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ARAM KARAPETYAN BRINGS OLD TIMES

05:31 pm 22 March, 2006

Head of the `New Times’ party Aram Karapetyan announced in the
National Press Club that the coming authorities of Armenia will have
better relationship with Russia. The reason of the announcement was
the theme discussed in the Club – the Armenian-Russian relations. He
claimed, `All the countries, even India will try to get into close
cooperation with Russia because of energy resources’.

Aram Karapetyan was angry with the announcements of Shavarsh Kocharyan
and Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. For example, Kocharyan persuaded the
politicians in the Club that Russia is not our friend but our enemy.
According to him, even during the years of the Karabakh war Russia
allotted more weapon and equipment to Azerbaijan than to
Armenia. «In fact, during the Karabakh was Russian fought together
with the Azeris against Armenia», Kocharyan claimed.

He concluded that our relations with Russia were built not on reality
but on myths which are collapsing little by little. Shavarsh Kocharyan
also informed that the Russian military bases located in Armenia and
Georgia are much less important than the radio location station
«Gabali» in Azerbaijan.

Hovhannes Hovhannisyan too continues this theme, «All the hopes
connected with Russia are lost, as the country continues the
traditions of the Soviet Union and supports all the regimes in post
Soviet countries and outside them».

Asked a question by the journalists «Do you mean your own self by
saying – the coming authorities of Armenia? » Aram Karapetyan
answered, «Yes, of course», and even claimed, «Putin does not
trust the incumbent authorities». Hovhannes Hovhannisyan concluded,
That is to say, old times are coming».

In contrast to Kocharyan and Hovhannisyan, the deputy head of the
Armenian Pan-National Movement Aram Manoukyan spoke for the
preservation of good relations with Russia. He advised everyone not to
forget about the political and diplomatic support which is absent in
the present phase of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. «The
countries which once supported Armenia now call us an aggressor»,
representative of the past authorities Aram Manoukyan evaluated the
reputation of the present authorities for Russia and many other
countries.