LEADER OF NEW TIMES PARTY BELIEVES AUTHORITIES TO BE “IN POLITICAL AGONY”

Yerevan, April 27. ArmInfo. “The acts by the National Security Service
officers with respect to my personal guard and the driver testifies
to the ‘political agony of the authorities,'” Leader of “New Times”
party, political expert Aram Karapetyan said at the discussion club
“Pastark,” Thursday.

Commenting on April 21 detention of his guard and the driver suspected
in illegal possession of arms by the National Security Service
officers, A. Karapetyan said “the officers of the elite subdivision
“Alfa” carried out so poor detention, how they will operate in case
of a real danger”? Moreover, the detained gas pistols have not been
returned so far despite the promises to do it the other day, Karapetyan
said. He expressed regret that the NSS involved a woman-teacher into
the list of its agents. In his words, the alarm about the weapons of
his guard was received just from school.

He believes the involvement of force and elite structures into
political processes inadmissible. It was practiced in backward
and authoritarian states, he said. Probably, the authorities feel
the strengthening external pressure on them in connection with
Karabakh conflict and the developments around Iran and try to show
the world “who is the master of the house.” Armenia has only one
way out. That is, to gain time, which requires a change of power
and a close cooperation with Russia by formation of a Confederative
Union. As regards the party “New Times,” it will organize a rally
and a procession to the Police building demanding the law-enforcement
bodies to stop interfering into political processes, Karapetyan said.