SEFILYAN: AUTOMOBILE MARCH TOWARDS KARABAKH AIMED TO RAISE AWARENESS, NOT CREATE TENSIONS

POLITICS | 11.02.15 | 15:53

Alina Nikoghosyan
ArmeniaNow intern

Despite opinions that the plans of a radical opposition group, Founding
Parliament, to stage an automobile march towards Nagorno-Karabakh
was aimed at creating tensions there, leader of the movement seeking
a change of regime in Armenia before the “Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide” Zhirayr Sefilyan insists on the opposite, emphasizing that
their aim was to keep Karabakh residents “aware” of their campaign.

On January 31, dozens of Founding Parliament activists took part
in the march as part of their campaigns. They were met by Karabakh
police and plainclothes men on the Goris-Stepanakert highway near
Berdzor and were turned away. A number of activists were beaten up
and about two dozen of their vehicles were damaged.

“We were not going to Artsakh for no reason, as we evaluate the
situation very critical, we could not but go and tell the people
about our concerns, especially after Armenia became a member of the
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Artsakh completely appeared in the air,
in an indefinite status, and if we do not point at the danger from
today on and if the people are not aware of the danger, we will lose
Artsakh,” Sefilyan, one of the prominent veterans of the Karabakh war,
told reporters Wednesday, on his first public appearance since the
day of the incident in which he was among those activists who were
injured in the violence.

The Founding Parliament spread a statement, urging the public to take
to the streets on April 24 and win over the regime. On the same day,
April 24, Armenians in Yerevan and elsewhere in Armenia and abroad
will be marking the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“That day we invite everyone to the street with an aim to not return
home until we get rid of the regime. There were misunderstandings
regarding that day, many think that we will be trying to confuse
people, that is not true, we will take part in the ceremonies as well,
but we will not be satisfied with that only, we will start a process
which will enable us to get rid of this system,” Sefilyan said.

Sefilyan expressed confidence that in the near future Armenia will
finally get rid of today’s government and it will be replaced by
“clever and young forces”.