FACT OF MEETING OF LEVON TER-PETROSIAN AND MEDVEDEV STILL IN QUESTION

Noyan Tapan
Feb 14, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The representatives of the highest
leadership of Russia did not meet with Levon Ter-Petrosian, the
first President of the Republic of Armenia and a candidate running
for presidency, during the visit the latter paid to Moscow. This
information is reported by the RIA news agency, referring to the
source close to the Russian government. According to the agency,
none of the Russian leaders has met with Levon Ter-Petrosian and the
highest political level of his meetings was the meeting with Leonid
Gozman, the Deputy Chairman of the political board of the "Union of
Right Forces" party.

The Russian Arguments and Facts newspaper reported on February 12
that Levon Ter-Petrosian has met with Dmitri Medvedev, the first
Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. However, on the following day Russian
political scientist Vyacheslav Nikonov, according to the Regnum agency,
rejected the fact of such a meeting at the press conference dedicated
to the elections of Armenia held in Moscow. According to V. Nikonov, he
has been informed from the secretariat of Dmitri Medvedev that "there
has been, is and will be "no such meeting. He also mentioned that
according to the information he has, the Russian high-ranking officials
were specially instructed not to meet with Levon Ter-Petrosian.

In response to the question of a Noyan Tapan correspondent,
they refused to comment on the above-mentioned information in the
pre-electoral headquarters of Levon Ter-Petrosian. Avetis Avagian,
the adviser of Levon Ter-Petrosian, neither affirmed nor rejected
the rumours about the meeting of the first President with the Deputy
Prime Minister of Russia.

"The question of whether negotiations have really been conducted
between Dmitri Medvedev and Levon Ter-Petrosian is not so important
today. Important is the thing that the former president managed to
create an impression of special relations with Moscow on the eve of
the elections, a thing only Serge Sargsian could so far be proud of,"
Kommersant newspaper writes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress