The passing year was full of challenges for Armenia and Republican Party of Armenia, party’s spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov told Aysor.am, summing up the passing year.
“The 2018 was year of big changes, drastic changes. Change of power took place, not revolution, but change of power. But we have what we have. The executive power and its head managed to exercise pressure on the legislative power, occupy the National Assembly and conduct immediate elections again by pressures,” Sharmazanov said.
He stressed that anti-democratic elections took place on December 9 with the campaign having passed in the atmosphere of fear and intolerance. He stressed that as a result, Armenia will have a parliament deprived of opposition.
“No matter how much parties state that they are opposition, Tigran Avinyan is right saying that ‘we are 88, part of us may be opposition’,” Sharmazanov said.
He also referred to a number of concerns relating country’s foreign policy.
“Despite Pashinyan’s affirmations that everything is good, that Armenia will keep the post of the CSTO secretary general, I will say that Armenia has been deprived of the post. It is already a fact,” Republican party’s spokesperson said.
He stressed that nothing is smooth in Armenian-Russian relations either.
“There are many concerns in the economy sector too, the economy is collapsing,” he said, adding that thousands of citizens will lose their jobs after New Year.
“It appears that we will not have separate ministries of Diaspora and culture. It is really rather worrying policy,” he said.
Sharmazanov said the current authorities have failed to register success in any sector.
“Number of ministries is cut, number of unemployed grows, investments reduce, post of CSTO secretary general is lost, nothing is clear in Karabakh issue,” he said.
Eduard Sharmazanov said that for Republican party the biggest failure in 2018 was the loss of power.
“But we revived on December 9. It was proved by 60,000 votes we received at elections. December 9 showed that the Republican party was, is and will be one of the core political forces of Armenia and non-parliamentary opposition will consolidate over it,” Sharmazanov said.
He though added that in 2018 the party registered success too serving Armenia’s interests in all the international parliamentary platforms, presenting and defending Armenia’s interests in the PACE, EU, CSTO and CIS.
“We have defended Artsakh’s and Armenia’s interest and stated that there is no opposition and authority if the matter relates to the state interest. As a non-parliamentary force we must use our international ties for pro-Armenian settlement of Karabakh issue and international recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” he said.
“Politics is a fight and we are ready to fight in all legal ways for the sake of Armenia, Artsakh. I wish peace to all,” Sharmazanov concluded.