WHY IS ADVISER TO NKR PRESIDENT NOMINATED?

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 28 2007

Arman Melikyan, adviser to NKR president, stated in a news conference
in Yerevan on November 28 that he has resigned from the post of
adviser and is likely to run in the presidential election in Armenia.

Arman Melikyan explains this decision by his worry that the
escalating confrontation between the Armenian government and Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s team threatens the independence of Karabakh and loss
of Karabakh. "The tactics that the opponents have chosen may end up
in a serious political confrontation if not clashes. It is a great
danger, and I decided to run in the presidential election to prevent
and to mitigate this danger," Arman Melikyan says. According to him,
two poles have formed with Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his team on one
side, and the Republican Party with its candidate on the other side.

"In fact, people will appear in a bad situation no matter for whom
they will vote because if they vote for Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s team,
they should agree to returning the territories. If they vote for
Serge Sargsyan’s team, the Republican Party, they should admit that
the corrupt system will persist in Armenia. It is a bad choice. We
must try to avoid it through joint effort. Let alone the wedge that
this confrontation may tap between Armenia and Karabakh. In Armenia,
they are trying to present people of Karabakh as Armenia’s foes, they
are trying to determine all the problems of Armenia by the Karabakh
issue, which is nonsense," Arman Melikyan says.

Arman Melikyan says it is not necessary to return Karabakh to eradicate
corruption and it is not necessary to tolerate corruption to keep
Karabakh. Generally, Arman Melikyan thinks there is no geopolitical
precondition for returning the territories now. Arman Melikyan thinks
the territories are a compensation for the property that the Armenian
refugees have lost. "I think it is time to say that these territories
cannot be returned. Those are the territories of the Armenians of
Azerbaijan," Arman Melikyan says.

"I don’t want to be an alternative, I don’t want to be a common
candidate, I don’t want to be a candidate at all, but I saw no other
option," Arman Melikyan says.

Arman Melikyan also revealed his approach toward the settlement of
the Karabakh issue. According to him, it is necessary to repeal the
December 1, 1989 decision on unification of Armenia and Karabakh,
Armenia should start active negotiations for the international
recognition of Karabakh, and the liberated territories should become
the compensation for the Armenian refugees.

As an effective effort of battle against corruption he suggests
raising the salary of officials in accordance with their degree of
responsibility and to enhance control.
From: Baghdasarian