ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION COMES OUT OF THE POLITICAL COALITION
ARMENPRESS
April 28, 2009
Yerevan
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) declares about the
suspension of its participation in the political coalition. With
this statement the representatives of ARF party come out of all the
political and concept offices. During April 27 press conference the
representative of ARF highest body Armen Rustamian officially informed
about this.
The ARF reasoned such a step by "insuperable principle discord"
which arouse over the foreign political line and is connected with
"the adoption of a joint statement on the eve of April 24 by Armenian
and Turkish foreign ministers within the context of anti-Armenian
preconditions of Turkish authorities".
"We have always been sure that one of the directions of country’s
national security strategy is the general recognition and condemnation
of the Armenian Genocide, particularly by Turkey. This has been
regarded not only within the context of restoration of historical
justice but also within the improvement of the atmosphere of mutual
trust in the region and prevention of such crimes in the future", –
the ARF’s April 27 statement says.
A. Rustamian informed that on Saturday they met with the Armenian
President Serzh Sargsian and discussed the established situation. The
Armenian President noted that he will continue the present political
line of development of relations between Armenia and Turkey and
at the same time assured that he will not allow conditioning the
Armenian-Turkish relations by the regulation of Nagorno Karabakh
issue nor will the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide
be speculated.
S. Sargsian denied the five points of the "roadmap" which are in
circulation in the Turkish press. But A. Rustamian noted that the
discords are insuperable and functioning through the coalition format
the ARF can no more implement the issues and aims which are considered
to be the main line of the Party. He noted that being an opposition
does not mean not to support the authorities in numerous issues.
According to the representative of ARF highest body the Armenian
foreign policy in fact consists of two most important issues –
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and regulation of Nagorno
Karabakh issue. In this context he stressed the importance of
correct juxtaposing of national and state interests. According to
A. Rustamian recognition of the Armenian Genocide must be implemented
in two parallel directions – international and Turkish recognition,
but we must not allow one process to be replaced by the other.
"Turkey dreams of suspending the international process of recognition
of the Armenian Genocide and transporting it to a field of bilateral
relations. Turkey has never refused to speak in a language of
preconditions and only changes the character of these preconditions:
if formerly it was through deadlines now it functions with a mask",
– the representative of ARF highest body noted.
Expressing the ARF position on the Nagorno Karabakh issue A. Rustamian
noted that with the 1991 and 2005 referendums the Nagorno Karabakh
people have definitely set the limit from which the authorities must
not concede. According to 1991 referendum it was fixed that Nagorno
Karabakh must not have a status less than the independence. According
to the 2005 referendum the negotiation and legal status of liberated
territories was fixed, which definitely mentions that Nagorno Karabakh
has an issue of restoration of its territorial integrity as 20% of
Nagorno Karabakh territories are still occupied by Azerbaijan. Based
on all these the ARF finds that the issues of Nagorno Karabakh status
and security are primary.
A. Rustamian noted that the ARF sees no issue for cooperation with the
"Heritage" party but he excluded the cooperation with the Armenian
National Congress as the ARF has no ideology generalities with the
ANC. According to him the ANC makes statements based on its political
interests and the given situation.
Referring to the April 24 address of the US President Barack Obama
A. Rustamian expressed opinion that if there was no April 22 statement
B. Obama would have a great difficulty in refusing to uttering the
"Genocide" word. And the "Meds Yeghern" phrase of the US President
does not have the legal consequences the word "Genocide" would have.