SARKISIAN URGES PATIENCE, ‘REALISM’
By Karine Kalantarian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 1 2007

Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian cautioned against excessive
socioeconomic expectations from his governing Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK) as he took its well-funded election campaign to the
southern Ararat region on Tuesday.

"We are a realistic party," Sarkisian told a campaign rally in Vedi,
a small local town close to the Turkish border. "We are a realistic
government. That is why we don’t and won’t give excessive promises."

"In 2003, we didn’t give any promises here. We just promised to work
and be attentive to various problems," he said, referring to the
last parliamentary elections that were controversially won by the
HHK. The economic situation in the country will continue to improve
if the HHK repeats that success in next week’s elections, he added.

Local residents’ dissatisfaction with that situation showed during a
brief question-and-question session that followed Sarkisian’s speech
at the outdoor gathering. "We are asking you to provide financial
assistance to rebuilding our streets," one man said, contradicting
Vedi Mayor Varuzhan Barseghian’s assurances that the town is now much
better shape than it was four years ago.

Another participant of the meeting asked the Armenian premier to help
restore natural gas supplies to his neighborhood. Sarkisian promised
to instruct government officials to look into the matter.

As was the case with the HHK campaign in other parts of Armenia, local
authorities had a direct involvement in the event, mobilizing public
sector employees and even school students. In Vedi, schoolchildren
were handed white HHK flags to greet the high-ranking visitor.

For some local people, it was also an opportunity to relay their
grievances to Sarkisian. "I’ve just come to hand him a letter,"
said one elderly man. "Nobody else has come here willingly."

The HHK campaign rally in the nearby town of Masis was attended not
only by local residents but also people from nearby villages that
were bused to the town free of charge. The buses were provided by an
HHK candidate in the local single-member constituency. The villagers
insisted that they were not forced to attend the event.