THERE WILL BE NO "WITCH HUNTING," MINISTER OSKANIAN ASSURES
armradio.am
25.02.2008 13:23
RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian signed a decree on dismissing
six diplomats, who declared about joining the movement initiated by
Levon Ter-Petrosyan. During today’s meeting with journalists Vartan
Oskanian underlined that they all were dismissed on the same basis:
the law does not allow diplomats to launch political activity.
"I signed these decrees with great pain. I think this was first of
all a blow to the system," Vartan Oskanian said.
"We have limited resource, and the loss of each employee is noticeable
for us", Vartan Oskanian stated, noting that it takes quite a long
period of time, human and material resources to prepare diplomats.
Among the employees of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, who supported
Ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, is the Spokesman of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Karapetyan and the Head of the NATO
Department Marta Ayvazyan.
As for the three Ambassadors and the Deputy Foreign Minister
of Armenia, dismissed and deprived of the diplomatic rank by the
decree of the President last week, Vartan Oskanian stated: "I do not
imagine how Ambassadors of Armenia, who are the representatives of
the President, could join a movement, the leader of which describes
our country as a "Predatory regime," and calls the President the Head
of the given regime."
The Foreign Minister noted he will not even try to find out whether
there are many people in his system that have friendly relations
with the former authorities. He assured that there will be no
"witch hunting," since their principles have not changed. "Those
who have not joined the movement, continue working. If they have
broken the principles, it does not mean we are also going to break
our principles," the Foreign Minister declared.