AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
November 12, 2009 Thursday
ARMENIAN NATIONALISTS HIT BACK AT TER-PETROSIAN CRITICISM
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) on Thursday
dismissed Levon Ter-Petrosians harsh criticism of its hard line on
Turkey and said he ceased to be Armenias top opposition leader after
making far-reaching overtures to President Serzh Sarkisian. In a
landmark speech on Wednesday, Ter-Petrosian implied that he and his
Armenian National Congress (HAK) are ready, in principle, to recognize
Sarkisians legitimacy if he agreed to cooperate with the opposition
alliance on major challenges facing the country. He also defended some
key aspects of Sarkisians policy on Turkey against attacks by
Dashnaktsutyun and other extreme nationalists.
Top HAK representatives confirmed on Thursday that the remarks were a
cooperation offer addressed to the current Armenian leadership. One of
them, Vahagn Khachatrian, summed up the former Armenian presidents
message as follows: If you are ready to strive for a big idea, we are
ready to talk to you about that. The HAK was always ready to
collaborate with the authorities under certain circumstances, he said.
The Armenian National Congress has never made secret of that, agreed
Aram Sarkisian, another leader of the bloc. He said Ter-Petrosian gave
the president a definitely good piece of advice. He is offering the
authorities a deal, scoffed Giro Manoyan, Dashnaktsutyuns foreign
policy spokesman. He said Ter-Petrosian and his allies are now ready
to stop challenging Sarkisians legitimacy in return for something
which should be a subject of haggling. I think he is resorting to that
for two reasons, said Manoyan. First, because he is a supporter of the
defeatist Armenia-Turkey policy. Second, he acknowledged that he
doesnt have much to do as an opposition anymore and is keen to cut a
deal with the authorities to ensure his survival. Manoyan said
Ter-Petrosians extraordinary statements also heralded the end of the
HAKs monopoly on opposition. His statements show that they have not
only lost that monopoly but no longer lead the opposition, he told
RFE/RL. There is now another opposition that is doing the job. Manoyan
referred to a Dashnaktsutyun-led coalition of a dozen mostly small
opposition groups that have strongly condemned the Turkish-Armenian
agreements to normalize bilateral relations which were signed last
month. Manoyan said Ter-Petrosian distorted the Dashnaktsutyuns
position on Turkish-Armenian relations because he is jealous about the
nationalist partys rising profile. Also alleging jealousy was Razmik
Zohrabian, a deputy chairman of President Sarkisians Republican Party
of Armenia (HHK). Zohrabian refrained from commenting on the HAK
leaders overtures to the government, focusing instead on other parts
of his speech that were critical of the Sarkisian administration.
Levon Ter-Petrosian wishes he had been elected president and managed
this policy on Turkish-Armenian relations, Zohrabian told RFE/RL. But
naturally, he wasnt elected and cant manage [that policy] and thats
why keeps repeating scenes of jealousy.*