HAD THAT POWER NOT EXISTED THEY WOULD INVENT IT
Lilit Poghosyan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Oct 10 2007
Armenia
Armenian Pan National Movement hurries to inform its potential
sponsors that they don’t want to guide their radical maneuvers from
underground or shadow, and they have made up their minds to lead the
colorful festive themselves in the person of the ex-President.
Political Scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan responds to our questions
regarding the before mentioned.
"As for Levon Ter-Petrosyan, in my view this man has already proved,
by his activity, that he doesn’t have the moral right even to touch
upon Karabakh issue, moreover to participate in the process of finding
solutions to the regulation of Karabakh issue, neither in Armenia
nor out of Armenia."
" Aren’t you concerned about the fact that the political power that
has "submitted a claim for presidency" in the person of the de facto
leader of Armenian Pan National Movement, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, appears
with the slogan " Azerbaijan will never make concessions and Karabakh
issue must be solved". Don’t you think that it makes our positions
in the negotiation process vulnerable?"
"To tell you the truth I will be very glad to see both Armenian Pan
National Movement and Levon Ter-Petrosyan, run for the elections with
this slogan. No doubt the results will display that their ideological
arsenal is broken up and is useless for a political power that pretends
to lead present-day Armenia.
Will our positions become vulnerable in the negotiation process or
not? On the contrary. Election returns will prove once again that at
least in Karabakh issue our people are more united and more sensible
than those who never communicate with the people and have no idea
about their opinion and desire.
Ter-Petrosyan has underscored many times that national ideology is a
false category and at present he himself is trying to make corrections
in the national ideology. But it is clear for everyone that whatever
they say considerably contradicts national interests and is not in
demand in our reality."
"Do you exclude the factor of foreign interference? Don’t you think
interested powers and structures from outside, can be tempted by those
anti-national parties and will stake on them, to solve certain issues
at the expense of Karabakh?"
"Moreover, had Armenia lacked those powers they would have invented
them, to partake in our internal political processes.
Unfortunately in our case they don’t have to invent them, because
these people anyway exist in our reality. They are small in number,
but they still exist and they are able to create hullabaloo. Nothing
terrible will happen if a foreign power stakes on them and spends
some money. In my view it will be a kind of an indirect investment
in Armenia. At least this way those people can somehow contribute to
the solution of certain social problems."
" Can the regular "sensation" that Armenian Pan National Movement
introduced to our people, the meeting between the four activists
of "Karabakh" committee, including Ter-Petrosyan – Vazgen Manukyan
mysterious meeting (those who used to be hostile rivals), influence
the forthcoming electoral marathon?"
"Ter-Petrosyan and Vazgen Manukyan used to be rivals from a certain
period of time. But we shouldn’t overlook the fact that Ashot
Manucharyan’s attitude also radically contradicted both Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s and the ruling authority’s policy. Both Levon
Ter-Petrosyan and Vazgen Manukyan have presidential pretentiousness.
Whereas from the point of view morality, Vazgen Manukyan is more
entitled to having similar affectations. I don’t think they will find
common language with each other. In case they find, it will be the
strongest blow on Vazgen Manukyan’s rating.
As for Ashot Manucharyan, he is a person who is ready to participate
in any new process and initiative, with his essence he is a ruining
power. Some years back there was a publication in one newspaper about
him saying, " The moment this "animal" treads on a place where new
processes are developing everyone runs away because of stink."