Presidential candidate Arman Melikian and representative of
`Dashnaktsutiun’ agreed that `corruption flourishes’ in Armenia

January 28, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Presidential Candidate Arman Melikian and the
representative of `Dashnaktsutiun’ party Kiro Manoyan agreed today that
in Armenia `corruption flourishes and the new president should realize
system changes and give a strategic solution to this problem’.

Mediamax reports that Melikian and Manoyan held a discussion today
around certain items of the pre-election programs of the candidates for
the position of the President.

Arman Melikian stated that `Dashnaktsutiun’ does not have a concrete
stance concerning the liberated territories, and `concrete ways to
solve this issue are not presented’ in the pre-election program of
Vahan Hovhannissian.

Kiro Manoyan did not agree with this statement, noting that
`Dashnaktsutiun’ and Vahan Hovhannissian repeatedly stated that Armenia
should not return the territories and should strive to reach the
proclamation of NKR independence.

The issue on the right for voting for the citizens of Armenia, who are
abroad, became a topic of discussion between the sides. Arman Melikian
stated that in the process of consideration of the law `On double
citizenship’, the deputies from `Dashnaktsutiun’ did not defend the
voting right of the Armenian citizens, who are abroad.

In this connection, Kiro Manoyan noted that in the course of
discussions, the party had to take a compromise, however `later on we
are planning to forward an initiative on making changes in the law
concerning the right for participation in the elections’.