GOVERNMENT IS IN SHOCK

Lragir.am
27 June 06

Armenia is facing a grave home political crisis and the home political
developments impact foreign policies, stated Alexander Arzumanyan,
the former minister of foreign affairs of Armenia at the Pastark
Club. Considering the grave home political situation, Alexander
Arzumanyan announced that he speaks neither as a former foreign
minister nor as a member of the All-Armenian Movement. "I speak as
an ordinary citizen of this country, who is worried about the future
of this country where my children will be living," says Alexander
Arzumanyan. He thinks that the government in Armenia is concerned
about a single problem – its reproduction.

"In other words, the problem of reproduction of power has become
a prime problem, and the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh is used as
a trump card to keep this or that figure in power. In other words,
a group of people decided that they determine our future and they
must do everything to remain in their offices," says Alexander
Arzumanyan. Alexander Arzumanyan believes that, "the will of our
people, the will of the citizens must dictate what we have to do in
the future."

Alexander Arzumanyan points to the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair Mathew Bryza as a consequence of the internal behavior of
the government. Alexander Arzumanyan also views Bryza’s statement in
the context of home policies. "So Bryza says that the president of
the Republic of Armenia can visit Washington if he carries out the
democratic reforms that Ilham Aliyev carries out.

This is another strange slap in the face," says Alexander
Arzumanyan. According to him, there are problems with democracy
in Armenia, but we cannot be compared with Azerbaijan. "We have a
different notion, we have another system of values. Therefore, such
statements, when they simply dictate Armenia from above, is worrying,"
says Alexander Arzumanyan.

"If Bryza implies that Azerbaijan went a step ahead of us, and points
to the democratic elements of the recent parliamentary election, let
us see what preceded the election. Several weeks before the election
Ilham Aliyev arrested several people, on the whole 16 people, the
leaders of their mafia, charged with an attempt of coup.

In other words, if this is what he hinted at, Robert Kocharyan
is supposed to arrest 17 people from his aides, thus appearing
more democratic and able to compete with Azerbaijan. This is very
dangerous," says Alexander Arzumanyan. He mentions that in Armenia
there are, in fact, a great number of people who deserve punishment,
but we cannot be compared with Azerbaijan.

"The society should dictate the list to Kocharyan, not Kocharyan
should make a list of 17 people to please one organization or another
and wage a crusade against corruption whose father he is, whose
embodiment he is," says Alexander Arzumanyan. According to him, the
entire government should quit, and those who quit should try their
hardest not to appear on that list. "In other words, the society
makes the list. Me and you. We must do it together," says Alexander
Arzumanyan. According to him, it should be explained to the society
that there cannot be arrests of officials chosen by Kocharyan. "The
regime, which has led the country into this situation, should quit,
and the theses of strongmen should be cracked down. All of them are
going to account for their actions," states Alexander Arzumanyan.

He believes that the government is unable to explain their role in
this country. "They have nothing to add. The system collapsed, a
situation has occurred in which nobody knows what is happening. Look
at the nervous statements of the so-called top officials, look what is
happening in the political sphere. They are trying to explain people
that nothing happened after the Orinats Yerkir left the coalition,
but it is, in fact, on the verge of collapse," says Alexander
Arzumanyan. According to him, the government is shocked.

"They are making statements about suspending party building. The
Attorney General we all know, who says that he has nothing to do with
the political party, with politics, announces now that he is suspending
the building of his political party. Look at Artashes Tumanyan. Look
at this situation. Look how he is expanding his Bargavach Hayastan
Party," says Alexander Arzumanyan, hinting at Robert Kocharyan.

Alexander Arzumanyan believes that the media are also to blame for
this situation. "Because when one reads newspapers, the impression is
that there is nothing we can do against them. But the public is going
to read it. Who are they that nothing can be done against them? They
are reproached every day. Write about it, that they are in a miserable
state, and they cannot be even considered politically bankrupt because
they were supposed to have some capital to go broke. These are people
who do politics in tattered clothes. It does not matter that they spend
millions on setting up a political party," says Alexander Arzumanyan.