POLITICAL POWERS SHOULDN’T SHUN DIALOGUE
Naira Khachatryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
March 27, 2008

Political Scientist Levon Shirinyan was the guest of "Hayatsk"
club yesterday.

The events following the presidential elections obliged the authorities
to find certain situational solutions, which are effective according
to the Political Scientist, but still temporary.

For the country’s progress, we need conceptual solution, based on
serious reforms, realized in the atmosphere of mutual agreement.

"Each country is guided by certain imperatives in pursuing their
policy.

In our case one of these imperatives is firstly Armenia’s geography,
which dictates our policy.

Second – our civilization and cultural identity, which means to reject
abstract judgments. As for our culture, it is Christian and European
and the best evaluation in this regard was given by Brusov, who said:
"The East and the West culturally synthesize in Armenia."

Third – the fact of having a great Diaspora, those who have lost
their motherland and have faced genocide," Mr. Shirinyan says.

He believes American political model is the best for the solution of
the problems faced by our country and proposed to start the reforms
from there: "The model working in our reality is the mixture of the
Russian and French models. Whereas the historical experience shows
that France has seen lots of revolutions, repeating the constitutional
crises. Russia has also seen concussions.

But the US political system hasn’t seen a constitutional crises for the
past centuries, besides that the country develops dynamically. There
is one condition, which is important for us as well. It has got a
great mobilization importance in the situation of crises. In my view
our political and legal thought must work in this direction."

The next proposal made by the Political Scientist was directed to the
system of social problems. The principle of justice is in the bases
of our cultural mentality and must find its expression in the doctrine
of the social-economic issues. "There is such an example. It has been
elaborated in post-war Germany, where economy used to solve the social
issues. Principles, such as freedom, law and order, acceptable for
Armenian people lie upon the bases of the doctrine. It is elaborated in
such a way that the entrepreneur is himself interested in the people’s
welfare, because he knows that otherwise his economy won’t develop.

And in such circumstances of social-economic market relations the
state commits itself to the role of the so-called football commentator,
because it can’t establish the game rules it can only make comments. In
my opinion this doctrine should; also be nationalized."

Touching upon the existing internal political situation L. Shirinyan
draw our attention to the fact that there is a lack of opposition
in the parliament in its classical sense. "The establishment of the
political coalition solved an issue of vital importance. The President
is the representative of the right block, there is no left block, and
the existence of the latter would have contributed to the formation
of the pro-central block. In the near future we must contribute to
it. We must help opposition make a transition to the parliament."

The Political Scientist explained the existing arrangement of political
powers by the unique post-election developments.

"In my view in the near future we need parliamentary elections. I
can’t say exactly when because in this situation it is impossible.

Everything depends on the future developments, but we must hold
parliamentary elections and the President must be the one to head
this process," he announced.

Political powers shouldn’t shun dialogue. Those who refuse dialogues
must be publicly spoken about, saying that these powers or people
refuse dialogues. People must know about it and according to the
speaker, they shouldn’t follow such people. But this should be done not
by means of an advocacy or discrediting them but mentioning the facts.