13:54,

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian says he is acting within the constitutional powers of the president and is not going to violate them in order to please anyone or any group in the domestic political life.

“I am convinced that the presidential institute should be out of political debates in order to be able to fulfill its balancing and the national unity supporting role”, the President said in an interview to the Azg, Diaspora-Armenian Payqar and Armenian Mirror-Spectator newspapers, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

Sarkissian said of course, as a citizen and an individual, he has his own opinion on the ongoing events in the country. “I understand that the expectations from the president, as the head of state, are great, but taking into account the limited and concrete powers granted to the President by the Constitution, these expectations sometimes are not realistic”, he said.

The President stated that the state, the political forces, businesses and society should be interested in having a really free and independent media. “I consider the development of professional, impartial media both internally and externally as a national security issue”, he said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan