New Opposition Bloc To Be Formed In Armenia

NEW OPPOSITION BLOC TO BE FORMED IN ARMENIA

08.12.2004 14:29

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within few days an announcement on the formation
of a new pro-west oriented opposition bloc will be made in Armenia,
Haykakan Zhamanak Armenian newspaper writes. It also reports that
with coming to power the union will strive for Armenia’s joining
the NATO and EU. Relations with Russia, in the opinion of the bloc
leaders, will be based on the “equality” principle. According to
the preliminary data, the declaration on the formation of the new
political alliance will be signed by Zharang party leader and first
Foreign Minister of independent Armenia Raffi Hovhanissian, Republic
party leader and former Prime Minister Aram Z. Sargsian (the brother
of Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian killed in 1999) and leader of the
Liberal Progressive party Hovhannes Hovhanissian. It is not ruled out
that People’s Party and Justice bloc leader Stepan Demirchian will also
join the new union (it is still unclear, however). There are also some
questions connected with Aram Z. Sargsian and the members of his party,
who are considered to be Russia-oriented. Representatives of other
parties, the number of which is about 20, are possible to join the
bloc later. The prospects of ANM’s (Armenian National Movement, the
former ruling party) joining the bloc also remain vague. The newspaper
writes that with coming to power the new bloc representatives promise
“to solve the Karabakh problem with minimal losses”. The meaning of
such an indistinct wording is unknown.