FIRST ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S COMING TO POLITICAL ARENA HAS CAUSED DANGER OF SITUATION’S DESTABILIZATION, RUSSIAN DEPUTY STATES
Noyan Tapan
Oct 22, 2007
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Russia is anxious about the
possibility of home political destabilization in connection with
the upcoming presidential elections in Armenia. Konstantin Zatulin,
a Deputy of the RF State Duma, the Director of the CIS Institute,
stated this on October 21 at the National Press Club. According to him,
any destabilization in Armenia will seriously damage the Collective
Security Treaty Organization, the only member of which in the Caucasus
is Armenia.
K. Zatulin said that today the current President’s role is reduced
to ensuring elections, and his companions-in-arms, including the
current Prime Minister, assume the responsibility of ensuring
succession of the current President’s course. However, the first
Armenian President’s coming to the political arena has caused the
danger of situation’s destabilization. K. Zatulin is convinced
that Levon Ter-Petrosian’s running for the elections will result in
collision of the Armenia of unfulfilled hopes with the Armenia, which
was fulfilled not only in power, but also in business in the years
of Robert Kocharian’s tenure. "I would like this argument between
two Armenias not to result in a split between them," the Russian
politician mentioned. In K. Zatulin’s opinion, it is difficult to
say what chances the candidates will have during the elections,
but the chances of the current Prime Minister are preferable.
The Russian Deputy said that the personal acquaintance and ties between
the current authorities of Russia and Armenia play an important role in
Russian-Armenian relations, "but it does not mean that Russia intends
to interfere in the Armenian people’s will." Stating that Armenia will
hardly change its home political course after a new leader’s coming
to power, K. Zatulin expressed the hope that the relations between
the two countries will not depend on the outcome of the presidential
elections in Armenia and Russia.