Interfax News Agency, Russia
March 28 2008

FOREIGN GUESTS INVITED TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION …

Officials from foreign countries will for the first time attend the
inauguration ceremony of Armenian President-elect Serzh Sargsyan,
presidential press secretary Viktor Sogomonian told Interfax on
Friday.

Invitations to the inauguration ceremony have been sent out to all
diplomatic missions in Armenia, Sogomonian said.

No foreign guests were invited to previous inauguration ceremonies.

Representatives of various branches of the Armenian armed forces will
take an oath of loyalty to Serzh Sargsyan as the new commander-in-
chief, he said.

Commenting on reports by a number of media outlets that a military
parade would be held on Freedom Square adjacent to the venue of the
inauguration ceremony, Sogomonian said the square is too small for a
real military parade involving military vehicles. This will be a
symbolic meeting between the commander-in-chief and the army, he
said.

Apart from that, the scenario of the inauguration ceremony will not
differ much from the previous ones: there will be a special
parliamentary session, the president will be sworn in, then he will
deliver a program speech, and the ceremony will be concluded by an
address by Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians, he said.

The inauguration ceremony will take place on April 9 at the State
Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Yerevan, in which the parliament
will hold a special session. Incumbent Armenian President Robert
Kocharian’s mandate will expire on the inauguration day. Prime
Minister Serzh Sargsyan was elected president in presidential
elections on February 19.

According to the Armenian constitution, the president is elected for
five years and cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.

Sargsyan was elected president for the first time. He will be the
third Armenian president following Levon Ter-Petrosian (1991-1998)
and Kocharian (1998-2008).