EVERYONE IS VIEWED AS EQUAL

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 18 2007

In a news conference on December 18 the reporters asked the foreign
minister Vardan Oskanyan what approaches other countries and
international organizations have toward the Armenian presidential
election and the main candidates Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Serge
Sargsyan.

"Nobody has singled out a duel between the prime minister and Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. There are presidential candidates who are viewed as
equal," Vardan Oskanyan says. He thinks conclusions on the likely
candidate will be made as the election will draw nearer.

"When polls suggest the leaders. Only then can we say these two are
competing. For the time being, everyone is viewed as equal.

Especially when we take into account real polls, at least the
picture is other. There are at least three candidates before Levon
Ter-Petrosyan," Vardan Oskanyan says. He also stated that the Armenian
government, the president and the prime minister are determined to hold
a legitimate election. Vardan Oskanyan also said all the international
observation missions which wish to observe the presidential election of
Armenia – the CoE, the European parliament, the OSCE, ODIHR – will get
invitations, for both long-term and short-term observation. Invitations
have been sent to some of them. I mean the Council of Europe and the
European Parliament. The minister says he is preparing the invitation
for the ODIHR.

He also stated that he hopes at least the complementary foreign
policy will be carried on because it has proved effective over the
past decade.