MOVING FORWARD IN ARMENIA BY SERZH SARGSYAN AND ARTHUR BAGHDASARYAN

Washington Post
article/2008/03/16/AR2008031602128.html
March 17 2008

Moving Forward In Armenia

Armenia’s reputation as a stable, democratic country in a troubled
region has taken a battering recently. Although international
observers gave an overall positive rating to the conduct of last
month’s presidential election, opposition forces took to the streets,
seeking to overturn the people’s will. Riots and armed demonstrations
left more than 100 injured. Tragically, seven protesters and one
police officer died.

Public faith in our economy and political institutions has been
undermined. Simply put, we had a competitive election. Dragging this
crisis on, literally through the streets, only hurts Armenia. For
almost a decade — since then-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan resigned —
our country has avoided civil uproars and armed violence, allowing for
a period of internationally recognized democratic and socioeconomic
progress.

But after he lost his bid to reclaim the presidency in February,
Ter-Petrosyan resorted to a dangerous and profoundly undemocratic
form of populism. He radicalized a part of the opposition and guided
it into a standoff with the state, which led to the March 1 riots
in which armed demonstrators confronted police. It was clear to
all moderate political forces — pro-government or supporters of
the opposition — that declaring a state of emergency was the only
possible option to protect our citizens. We have until Thursday,
when the state of emergency is lifted, to find political solutions
and ensure that Armenia does not slide back into chaos.

The two of us were competitors in the presidential election. But we
are united in our desire to end the current crisis and put Armenia
back on track. Cooperation is the way forward.

The political alliance we have created, between the president-elect
and the Rule of Law Party, is an effort to do things democratically
and through compromise. Between us, we represent 70 percent of the
votes of the Armenian people. This is a serious and solid mandate. On
this basis, we will pursue ambitious but realistic reforms that will
strengthen our democracy and our nation’s socioeconomic progress. In
this moment of crisis, we have agreed to assume responsibility for
joint governance.

This form of government has not been imposed upon Armenia; we have
chosen it as the best way forward. This new, grand coalition will
guarantee that the people’s will is reflected.

We insist, however, that continued progress is possible only through
dialogue and reform. Violence has no place in democracy. Therefore,
we ask those who are still promoting instability on the streets
to join us in political dialogue and to help us guide our country
toward prosperity.

Armenia faces a series of external challenges that we hope to
address. First among them is the long-standing conflict over who
should control the Nagorno-Karabakh region between our country and
Azerbaijan; second is the normalization of relations with Turkey.

Only a government with wide popular support, not one created through
street violence, can successfully resolve these problems. We will also
continue to ask the international community to recognize the Armenian
genocide, though this issue should not prevent us from moving forward.

We do not assume that all of our country’s ills will be solved through
a coalition government. And we will certainly address the expectations
of the several thousands of voters who are dissatisfied; we must do
so to build consensus. But we must also recognize the expectations
of the many more thousands of voters who chose the government that
is in power. We will do our utmost to restore public trust in the
electoral process and to unite the nation again.

Our priority is to run a transparent government and have a clear
agenda, which we will announce. We will fight corruption head-on. We
are confident that with the world’s help, reason and responsibility
will regain the upper hand in Armenia. We have no time to waste —
there is a lot of work to do. Despite recent events, our country is
still moving forward. The international community has everything to
gain through supporting a stable, transparent and elected government
in Armenia.

Serzh Sargsyan, prime minister of Armenia, is chairman of the
Republican Party. He is the country’s president-elect. Arthur
Baghdasaryan, a former speaker of Armenia’s parliament, represented the
opposition Orinats Yekir (Rule of Law) Party in the February election;
he placed third.