TSARUKYAN: DASHNAKTSUTYUN PARTY’S WITHDRAWAL FROM RULING COALITION TO WEAKEN ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES
ARKA
April 27, 2009
Yerevan
Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of Prosperous Armenia, one of governing
parties, Dashnaktsutyun party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition
will weaken Armenian authorities.
On Monday, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun announced
its withdrawal from Armenian ruling coalition.
The party quitted all ministerial seats and the vice-speaker post
in the National Assembly as well as chairmanship in parliamentary
standing committees because of discord over foreign policy.
Tsarukyan said that unlike Dashnaktsutyun, his party doesn’t think
the establishment of a dialogue between Armenia and Turkey without
preconditions can hobble international recognition of the fact of
Armenian Genocide and settlement of Karabakh conflict.
He also stressed that, if any precondition is put forward for
establishing Armenian-Turkish relations, Prosperous Armenia will quit
the ruling coalition as well.
"If approaches contradict our principles, we will withdraw from the
coalition. However, President Serzh Sargsyan takes steps favorable
for the nation and the country and will never make something harmful
for state interests", Tsarukyan said.
He remembered that the head of state has repeatedly said that
Armenian-Turkish relations were improving without preconditions.
T sarukyan also didn’t rule out that Dashnaktsutyun has taken that
step as part of its election campaign in the coming election to
Yerevan municipal committee.
He said that the party has its traditions electorate 10 to 15%.
"Participation in the coalition doesn’t mean joint approaches to all
issues. Both governing and opposition parties should decide together
what to do in favor of the nation", Tsarukyan said.
The ruling coalition was formed on March 21, 2008.
Dashnaktsutyun’s fellow coalition members were Republican Party of
Armenia, Prosperous Armenia and Orinats Yerkir.
On Wednesday, Armenian Turkish and Swiss foreign ministries issued
a joint statement saying the sides had reached an accord on a
wide range of issues related to improvement of Armenian-Turkish
relations.