DISBELIEVES FRANKNESS OF THE ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 24 2007

Arman Melikyan, ex-adviser to the NKR president, who is now running
in the Armenian presidential election, stated in a news conference
on December 24 at the Hayeli Press Club he decided to run in the
election after he had witnessed the climate of intolerance where nobody
upholds the approach toward the solution of the Karabakh issue which
he upholds.

Arman Melikyan thinks there cannot be a compromise regarding the
Karabakh issue. He does not understand what compromise regarding
Karabakh is. According to him, the territories should not be
returned but be the compromise to the Armenian refugees displaced
from Azerbaijan. Melikyan’s stance is close to that of the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun because this party calls for tolerance in the race
and is against the return of the territories. In this case, it is not
clear why Arman Melikyan has decided to run in the election instead
of supporting the ARF Dashnaktsutyun.

Melikyan says the answer is clear. According to him, the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun has been in power for ten years and has failed to put
down clearly their approach toward the territories. In this connection,
Arman Melikyan doubts that if tomorrow the government brings up the
issue of returning the territories, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun will oppose.

As to the Karabakh conflict in general, Arman Melikyan thinks this
issue has a great international value because it is in the focus of
the geopolitical interests but everyone acknowledges it except for
Armenia. Meanwhile, if it acknowledged, it would be more successful
in the talks. Arman Melikyan says the approaches of the former and
present governments of Armenia on the issue of Karabakh have come
closer and both are unacceptable for him. The ex-adviser says Armenia
needs a new government to push through his approaches because the
present government has conducted another policy over the past ten
years and cannot pursue the line he proposes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress