Armenian aide denies ex-speaker’s statement about pressure on party

Arminfo
25 May 06

Yerevan, 25 May: The statement by the leader of the Orinats Yerkir
Party [Law-Governed Country Party], Artur Bagdasaryan, that Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan or officials from the president’s
administration pressurized his party’s businessmen members into
leaving the party is wide of the mark, the presidential spokesman,
Viktor Sogomonyan, told Arminfo while commenting on Bagdasaryan’s
statement on Shant TV yesterday.

“Neither the president nor anyone else from the presidential
administration has ever discussed with those businessmen MPs any issue
connected with resignations from the Orinats Yerkir Party,” Sogomonyan
said.

As for the reasons behind Bagdasaryan’s statement, the presidential
spokesman thinks that it could be due to his wish to lay the blame for
the split in the party on others instead of looking for it inside the
party.

“Anyway, I think that one should leave with credit,” Sogomonyan said.