Armenian pro-government parties join centre-left alliance
Arminfo
8 Jun 05
YEREVAN
The Armenian Progressive Party and the Justice Party have joined a
political alliance of centre-left forces, the leaders of the
aforementioned parties, Tigran Urikhanyan and Artur Baloyan, said
today at a joint press conference.
The Armenian Renewed Communist Party and the Women’s Party of Armenia
joined the alliance of the centre-left forces earlier.
A declaration published today on the occasion of the unification of
the two parties said that socialist forces are joining the
alliance. The alliance’s main tasks are to achieve social justice,
find a settlement to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict that will be
favourable for Armenia, return hundreds of thousands of emigrants who
left Armenia and achieve international recognition of the 1915
Armenian genocide. The aims of the alliance are also to establish
stability and peace in the country, ensure progressive development,
carry out constructive reforms, take justified and lawful joint
actions, the declaration said.
Another two or three centre-left forces are expected to join the
alliance in a few weeks, the leader of the Progressive Party, Tigran
Urikhanyan, told the press conference. Furthermore, talks will start
with right-wing forces of which at least 10 parties and organizations
will join the alliance.
At the end, the alliance will turn into a mighty political union that
will take part in the next parliamentary elections. “We are for
dialogue and unification of all the forces that share our views. We
are not on the same path with the supporters of revolutions who are
calling for the change of the government, which will inevitably lead
to destruction and public disturbances,” Urikhanyan said.
He also confirmed that the Armenian Progressive Party intends to back
Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan’s candidacy in the next
presidential elections “if he expresses the wish to run for the
presidency, if not, we shall make a decision before the elections”.
Justice Party leader Artur Baloyan asked in his speech at the press
conference not to confuse his party with the opposition Justice bloc
led by Stepan Demirchyan. “Our party was established in 1999 when
Stepan Demirchyan’s bloc did not even exist. According to official
figures, we polled 0.6 per cent of the vote in the 2003 parliamentary
elections and consider ourselves to be a serious and independent
political force,” Baloyan said.