/PanARMENIAN.Net/
RPA ready to fight against oligopol system in Armenia, but in
opposition to expropriation of expropriators
Inner policy review for November 16-23
21.11.2009 GMT+04:00
The week began with continuation of discussions over the
Armenian-Turkish Protocols, flowed mainly into the criticism of the
foreign policy authorities, and conditioned by the weakness of its
internal state. As Vahan Shirkhanyan, Member of the Social-Democratic
Hunchak Party Central Board, noted on Monday at a press conference,
challenges facing Armenia are not decreasing but increasing. He
stressed that this process is not natural, but arising from the
policies pursued by the Armenian authorities.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Vahan Shirkhanian also noted that Armenian economy
will not benefit from the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border.
However, he did not press weighty arguments. Position of the Social
Democratic Hunchak Party on normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations was quite clearly laid at the press conference: `The party
opposes any restoration of relations with Turkey until the latter
recognizes the Armenian Genocide’. Shirkhanian also criticized the two
leading opposition forces of Armenia – the ARF Dashnaktsutyun and the
Armenian National Congress, declaring that the first is not opposition
as such, and the second lacks its own ideology.
Tuesday took the Armenian nation by surprise – Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan joined the Republican Party of Armenia. A day later his
opinion on the occasion expressed only Head of the Union of Political
Scientists of Armenia Hmayak Hovhannisyan, who noted that from then on
responsibility for Prime Ministers’ activities lied upon the
Republican Party of Armenia.
Mid-week again was saturated with discussions on the steps to be taken
by the Armenian Parliament towards ratification of the
Armenian-Turkish Protocols. MP of the opposition faction `Heritage’
Larisa Alaverdyan stated at a press conference that the Armenian
parliament should not depend on someone else’s decision and should
have its own approach to the issue. In her opinion, Turkey managed to
delay the Armenian Genocide recognition issue for another year. She
also criticized all the political forces of Armenia, declaring that
the situation in the country today is beneficial to all political
forces, including the opposition. Alaverdyan also stressed that
current opposition negatively differs from the one existing 20 years
ago.
On November 17, at a parliamentary session, MP Victor Dallakyan
touched upon the quality of foreign policy debates held in Armenia on
the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement. According to him, they demonstrate
the imperfection of the Armenian political thought and the inability
to generate and efficiently solve our national problems.
His views on the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement expressed Director of
the Center `Sociometer’ Aharon Adibekyan, who stressed that with the
opening of the border, relations between the two nations would more
likely improve than deteriorate. `When the Armenian President said
that we should help the Turks to get to know themselves and their
history better, it applied not only to the Armenian Genocide. We must
help them to learn their roots. 30% of Turks are Armenoids,’ Adibekyan
said.
At that he emphasized that Armenian authorities act forcedly. `Anyone
who comes to power now will have to follow the same rules,’ Adibekyan
said.
In the mid-week, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan reiterated the
impossibility of Turkey’s mediation in the Karabakh conflict
settlement, when addressing the Armenian parliament sitting and
responding to a question of MP from the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
parliamentary faction Hrayr Karapetyan. RA Foreign Minister also
denied the rumours on the possible returning of refugees. `I do not
know who the President of Azerbaijan discussed with the issues of
refugees or the seven regions around Nagorno-Karabakh, since only the
status of Nagorno Karabakh is being negotiated,’ declared Nalbandyan
on November 18 during the governmental hour in the National Assembly
of Armenia, responding to a question issued by Eduard Sharmazanov,
Secretary of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Party of
Armenia.
The end of the week was devoted to discussions over the national
budget for 2010. ARF Dashnaktsutyun accused the Armenian Government of
assisting the oligopol system and imitating an active struggle against
oligopoly. `RA Government and the oligopoly in Armenia’s economy are a
uniform system, so there’s no need to create an artificial impression
that the executive conducts active policy against oligopoly,’ declared
ARFD faction member Ara Nranyan at a Parliament session on 2010 State
Budget. Another member of the party Artsvik Minasyan stressed that
`The Armenian government failed the anti-crisis policy as18.3%
economic downfall and high inflation can now be recorded in Armenia’.
Commenting on 2010 budget project, the MP characterized the project as
reactionary as opposed to initiatory or anti-crisis one.
A similar view was expressed by Heritage parliamentary faction
representative Armen Martirosyan. `Armenian Premier’s recent statement
on importance of anti- oligopoly struggle is commendable, yet of
purely declarative character, as practice proves,’ declared
Martirosyan at a parliamentary briefing held on November 20. In his
opinion, `The current RA government doesn’t want to struggle against
oligopol-monopolistic system, nor does it have enough will to
undertake it.’
All these attacks at the end of the week tried to parry Leader of RPA
parliamentary faction Galust Sahakyan. In his words, `The Republican
Party of Armenia fully supports Premier Tigran Sargsyan’s statement on
fighting economic oligopoly in Armenia. Armenian Government and the
ruling party share unanimous position on the country’s economic
monopolization, agreeing that it leads to regress.’ However,
responding to a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter on whether or not the ruling
party of Armenia was going to fight against its party members,
because, according to opposition MPs, many of the `brightest
representatives of oligarchy are in the Republican Party’, Galust
Sahakyan called on pro-opposition MPs to give specific names. `Give
the names of the oligarchs so that everybody will know specifically
who they are. There’s an impression that opposition is an adherent of
Leninist principles, i.e. it aims to bankrupt all macro-businesses,’
emphasized the head of RPA faction.
He also criticized the intolerant behaviour of ARF Dashnaktsutyun.
`ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s harsh criticism of 2010 Draft State Budget is a
manifestation of intolerance to Armenian leadership. Criticizing
authorities, Dashnaktsutyun always refers to their recent years’
activities, forgetting in the meantime that it formed part of
government in that period.’
Review by Mikhail Balayan