SARKISIAN UNLEASHES WRATH ON TSARUKIAN, FIRES HIM FROM SECURITY POST
Thursday, February 12th, 2015
One-time allies now sworn rivals–President Serzh Sarkisian and
Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
In what amounted to a pot calling the kettle black scenario, President
Serzh Sarkisian on Thursday night lashed out at one of his one-time
close political allies, the head of the Prosperous Armenia Party,
Gagik Tsarukian.
Speaking at his Republican Party of Armenia Council meeting, Sarkisian
used unusually harsh words to describe Tsarukian-also known as
“Doddy Gago”–often referring to him as “stupid” and “a detriment to
Armenian society.”
The president also fired Tsarukian from Armenia’s National Security
Council; called on his party members, who comprise the majority
in parliament, to launch an investigation into Tsarukian’s absence
from National Assembly sessions (according to Sarkisian of the 145
parliamentary sessions, Tsarukian has been present to only four);
tasked the prime minister to launch inquiries into Tsarukian’s
financial dealings and alleged evading of “billions” in taxes; and
tasked the judicial structures to begin probes into alleged criminal
conduct by Tsarukian, which he said have been “common knowledge”
in Armenia.
The growing wedge between the two one-time allies widened earlier
this week when a member of Tsarukian’s Prosperous Party of Armenia
was severely beaten, kidnapped and then dumped on a street near his
residence. The beating of PAP parliament member Artak Khachatrian
prompted Tsarukian and other prominent PAP members, including former
foreign minister Vartan Oskanian, who is a PAP member of parliament,
to turn up the volume on their criticism of the current regime.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Prosperous Armenia Party condemned
the attack on Khachatrian, saying that it was politically motivated
and was a form of intimation by the regime directed at forces who
were challenging the Sarkisian administration.
“We believe that the country’s supreme political leadership is
primarily to blame for the atmosphere of hooliganism and lawlessness,”
the party said in a statement.
Last Thursday, during a conference of non-ruling parties convened
at his initiative, Tsarukian said: “with the help of a nationwide
movement gaining strength with every passing day we will force the
authorities to feel responsibility for the current situation and
replace the current regime in the next elections.”
In his remarks Thursday night, Sarkisian referred to
Tsarukian-initiated rallies and events as a “circus,” saying that the
PAP leader probably did not understand the meaning of the words that
he was reading.
Sarkisian’s speech was uncharacteristic of a leader of a country,
both in its tenor and the vernacular used to attack. In conclusion,
the president clarified that “my entire speech was about a political
or rather a pseudo-political phenomenon called Gagik Tsarukian.”
In explaining his decision to relieve Tsarukian of his seat in the
NSC, Sarkisian said: “The supreme security body of the country is
not a movie theater, where one come and go as they please,” adding
that Tsarukian’s consistent absence from National Assembly sessions
was an affront to his constituents who had entrusted him with that
responsibility.
A significant portion of Sarkisian’s remarks focused on the pending
reforms to Armenia’s Constitution, which opposition forces, including
Tsarukian contend are being advanced by the regime and the ruling
party to ensure their continued rule over Armenia.
(The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia has
opted to support the Constitutional reforms process, by presenting
its own amendments and position, thus distancing itself from other
political forces that oppose the reforms process).
The president’s full-throttle attack on Tsarukian, the leader of
the second largest political party in Armenia, comes at a tenuous
time for Armenia, which is reeling from a violent outburst by law
enforcement personnel on a convoy of opposition members who were
headed to Karabakh late last month.
In his remarks, however, Sarkisian did not address the upsurge
in beatings of political activists, which seem to have become
commonplace in Armenia, nor did he address mechanisms through which his
administration would deal with the blatant disregard for rule of law.
In a rather surprising turn, the president said a mea culpa, bearing
all responsibility for containing past criticism of Tsarukian and
urging his backers to refrain from verbal attacks against the PAP
leader, saying that he was demonstrating restrain toward the leader
of the second largest political party in Armenia.
Apparently the cup runneth over for Sarkisian. Or, perhaps, by lashing
out at Tsarukian he was challenging other political forces to fall
in line.