HRANT MARGARIAN: "TODAY EVERYBODY, INCLUDING AZERBAIJAN CONFESS THAT KARABAKH HAS NOT BEEN AND CAN NOT BE A PART OF AZERBAIJAN"
Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. "The ARF Dashnaktsutiun is a
national party, but has no relation with chauvinism and movements
rousing national conflicts." Hrant Margarian, a representative of
the ARF Dashnaktsutiun Bureau made such a statement on December 14,
in Gyumri, at the event dedicated to the 116th anniversary of the
party. "For us maximalistic and at the same time defeatist approaches
in national issues are inadmissible. To take under care the national
rights does not mean to feel enmity towards other peoples. We are
the masters of our people’s rights, but also for us, the independent
Republic of Armenia is the main argument for the goals pursued
by us," the speaker emphasized. In H.Margarian’s words, there is
no other Armenian organization which, like the ARF Dashnaktsutiun,
involves in itself all the sectors of the Armenian people. "It is not
accidental that it is only the ARF Dashnaktsutiun that is present with
its organization structure and activity both in Fatherland and in,
so called, classic and Soviet Diaspora, and this reality is not at
all a consequence of historic events," the ARF Bureau representative
mentioned.
The ARF representative also touched upon the ARF achivements after the
1998 power shift in Armenia. "They wanted to assure us till 1998, that
the Karabakh issue is the Karabakh people’s problem. Today everybody,
including Azerbaijan, made sure and confess that Karabakh has not been
and can not be a part of Azerbaijan. The Armenian Genocide issue was
considered the problem of the Diaspora till 1988, and the authorities
refused to make it an issue on agenda of the foreign policy of Armenia,
and after the power shift, the Genocide issue became a part of the
RA foreign policy. The Armenian Diaspora was estimated till 1998 as a
collectivity of "ones eating oranges." Today the attitude towards the
Diaspora has been changed," H.Margarian emphasized. The ARF Bureau
representative also touched upon the role of the Armenian Diaspora:
"The Diaspora makes a part of the Armenian statehood and the Armenian
force. The RA is the Fatherland of the Diasporan Armenians as well,
towards which they have obligations and responsibilities, and the
native state, in its turn, has obligations and responsibility towards
the Diaspora," Hrant Margarian stated.