INTERNAL CHALLENGES DEEMED AS THE PRINCIPAL CHALLENGES OF ARMENIA
KIMA YEGHYAZARYAN
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 02, 2008
Armenia
SHAVARSH KOCHARYAN, Head of the National Democratic Party (NDP), was
yesterday’s guest speaker of `Pakagits’ (bracket) club
Although the press-conference was originally devoted to the discussion
of the `External Challenges’, all the questions arousing interest among
the journalists concerned the internal political issues. Especially
when, after enumerating and attaching importance to different
challenges threatening our country, the NDP leader finished his
introductory speech with the following conclusion, `Speaking about all
kinds of external challenges, we must clearly realize that Armenia’s
principal challenge is currently the internal challenge.’
Sh. Kocharyan regretted to state that having chosen the path of
European integration, our country, is, along with Russia and
Azerbaijan, among the few states whose compliance with their
commitments is estimated as imitative and not real. `At this point, we
are facing a problem too, because if your country has become a member
of some international structure and undertaken commitments, it is
obliged to comply with them.
And that implies that the governance system inside the country should
be effective enough to solve the problems which constantly demand a
solution. On the one hand, you are required to establish stability in
you country, and on the other hand, you should never cross the limits
which are not characteristic of a democratic country,’ Sh. Kocharyan
announced.
Distinguishing the activities of the radical opposition as one of the
`internal challenges’, the speaker noted that the forces supporting L.
Ter-Petrosyan crossed the permitted limits, by implementing the tactics
of struggle they had chosen themselves. `I have said, and I repeat that
no development is possible without an internal political struggle. But
anyway, it is necessary for an internal political struggle to have a
certain threshold which should never be crossed.
In my estimation, the part of the opposition supporting ex-President L.
Ter-Petrosyan during the last presidential elections did cross that
threshold.’
Touching upon the efforts of the leader of `Heritage’ party to organize
a dialogue between the country’s president and Mr. Ter-Petrosyan, Sh.
Kocharyan expressed surprise, `As regards the dialogue, it is a little
bit unclear to me why Raffi Hovhannisyan acts as a mediator. He
supported L. Ter-Petrosyan, didn’t he? So why doesn’t he have that
dialogue himself? It isn’t as if former Prime Minister and new
President Serge Sargsyan had announced that he was ready for a
dialogue. Well, if you represent a political party which is the only
pro-opposition faction in the Parliament, just announce that you are
ready for a dialogue. I am already unable to understand that.’ And the
speaker again expressed hesitation, `If two individuals really desire
to talk to each other, is there any need for a mediator?’