POOR SPEECH, REGULAR ACCUSATIONS
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkharh, Armenia
Sept 25 2007

In response to our questions, MP RAZMIK ZOHRABYAN, the RPA
Vice-Chair touches upon Mr. Ter-Petrosyan’s "conceptual speech"
made on September 21

"First, it was a belated speech. If, after being a President, a person
been silent for 10 years and is now trying to return to politics and,
what’s more, advance his candidacy and participate in the presidential
elections, he should have started demonstrating his activeness a
few years ago, As much as his speech is particularly concerned,
it wasn’t the speech of a self-confident politician; it was a range
of blasphemies addressed to the authorities. After all, the country
has developed for 10 years, whereas you have merely looked upon the
things as an observer. And what’s more, without saying anything new;
just reiterating what the Opposition has been speaking about for 7
years, i.e. that we are corrupted, we are criminals, we do not solve
social problems etc.

I would say even more; it wasn’t the speech of an activist submitting
a claim for presidency; I haven’t made up my mind, I am weighing and
measuring the things… But what has he been doing for 10 years. In my
opinion, it is rather the ‘team’ that wants to present itself to the
public. I have been engaged in party-political activity since 1990,
and I know well what it is to stay on the political arena and not
to sink. It is an every-day active work inside political, party and
local structures."

"A thick layer of society used to demand that authorities make
a political and legal assessment on the regime of the Armenian
pan-National Movement. That wasn’t done, and now the same Ter-Petrosyan
acts from the positions of an accuser."

"I have to agree with you. When the Government changed after
Mr. Ter-Petrosyan’s resignation, R. Kocharyan was elected a President
and a new Government was formed, we refrained from assessing the
former Government. On the contrary, we were also trying to specify the
positive steps made, because we found the first years of independence
a very hard time-period in the country’s life, and whoever were in
Government would face difficulties.

On the other hand, we didn’t want to pursue the way of polarizing
and separating society and dividing it into ‘old and new’ activists.

We tried to pass that stage as swiftly as possible, and a number of
political factions in society protested for some time, expressing
dissatisfaction that no assessment was being made on the ‘cold and
dark’ days of the ’90s, on the burgled industrial enterprises and
the people’s savings reduced to naught in the banks.

But today, the first President comes and begins to give us a ‘political
assessment’. If we try to give assessment to the ‘former’ authorities,
I assure you that they will be no good."

"There was a logical statement of question made with regard to
Mr. Ter-Petrosyan’s return: apart from ceding Karabakh, what are
the purposes of his return? It turned out that he is returning with
the slogan of ‘disorganizing and dismantling’ the system. How do you
estimate the ex-President’s potentials in this sphere, considering
the attempt of the Armenian pan-National movement to "dismantle"
the economy inherited from Soviet Armenia?"

"It should be mentioned that his statement was quite to the point,
because the system that existed during the years when they were in
power was totally disorganized and dismantled. I don’t want to sing
the praises of the Soviet economy, but it was a basis allowing for
a slow, however, goal-oriented transition from socialism to liberal
economy. Not immediately, as their Prime Minister used to say, with
the help of the shock therapy and wild liberalism policy, as a result
of which the economy collapsed, the factories were burgled and the
production halted.

The thing is that there was a real economic development in Armenia
beginning 1998 and, especially, after 2000. And this is not our
assessment; after all, there is an international community, there is
a World Bank and an International Currency Fund which are ex officio
called to give evaluation to all this, and they do evaluate the
developments that have taken place in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and
the other post-Soviet countries. And Armenia does not absolutely rank
as the last country. Moreover, as a country not having oil and gas,
it ranks on the top positions."

"Can the speech made in ‘Armenia-Marriott’ hotel be considered a
promising start for a political faction intending to return to active
politics and to recover its losses?"

"The start is really far from being impressive. Moreover, it wasn’t
serious. Being generous, we are not going to remind about the events
of the past, with propagandist considerations. If the matter goes so
far that they begin to accuse, criticize and abuse our candidate, we
will have to remind them of what happened under their rule. Especially,
considering that the people have not yet forgotten it."