UNLIKE OTHERS, OPPOSITION’S SILENCE AND WEAKNESS NOT CAUSE VAZGEN MANUKIAN’S ANXIETY

Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. “The opposition is estranged and
is not strong, but process of uniting goes on, and what will be the
result, we’ll see in future,” Vazgen Manukian, the Chairman of the
National Democratic Union stated in the interview to the Noyan Tapan
correspondent. According to him, confidential negotiations are in
process among the opposing forces at present, and it’s already felt
that uniting of all of those is not possible. Vazgen Manukian mentioned
that unlike others, today’s silence and weakness of the opposition does
not cause his anxiety: “Such a period of time always exists before
the storm: and that period of time is called incubation.” As for the
future of the existing “Ardarutyun” (Justice) and “17+1” formats,
V.Manukian mentioned that both alliance and “17+1” union gradually
start to have a formal club appearance where people gather and discuss
future and today’s issues: “I do not see that our 2007 activities must
be decided by strengthening of one of those formats, one must create
a new format.” So, according to the NDU leader, it would be funny if
parties related to the coming parliamentary elections as to a just
process and made an attempt to overpass the 5%. “It’s necessary to
gather a great power, and I think that the most purposeful thing would
be if two camps, the authiorities and the opposition, stand in front
of one another, and the struggle was for having power but not for
having few more places at the NA. Authorities of such a quality may
not bring Armenia forward, it must be changed, and the year of 2007
may become a proper occasion for doing it,” Vazgen Manukian stated.