenian
FM declined to divulge those forces. He only said that everything
should be done to conduct free, fair and transparent elections
in Armenia.

In reply to A1+'s question whether the opposition can rig the election
Vartan Oskanian said, "Surely, they can because if there is a wish
to take the track of fraud and destabilization, the mechanisms are
always found." He declined to speak of mechanisms and advised to turn
to the relevant bodies.

The Armenian FM is seriously concerned over the presidential election
since it is a major event for the country's external policy. "I
don't want Armenia to tarnish its reputation acquired after the 2007
parliamentary elections." He wants Armenia to conduct a better election
to raise the country's international reputation.

Vartan Oskanian expressed confidence that if the presidential elections
are held at a higher level than the parliamentary elections of 2007
"the following 5 years will be years of upsurge for Armenia."

Vartan Oskanian also commented on Ter-Petrossian's election programme
concerning Armenia's foreign policy. The Minister is dissatisfied
with the programme. "I think the ex-president's programme should
have included new political approaches and proposals since he used to
criticize our foreign policy. But we have found nothing new. There is
not a single new idea," the Minister says. If Levon Ter-Petrossian
did not criticize the government's foreign policy, the expectations
for innovation would not be that great.

Speaking about the development of the peace process in 2007,
Mr. Oskanian noted that the parties managed to achieve certain
progress although a number of principles remain non-agreed. Vartan
Oskanian declared about the willingness of the Armenian side to
continue the negotiations based on the progress achieved, "in the
basis of which lies the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to
self-determination."

The Foreign Minister expressed the opinion that the settlement process
will be active in 2008.

The OSCE Minsk Group CO-Chairs will visit the region to get acquainted
with the conflicting sides' stance on the new proposals. Vartan
Oskanian says Armenia has a lot to say in this connection, but he
declined to say whether Armenia's stance is positive or negative.

Armenia will express its stance during the co-chairs' regional visit
in January. Vartan Oskanian declined to mention the exact date of the
visit, noting that the preliminary date of the visit on January 14-15
is not convenient for Armenia and they will let the co-chairs know.

Armenia will mark the 20th anniversary of the Armenian massacres in
the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait. Vartan Oskanian noted that Sumgait
is highly important because it is closely connected with the Karabakh
conflict. The military component of the Karabakh conflict settlement
originated in Sumgait. The first attempt of ethnic cleansings took
place there, and led the people of Karabakh to the irreversibility
of the idea of self-determination. The Armenian FM urged NGOs to
contemplate over the issue more seriously.

Source: http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg216468.html

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Levon Ter-Petrosyan: "National security of Armenia is not the membership in various security systems but the peaceful co-existence with neighbors"

Levon Ter-Petrosyan considers that Turkey will open borders with Armenia only in case of progress in the Nagorno Garabagh conflict settlement. Ex-President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan said even in case of any progress is registered in the negotiation process, Turkey will open borders with Armenia. By this way, Ter-Petrosyan will try to promote the further progress in the settlement of Nagorno-Garabagh conflict. Expressing his opinion on the Garabagh settlement, Ter-Petrosyan noted that in case he is elected he will base on the logics of the current stage of negotiations if not on the content. Touching upon the document, presented by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, he noted that this is the first document presented by the Minsk Group within the last 10 years, which means that the process becomes more serious. The ex-president announced that he is acquianted with the content of the document. However he does not consider it his right to assess the introduced proposals. "I can only say that is a phase variant of settlement and it was added by only one element-talks on conduction of a referendum, a poll a plebiscite in Nagorno Garabagh-by an unclear scheme, on an unclear issue, in unclear terms", the politician thus commented on the document. The first president considers that the settlement of the Nagorno-Garabagh problem is crucial for Armenia. The only and the most effective solution of the national security of Armenia is not the membership in various security systems but the peaceful co-existence with its four direct neighbors including Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia and Iran. He said his dream is to see the times when the relations between Armenia and its neighbors will be so that that it will be able to have an army of only 10-15 thousand people.

Source: http://www.today.az/news/politics/42274.html

REPUBLICAN PARTY DISAPPOINTED WITH LEVON TER-PETROSIAN’S PLATFORM AND ARE CONFIDENT IN THEIR OWN VICTORY

Galust Sahakian, senior member of the ruling Republican Party said at a recent press conference at Pastark press club that his party will have around 1,500 campaign offices across the country to advertise its chairman, RA Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian as the best presidential candidate. Galust Sahakian added that the majority of offices will be stationed in the party’s regional chapters’ rooms. Galust Sahakian said party activist will go ‘from street to street, from village to village" to convey Serge Sarkisian’s manifesto to as many voters as possible.According to Sahakian, some 60,000 members of the party and sympathizers from its junior coalition government partner-the Prosperous Armenia-will be engaged in the electioneering for the prime minister. Sahakian said Republican members of all-level election commissions have had extensive training courses to have improved their knowledge. He argued that Serge Sarkisian is very likely to receive up to 68 percent of all votes in the February 19 presidential election. Sahakian said chances for a run-off are very little, because his party will be working to ensure that the prime minister wins outright. Sahakian emphasized the importance of holding positive elections for Armenia, elections that will be held properly and will end on February 19. He added that their candidate is involved in political activities for already 20 years and their party has performed positive results that serve as grounds for their political platform. As for the political platform of Levon Ter-Petrosian, Sahakian said that he is greatly disappointed, as this is no program, but a part of a rally speech. In the end, Sahakian expressed hope that in the course of the coming decade the country will solve its main socio-economic issues, while it will take more that ten years for the intelligentsia to gain back the leading position it had in the Armenian society in early 90-ies.

Source: http://www.azg.am/EN/2008011601

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

“Go Armenia”:

PM for Pres offers a car in every family and medicine for all

Prime Minister and presidential candidate Serzh Sargsyan on Monday unveiled his election manifesto in which he insists he and his Republican Party know “the problems that worry every citizen of Armenia” and “ways to solve them”. Sargsyan’s election program is based on the five-year program of the Republican-dominated government he currently leads but lacks details in its social and economic components. In the program that targets “building a civil society”, Sargsyan quotes 12th century Armenian poet and composer Nerses Shnorhali: “Unity in the main, freedom in the secondary, and love in everything.”

“The 2008 presidential election will affirm that the improvement of electoral processes and holding democratic elections are already a tradition in Armenia,” Sargsyan emphasizes. He promises Armenians that favorable conditions will be created for providing people with employment: “It is work that must seek people.” “Medicine will be available to all,” Sargsyan continues, adding that the quality of medical services will be improved through introducing high technologies in the public health sphere. Sargsyan finds it important to continue to raise pensions in the future so that it reaches a level essentially above the poverty line. After the 60 percent rise this year, the government plans to increase pensions by 10 percent annually in the next four years.

“We will continue to assist in the establishment of Armenian companies meeting world standards, making investments in newly established companies and providing financial assistance to rapidly growing small and medium-sized enterprises,” Sargsyan pledges. Sargsyan also lays out his vision on the relations between the state and businesses. In particular, he says that “state regulation must not obstruct the establishment of business, but on the contrary must serve the purpose of providing equal conditions, assisting in development and reducing risks.”

Repeating the promise he made in his acceptance speech at the nomination congress of his Republican Party last November, Sargsyan says “every newly created family will have an opportunity to purchase an apartment and a motorcar,” meaning the development of the mortgage market. Regarding the Karabakh settlement, Sargsyan says “the right of the people of Karabakh must be recognized internationally and conditions must be created to implement that, the security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and its borders must be ensured, NKR and Armenia must have a shared border. “We will be willing to establish diplomatic relations and open borders with Turkey, considering that it will not be based on the necessity of giving up the Armenian Genocide recognition, nor other preconditions, including those connected with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.” Sargsyan concludes his manifesto with his election motto: “Go, Armenia!”

Source: http://armenianow.com/?action=viewAr...0&IID=&lng=eng