"BARGAVACH HAYASTAN" A TRUSTWORTHY PARTNER
Harutyun Gevorgyan

Hayots Ashkharh, Armenia
Dec 19 2007

Interview with the Secretary of the Republican Party Parliamentary
faction Samvel Nikoyan

"Mr. Nikoyan the press belonging to Armenian Pan National Movement
spread information, saying that the process of forming united
pre-election headquarters, has brought "Bargavach Hayastan" face to
face with "de facto collapse". Does the Republican Party shoulder
the blame in this issue?"

"Even before the stage of the nominations for presidency leader of
"Bargavach Hayastan" party Gagik Tsarukyan has publicly announced
many a time that the party will be loyal to all the clauses of the
coalition agreement and will fulfill all the obligations undertaken.

In addition, during the political session of "Bargavach Hayastan" Party
it has been confirmed that the party won’t nominate a candidacy for
presidency and will support the candidate nominated by the Republican
Party, that is to say Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan.

Naturally this presumes a united pre-election-headquarter activity. The
leadership of "Bargavach Hayastan" party has already made a clear and
unhesitant announcement about this, before the pre-election phase,
giving emphasis to the expediency of the effective and mutually agreed
campaign activity.

The rumors about the "collapse" of "Bargavach Hayastan" party have
nothing to do with the reality, but it is not a result of ignorance.

It results from intentional spread of misinformation by one of our
partners and by the way for well-known reasons. A simple task is set:
to look for, or if there isn’t, to provoke contradictions either in the
party that has all the chances to win, or in the parties supporting it.

It is a quite predictable pre-election trick but meanwhile a waste
of efforts in their attempts to set two powerful parties such as
"Bargavach Hayastan" and the Republican Party against each other.

It is well known to everyone that during the parliamentary elections
the most unyielding political campaign was between the Republican
and "Bargavach Hayastan" parties, but still none of the parties went
beyond any moral limits.

The post-electoral developments formed a political atmosphere in
which the before mentioned two parties having obtained maximum votes
of confidence united and formed an indisputable majority. After
signing coalition agreement we formed a government and today both
the Republican and "Bargavach Hayastan" parties, with each member,
feel their responsibility towards the state and the people."

" What about the allegations, saying that the Republican Party seized
votes from "Bargavach Hayastan" during the parliamentary elections,
to humiliate the role of their future coalition partner?"

"In my view any sensible person can understand that no political
power is able to utilize election mechanisms for such purposes,
especially if the conversation is about the votes of "Bargavach
Hayastan" party. Gagik Tsarukyan has already given his responses to
similar questions, still in May and June, stating that no one has
taken any votes from their party.

It couldn’t have happened, because "Bargavach Hayastan" party had
their representatives in all the election committees. Besides that
similar cases have been recorded neither by the local, nor by the
foreign observation missions. It is also a pre-election advocacy trick,
which is aimed at creating misunderstanding.

In my view, similar publications will be very common during the
pre-election campaign. There will be no lack of estimations given
to the relations between the Republican and "Bargavach Hayastan"
parties. And there is a single goal – to discredit the Republican
and "Bargavach Hayastan" parties separately and the union of these
two parties. The forms of manifestations will be conditioned by the
perception of our partners regarding civilized elections.

The coalition agreement that has been formed between "Bargavach
Hayastan" and the Republican parties, I believe, has strong political
bases and won’t yield to absurd provocations. Our joint parliamentary
activity, our effective work is of high quality and level, which is
the guarantee of the continuation of these relations.

This will be confirmed not only by the coming session of "Bargavach
Hayastan" party, on December 20, but also by February 19 election
returns.