VAZGEN MANUKYAN AND TER-PETROSYAN RESTORED RELATIONS

Lragir
Oct 10 2007
Armenia

Today Vazgen Manukyan told details about the October 8 meeting of
Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Vazgen Manukyan, at Samson Ghazaryan’s place,
a member of the Karabakh Committee. "In 2005 I asked, I turned to
Levon Ter-Petrosyan to meet, it was my initiative, unfortunately,
he did not respond. This time our meeting was by accident, but it
was also his initiative, because recently we have been meeting at
Samson Ghazaryan’s place, Alik Arzumanyan, Ashot Manucharyan, we
sometimes recalled the past, this time Levon Ter-Petrosyan wished to
come, and I welcomed him. We discussed some issues. We did not assume
any obligations, we did not reach any agreement. But we restored our
relations which were broken, we had not met over the past 14-15 years,"
Vazgen Manukyan says.

He says in the political sense, each continues to hold their opinion.

They even argued on some points. "Let us leave aside memories because
sometimes Levon Ter-Petrosyan remembers one thing in one way, while
I remember it in another way, and we argue. The point is that the
first thing we discussed, we did not go deep into it. I had said
that the model that Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan have been
developing so far was created in 1994. In other words, they did not
invent this model. Levon Ter-Petrosyan is categorically against this
idea, but we did not want to argue. And we had another argument over
the events of 1996," Vazgen Manukyan says.

He says someone must be responsible for the presidential election
of 1996, either he or Levon Ter-Petrosyan. "People ask me whether we
forgive each other or not. It is not a matter of personalities. What
happened in 1996 was a shock that changed life in Armenia. I am sure
I won the election, he is sure that he won the election. But someone
is definitely responsible for this situation, aren’t they?" Vazgen
Manukyan asks.

According to him, whatever personal relations of political figures
are, they should settle everything by forgiving one another, if the
events concerned were crucial to the country’s and society’s future.

"The country underwent a shock, hundreds of people were beaten,
arrested, the building was picketed. Either people won or the votes
were tampered, those were not my votes, those were people’s votes,
in that case it is a crime. Or people did not win but we tried to use
people against the government, and in this case you are responsible.

I wish from now on, it may be my friend, my relative or me, any event
that concerns the future of the country, people must be responsible.

Look at other countries. Decades later presidents, prime ministers
are made responsible. It is usually symbolic, in other words, they
are not prosecuted, persecuted, but the society understands that every
encroachment on the society, on the law will be punished some time,"
Vazgen Manukyan says, stating that he wants Armenia to be this kind
of a country, no matter it refers to him or others.

Nevertheless, Vazgen Manukyan did not want to speak about the
expediency of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s return to and prospects in
politics, saying that he has already spelled out his stance, and it
is up to Levon Ter-Petrosyan to make a decision. Vazgen Manukyan only
described Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s decade of silence in general phrases.

"Whoever the president is, he cannot tell me I finished my work and I
can go home. The responsibility that you assume as the first president
of the country lasts for the rest of your life. Therefore, the first
president of the country should at least once a year spell out his
opinion and try to influence the processes. In a normal country,
the first president should use his status in contacts with other
countries, to help solve national problems," Vazgen Manukyan says.