‘IN OUR COUNTRY, IT SEEMS, WE CAN’T PLAY FOOTBALL’: ARMEN MARTIROSYAN

Tert.am
15.10.09

Speaking with journalists today, Heritage Party’s parliamentary
faction leader Styopa Safaryan and Heritage Party Board Chair Armen
Martirosyan referred to yesterday’s Armenia-Turkey football match
within the context of Armenian-Turkish relations.

"Unfortunately, we have registered once again that football diplomacy,
doomed to be defeatist, once again manifested itself [to be defeatist],
and the Protocols have already been signed. I must say that in our
country, it seems, we can’t play football. It wasn’t enough to be
continuously defeated by Turkey in sport, political components were
also included, and we are experiencing defeat in politics as well.

"Heritage Party unequivocally believes that it’s high time for a
change in the country’s leadership; this proceeds from a number of
reasons including those related to national issues. The leadership,
which was formed as a result of fake elections and at the expense of
the slaughter on March 1, naturally, not having legitimacy, would
seek internal legitmacy, would seek external legitimacy and would
concede our vital lands belonging to the state," Martirosyan stated.

Safaryan, for his part, said that football is a team sport and very
often football success is derived from the public’s unity and its
ability in displaying team spirit. Safarayan considers it inexplicable
that Serzh Sargsyan congratulated Abdullah Gul immediately after the
first goal was scored by the Turkish team.