VARDAN OSKANYAN: IF YOU WANT TO HOLD ON TO POWER OR TO COME TO POWER YOU SHOULD…

Lragir
Jan 9 2008
Armenia

One of the crucial events for Armenia in 2008, also primary for the
external policies, is the presidential election, stated the foreign
minister Vardan Oskanyan January 9, in his first news conference in
2008. According to him, if Armenia holds a free, fair and democratic
election, better than the parliamentary election which raised the
international reputation of Armenia, Oskanyan thinks, the reputation
will rise higher, and the upcoming five years will be years of
development for Armenia.

If they fail to hold such an election, if no step towards progress is
made, Vardan Oskanyan thinks Armenia will lose its reputation in the
world which it acquired after the parliamentary election in 2007. The
foreign minister thinks this loss of reputation is dangerous because
it will weaken the position of Armenia in international relations.

In this connection, Vardan Oskanyan says some forces are up for
instability in Armenia but the foreign minister declines to specify
which forces. He says he urges the forces which have or don’t have
an intention to destabilize the country and thereby solve their
own problems to give up those intentions. "If you want to hold on
to power or you want to come to power, there are democratic ways
for that," Vardan Oskanyan says, noting that otherwise efforts for
destabilization to hold on to power or to come to power will bring
about heavy consequences for both us and our children. Oskanyan says
he utters this as a foreign minister, knowing what complications will
occur in international relations if the election is not compliant,
and says as a citizen who and whose children live in Armenia he does
not want the country to undergo shock and the future of the country
to be endangered.

"It will be a major shock if someone considers different methods to
destabilize the situation to solve some political problems," Vardan
Oskanyan says, noting that he would not like to go deep into other
issues because it is not his competence. Although Vardan Oskanyan
is aware of the reality, nevertheless, in answer to the question of
reporters if the opposition is able to rig the election he says
yes because if there is a wish to take the track of fraud and
destabilization, the mechanisms are always found.