THE PIE WAS DIVIDED UNTIL 2008

Lragir.am
06-06-2007

The representative of the Supreme Body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
Armen Rustamyan stated in the evening of June 6 that three forces, the
ARF Dashnaktsutyun, the Bargavach Hayastan Party and the Republican
Party signed two documents which mark the end of the formation
of the government and the leadership of the National Assembly. The
Republican Party and the Bargavach Hayastan Party signed an agreement
on coalition, and the coalition signed a memorandum on collaboration
with the ARF Dashnaktsutyun. In other words, the ARF did not become
member of the coalition but will name ministers and posts in the
national Assembly. The ARF will name the ministers of education and
science and agriculture. Armen Rustamyan said Levon Mkrtichyan and
Davit Lokyan will probably remain in their posts. At the same time,
they will remain members of Dashnaktsutyun, there is no mentioning
of freezing their membership. In the National Assembly the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun will appoint the deputy speaker and the standing
committees for external affairs and defense.

Vahan Hovanisyan will be named deputy speaker, Armen Rustamyan will
be named chair of the committee of external relations and the former
deputy minister of defense Arthur Aghabekyan will be named chair of
the committee of defense.

Armen Rustamyan says the agreement is a new model of political
agreement, stability, which creates a new culture, which will produce
results.

"Because it is very important to be able to reach political agreement
under any circumstances. And the ARF Dashnaktsutyun underlines the
importance of it because political agreement finally leads to national
agreement," Armen Rustamyan says. Nevertheless, some important issues
remain to agree. First of all, the presidential candidate of 2008. "At
least two reasons, I can point to. First, it is the problem of our
independence and the independent political tactics. Because you know
that Dashnaktsutyun had said to name a candidate in the presidential
election.

And it was long discussed if Dashnaktsutyun was trying to get dividends
in the parliamentary election or to build its tactics on it. Wasn’t it
propaganda? I think the agreements signed after the negotiations gave a
full answer to this question, and it became clear that Dashnaktsutyun
is a party with a strong organization and the decisions that are
passed by the supreme meetings of Dashnaktsutyun are implemented
without reservations," Armen Rustamyan says. He said Dashnaktsutyun
will name president during the Supreme Meeting in the fall. According
to the representative of the Supreme Body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun,
if Dashnaktsutyun had covert aims, i.e. named a formal candidate,
and supported the Republican candidate in the second round, it would
be pointless to negotiate for over a month on the government.

Armen Rustamyan also stated that it is ingenious to think the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun’s candidate will not be competitive. Dashnaktsutyun
is the force which can at least put up a competitive candidate in
the presidential election. He says the situation is not ordinary
because on the one hand they are not part of the coalition, on
the other hand, they name ministers. "I should note, however,
the difference is that a longer-lasting collaboration is set
up through a political coalition. And collaboration is more
flexible," Armen Rustamyan says. The collaboration will last until
the presidential election. Armen Rustamyan says this situation is
not ordinary also because "there was a parliamentary election, and
after the presidential election there are five years until the next
parliamentary election. However, the president’s office will last
until the presidential election, whereas Dashnaktsutyun will continue
to collaborate, continue to do its work, continue the programs, first
of all with the president because the nature of these relations has
not changed."

"We have our sphere of collaboration with the president we support,
and we continue to support the president," Armen Rustamyan said. In
answer to the question if after the victory of Serge Sargsyan in the
presidential election Dashnaktsutyun will become opposition, Armen
Rustamyan says he is reluctant to speak about the presidential
election. "I cannot present long-term programs now, but the
presidential election is coming up and there is time to speak about
it," Armen Rustamyan says.