TYCOON RULES OUT ‘REVOLUTION’ IN ARMENIA
By Aza Babayan in Moscow

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 16 2007

Attempts to stage an anti-government popular revolt in Armenia are
doomed to fail because they would meet with a tough response from
President Robert Kocharian, according to his most trusted oligarch
who looks set to do well in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Gagik Tsarukian interrupted the election campaign of his Prosperous
Armenia Party (BHK) to visit Moscow late last week. No details of
the trip were made public by his aides in Yerevan.

RFE/RL learned on Monday that Tsarukian met with officials from
President Vladimir Putin’s administration and two senior members
of Russia’s parliament close to the Kremlin. It also emerged that
he was interviewed by a little-known Russian television station,
commenting on the political situation in Armenia and the future of
its relations with Russia.

"We will develop 90 percent of our relations with Russia and 10
percent with Europe and others," Tsarukian told the O2 TV channel in
rare remarks on Armenian foreign policy. He declined to elaborate.

The tycoon, whose party is widely seen as Kocharian’s new power base,
was also asked about the Armenian opposition’s chances of replicating
the kind of post-election regime change that took place in Ukraine and
in Georgia to Moscow’s dismay. "Our president is very strong and is
closely following the pre-election struggle," he said. "If something
happens, he will strictly punish the guilty."

Kocharian already cracked down on the opposition to suppress its most
recent attempt to force him into resignation with a campaign of street
protests three years ago. Some opposition groups seem undaunted by the
failure of that campaign and make no secret of their plans to use the
May 12 elections for again trying to spark a "democratic revolution"
in the country.