NEW PRESIDENT SARKISIAN PROMISES AN "ARMENIA OF DREAMS"
by Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet
April 9 2008
NY

The April 9 inauguration of Serzh Sarkisian as Armenia’s third
president was meant to seem like a party, complete with balloons,
a laser show, and a huge cake. But, amid the tight security and heavy
police presence, the attempt to create a festive atmosphere couldn’t
conceal Armenia’s ongoing political crisis.

In recent weeks, officials worked assiduously to smooth over
memories of the recent past. "There are numerous challenges for
the new president and new government and solutions for them are as
difficult and important as they will be crucial to our country,"
outgoing President Robert Kocharian said during his April 4 farewell
meeting with cabinet ministers. "I am convinced that steps must be
taken towards solidifying the foundations of the state."

With his hand on a 7th century copy of the New Testament and the
original version of Armenia’s Constitution, the 53-year-old Sarkisian
received a blessing from the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Catholicos Karekin II. The new president promptly followed up on
Kocharian’s farewell message by pledging to pursue policies that are
in the best interests of all Armenians, not just a certain segment
of society.

"Part of our people supported other candidates, and now I am turning
to them," said Sarkisian, dressed in a black suit and bright red tie.

"You had the right to vote not in my favor. However, I don’t have
the right not to be your president." [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

Vowing that his administration over the next five years would build
"an Armenia of dreams," Sarkisian also urged inauguration attendees to
"learn the lessons of the past."

"What happened should be a lesson for vigilance and sobriety for all of
us, must force all of us to work with doubled energy and commitment,"
he said in reference to the March 1 violent clash between opposition
protesters and security forces. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

Police kept pedestrians at bay from the area surrounding the Opera
House, site of the inauguration and of the opposition’s past election
protests. Opposition supporters, wearing black ribbons, though,
conducted a protest outside the State Prosecutor’s office to mark the
40th day since the March 1 events. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. During the day, numerous people came to a statue
of Armenian statesman Alexander Myasnikian to light candles in homage
to the victims.

Sarkisian’s message to MPs, diplomats and other dignitaries gathered
for his inauguration acknowledged political divisions, while
emphasizing the need for unity. "We must not become divided, we must
not create partitions between one part of our people and the other,
we must not remain indifferent to each other’s concerns and pain,"
he said in an unusually emotional speech. "Even if there is a wall of
incomprehension between us, I call [on you], let’s destroy that wall."

In a separate development, Armenian news agencies reported late on
April 9 that Sarkisian has appointed Central Bank Chairman Tigran
Sarkisian (no relation) as prime minister. The designee will have 20
days to form a new government.

Opposition representatives reacted with skepticism to Sarkisian’s
appeal for unity. "These are empty words," scoffed Arman Musinian,
a spokesperson for Levon Ter-Petrosian, who, according to the official
vote count, finished a distant second to Sarkisian in the February 19
presidential race. Ter-Petrosian’s supporters have refused to recognize
the results. "Just like Serzh Sarkisian did not show his readiness to
destroy walls in his previous activities, this time too, when he is
equally responsible for the bloodshed of March 1 and the consequences
that followed, there can be no talk about destroying any wall."

Pro-opposition political analyst Aghasi Yenokian has a long list
of actions Sarkisian must take to make good on his pledge: release
individuals jailed after March 1 for their political activities;
allow an independent investigation into the crackdown; give the
opposition a voice on television; and reconsider amendments to the
law on public meetings, which have been severely restricted under
recent changes passed by parliament.

"The pressure that has begun cannot destroy any wall, or be a beginning
for negotiations," Yenokian charged. "There are two ways to go in
all this: lies and eyewash, and the formation of a pseudo-opposition,
which will deepen the crisis still further. …

[T]he second way is to genuinely take serious steps for stabilization."

Yenokian’s initial impression is that the government is
heading in the wrong direction, striving to make peace with a
"pseudo-opposition." Yenokian pointed to Orinats Yerkir (Country
of Law) Party leader Artur Baghdasarian as representative of the
"pseudo-opposition." An outspoken critic of the government during
the election campaign, Baghdasarian switched sides shortly after the
disputed election, accepting an offer to become head of the National
Security Council. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which held
several ministerial posts under Kocharian, likewise backed down from
its campaign criticism to join the Republican Party of Armenia and the
Prosperous Armenia Party in a coalition government after Sarkisian’s
election.

"Despite the fact that this election campaign was pungent and even was
not without insults, I want to thank my opponents for the struggle,
addressing my special thanks to those who admitted their defeat with
dignity, those who shook the hand reached out to them for cooperation,
accepting the offer of building a consolidated Republic of Armenia
together," Sarkisian said in acknowledgement of those political figures
who had dropped their criticism to back his prospective administration.

An entertainment extravaganza planned for the evening of April 9 on
Republic Square, in the heart of Yerevan, was intended to reinforce
Sarkisian’s unification message. Opposition supporters reportedly
planned to stage a protest at the same site later tonight.

Pro-opposition news website A1+, however, reported that police had
badly beaten a group of young people who began shouting "Levon!

Levon!" during the Republic Square celebration. The information could
not be independently confirmed.

For now, the international community has indicated that it will give
Sarkisian the benefit of the doubt. In an interview with RFE/RL, US
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Matthew Bryza said that "dramatic steps" are needed "to restore a sense
of confidence that the country is moving in the right direction." [For
additional information click here].

Javier Solana, secretary-general of the Council of the European Union,
said in a congratulatory message sent to Sarkisian on April 9 that
"the EU stands ready to offer its support to the Republic of Armenia
in addressing these challenges."

"We continue to see an independent investigation into the events
following the elections, the release of those arrested in connection
with political activities, a broad dialogue with the opposition as well
as the restoration of full freedom of assembly as important elements
for restoring trust," Solana said in his message. That assertion was
echoed on the eve of Sarkisian’s inauguration in a report released
by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.

"If the new presidency takes the right course, the EU and the United
States can help foster reconciliation and deeper institutional
reform," International Crisis Group Europe Program Director Sabine
Freizer said in the report. "But they also need to call on Armenia
to remain a democratic state, with basic human rights protected and
a functional opposition that does not live in fear."

In a report published on April 8, Human Rights Watch added to that
evaluation. "[T]his is an opportunity to restore Armenia’s tarnished
image, and [Sarkisian] should not miss it," wrote Europe and Central
Asia Executive Director Holly Cartner.