RUSTAMYAN EXPLAINS ARF STRATEGY TO DERAIL PROTOCOLS ON SIX CITY TOUR

Asbarez
Dec 16th, 2009

Community Support for ARF’s Protocols Position Strong

Armenia National Assembly member Armen Rustamyan speaking at the
governor’s office in Providence, RI

NEW YORK-The East Coast tour of Armenia National Assembly member
Armen Rustamyan concluded on Sunday, December 13, after a guest
appearance at the New York ARF’s commemoration of the Federation’s
119th anniversary. During his December 9-13 visit, Rustamyan met with
Congressional and other US government representatives and visited
east coast communities.

During his successful six-city tour, Rustamyan spread the ARF’s
unwavering message of opposition to the controversial Armenia-Turkey
protocols, which were signed by Armenia’s and Turkey’s respective
foreign ministers in October. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan
billed the protocols as a positive economic move for Armenia with the
promised opening of the Armenia-Turkey border. But the ARF opposed
the protocols and warned that opening border in exchange for heavy
concessions by Armenia could only damage the national interests of
the Armenian people.

Armenia National Assembly member Armenian Rustamian speaks to the
Armenian community in Watertown, MA Rustamyan, who is chairman
of the National Assembly’s Committee on Foreign Relations and the
representative of the ARF Supreme Body in Armenia, was welcomed in
Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Providence, Watertown, New Jersey,
and New York, where the ARF hosted community meetings and arranged
for private meetings with ARF members and US, local government and
community representatives.

Rustamyan explained the ARF’s current strategy to derail the dangerous
protocols and warned that the party will press for regime change in
Armenia if the protocols’ constitutionality is OK’d by Armenia’s
Constitutional Court in January and if the National Assembly
subsequently ratifies the document.