FOUR ARMENIAN MPS DENY JOINING OPPOSITION
by Margarit Yesayan’s

Aravot
Feb 26 2008
Armenia

We are not to go from one camp to another and

Four out of seven MPs announce that they were with Serzh Sargsyan
and continue to stay by his side

During a rally last Friday [22 February] MP Miasnik Malkhasyan
announced that seven MPs – Manvel Ghazaryan, ArmenMkhitaryan, Hrant
Grigoryan, and Seyran Saroyan of the [ruling] Republican Party of
Armenia faction, as well as KaroKarapetyan and Tigran Stepanyan of the
Prosperous Armenia Party, and an independent MP, Rustam Gasparyan –
had joined[former Armenian President Levon] Ter-Petrosyan.

Yesterday, out of the abovementioned persons Seyran Saroyan,
ManvelGhazaryan and Rustam Gasparyan did not come to the parliament
and did not answer phone calls. Instead their othercolleagues have
answered Aravot daily’s questions.

Armen Mkhitaryan (the Republican Party of Armenia): "We have
announced that we are with the people and continue to be by the
people’s side. Our words are being interpreted in different ways,
but no-one has the right todisseminate lies on our behalf. We want
everything to pass off normally, we want no bloodshed."

Mkhitaryan was unwell yesterday and the conversation was held on
the phone.

Hrant Grigoryan (the Republican Party of Armenia)

[Correspondent] Is it true that you have joined Levon Ter-Petrosyan?

[Grigoryan] Of course, it is not true. No-one, especially Levon
[Ter-Petrosyan] and Miasnik [Malkhasyan], has theright to make
statements on my behalf, as if I had joined them. I have not quit
the Republican Party of Armenia and haveno intention to do so.

[Correspondent] Why was your name mentioned among those who have
quit? Was it because of Gen Manvel Grigoryan?(Editor’s note: The
general is the MP’s uncle.) [Manvel Grigoryan is a deputy defence
minister who was allegedto have joined the opposition, which was
denied later.]

[Grigoryan] No, the general is in his place, there are no problems
related to him. Simply, Manvel Ghazaryan must havecalled upon people:
Dear people, we call upon you to be calm, to go home, this issue
needs to be solved in a peacefulway. This was what needed to be said.

I repeat that I gave no right either to Levon or to Miasnik to make
statements on my behalf, as if I had joined him. The proof of my
words is that on 19 February, on the election day, [Republican Party
candidate] Serzh Sargsyan won in electoral precinct No 30, for which
I was responsible, and it could not have beenanother way. No-one has
the right today to doubt my honesty, moreover my faction colleagues,
if someone doubts, let themcheck the results at their precinct and
at mine as well.

[Correspondent] Who do you mean specifically?

[Grigoryan] All those who can think that I played a double game or
had an intention to support Levon, I made mychoice on 19 February and
said my word. We backed Serzh Sargsyan, and now I do not understand
when they say that theybacked Ter-Petrosyan, if we really backed him,
we would have done this on 19 February and not on the 24th or 23rd.

Karo Karapetyan (the Prosperous Armenia party)

[Correspondent] Were you in the list of the people who joined
Ter-Petrosyan?

[Karapetyan] I do not understand who provides this information, what
Levon says by himself, or what Miasnik says. No such thing exits,
I am from the Prosperous Armenia party [which is a member of the
governing coalition], I am a memberof the Prosperous Armenia party, I
backed Serzh Sargsyan and will back him today, and 78 per cent of our
village votedfor Sargsyan – 2,000 people in all. I can tell one thing
only, what Manvel [Ghazaryan] said was let’s announce thatwe are by
the side of the people, so that the people disperse. So we announced
that – people, we are your supporters, gohome, this issue will be
solved peacefully. I cannot tell what Levon Ter-Petrosyan said himself.

Our faction held a session before the election and the chairman of
our party, Gagik Tsarukyan, clearly announced thatwe support Serzh
Sargsyan, and we supported Serzh Sargsyan. Today if Levon says that
some members of the ProsperousArmenia Party have come and joined
them, let them say who specifically. No such thing exists in reality,
it suits themto cheat people.

Tigran Stepanyan (the Prosperous Armenia party)

[Correspondent] Your name was also in the list of the people who
joined Ter-Petrosyan.

[Stepanyan] Not only our names were mentioned, the names of many people
were announced, which does not correspond to reality. We have denied,
this did not happen; we have always backed Serzh Sargsyan.

I am responsible for electoral precinct No 16, I am the head of Serzh
Sargsyan’s campaign headquarters, and Irepeat that no complaints
were submitted to us, the election was fair and Serzh Sargsyan was
elected. We have proved whowe are, we are not the ones who go from
one camp to another.