OPPOSITION’S MODUS OPERANDI AFFECT COUNTRY’S IMAGE, PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN SAYS
ArmenPress
May 21 2004
YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS: In a televised appearance on May 20
evening Armenian president Robert Kocharian described his recent
visit to Moscow as “very effective and fruitful,” saying a variety of
key issues of bilateral relations topped the agenda of his meetings.
“During my talks new issues came to the foreground and the meetings
took even more time than previously scheduled,” he said.
Kocharian said he has invited Russia’s president Vladimir Putin to
pay an official visit to Yerevan, the date of which is being now
considered. Armenia’s president said also one of the subjects of his
talks with Putin were Armenia’s domestic developments. “Putin was
well-informed about the recent developments here, expressing his
concern and rendering his full support to the incumbent Armenian
authorities,” he said.
“Moscow’s attitude to any development in Armenia that is aimed at
weakening its positions is very negative. The reason is that a weak
Armenia, weak Armenian authorities may be prone to other influences,
which does not stem from the interests of our bilateral relationship,
since Armenia is Russia’s strategic ally in the region and that is
why all developments that can cause such problems are viewed as a
threat to bilateral relations,” Kocharian said.
Referring to his recent visits abroad when Armenia’s foreign partners
were eager to learn what the opposition wants, president Kocharian
said: “They all asked what the opposition wants, saying that they
could not make out from reports what its goal was. This brings in
some elements of carelessness, which is not positive in general. The
street campaign of the opposition is not taken seriously abroad,”
Kocharian, adding that he was not happy about it at all.
“Opposition is part of Armenia’s political system and when the attitude
towards its is unclear, this extends also on the whole country. It
is here where the opposition should feel the responsibility for
the country, as apart from the authorities, it too has to build its
international image,” Kocharian said, adding that unfortunately the
opposition has devaluated by its way of acting what is perceived as
‘opposition.’