Russian envoy hails Armenian authorities’ measures to end protests
Arminfo
21 Apr 04
YEREVAN
Both the Armenian authorities and protesters should be mutually
polite,” the Russian ambassador to Armenia, Anatoliy Dryukov, told
Arminfo, while commenting on the political situation in the country.
He said that it is the authorities’ constitutional duty to maintain
law and order, but the protesters should observe order as well. I can
comment on the situation in Armenia only as a representative of a
foreign country – without any attempt to interfere in the country’s
internal affairs,” the Russian diplomat said.
The current situation is a blow to the Armenian state, Armenian
statehood and to the economic and social development plans that the
Armenian government has announced, the ambassador said.
The political struggle is a usual and normal occurrence in a
democratic state. However, it is normal if the struggle is being
conducted within the framework of the law and the constitution. He
said that no-one is allowed to interpret the laws and the constitution
in their own manner,” the ambassador noted.
“I think the current situation has developed because some people are
trying to interpret the laws and the constitution in their own
manner,” the ambassador said. All this and the fact that people are
suffering are grave consequences. Dryukov believes that the work the
Prosecutor-General’s Office is doing now is an absolutely correct
reaction by the authorities and it is necessary to wait for the
results of the investigation.