ROBERT KOCHARYAN AND VARDAN OSKANYAN YIELDED TO PRESSURE FROM DASHNAKTSUTIUN

Lragir.am
19 May 06

On May 19 in Yerevan the Russian political scientist Andranik
Mihranyan recalled rather interesting things about the Turkish-Armenian
conciliation committee. Mihranyan was one of the four Armenian members
and, he says, he was amazed by the critical attitude in Armenia.

“There was an impression that certain people were confusing the
society,” says Andranik Mihranyan. His next words revealed that
these people were affiliated with Dashnaktsutiun who pushed President
Kocharyan and Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan. Mihranyan says he can
understand why Robert Kocharyan and Vardan Oskanyan were indifferent
towards the conciliation committee.

“The coalition includes the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutiun), which categorically rejects such contacts, and I
think the executive stood aloof from the activities of the committee
due to this pressure. Even Hrayr Hovnanyan, who was one of the key
encouragers, stepped back. Van Grigoryan was even dismissed from the
Armenian Assembly of America,” says Andranik Mihranyan. He says he
respects the activities of Dashnaktsutiun for Hay Dat, but this does
not mean that a national problem can be someone’s monopoly.