ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN’S PROTEST RALLY NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR PROSPEROUS ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
11.01.2010 14:41 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Any rally or protest action, including today’s event
of ARF Dashnaktsutyun, aimed at exerting pressure on the conclusion
of the RA Constitutional Court is not acceptable, since the judicial
system of Armenia is an independent authority, said Aram Safaryan,
secretary of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary group.
According to MP, the action of Dashnaktsutyun would be acceptable
and understandable only if it is aimed at drawing public attention
to their point of view. "I cannot say whether this protest would
affect the decision of the Constitutional Court or not," he told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
According to Safaryan, at the moment in the process of Armenian-Turkish
normalization, Turkey is at an advantage. If the Turkish parliament
ratifies the Protocols without any preconditions and reservations,
then Armenia will do likewise," Mr. Safaryan said.
He also noted that if Turkey introduces preconditions, then Armenia
will adequately react in the framework of international law.
The protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the common border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich
by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish
counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of
diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.
Prosperous Armenia was founded on 30 April 2004. The founder of the
party and its chairman is RA National Assembly’s MP Gagik Tsarukyan.
Prosperous Armenia is the party of civil accord and holds a centrist
position on Armenia’s political area. Advocating democracy and
liberalism, Prosperous Armenia supports preservation of national and
traditional values, attaching great importance to family, church and
state. The party has joined the government coalition and is currently
represented by 26 MPs in the National Assembly of Armenia.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun is an Armenian
political party founded in Tiflis (Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia)
in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian
The ARF has the largest number of members from the political parties
present in the Armenian Diaspora, having established affiliates in
more than 200 countries.
The ARF Dashnaktsutyun led the effort toward the establishment of
the first Armenian Republic in 1918 and was the party in power for
the duration of its existence. Following the Sovietization of Armenia
in 1920, the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun was banned by the Communists and its
leadership exiled.
In the Diaspora, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun fought Soviet rule over
Armenia and championed the cause of Armenian rights and independence;
it played a leading role in organizing a social and cultural framework
aimed at preserving the Armenian identity.
The ARF Dashnaktsutyun officially re-emerged in Armenia during the
dissolution of the USSR, in 1990.
On December 28, 1994, the activities of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun were
"temporarily suspended" by the Armenian authorities. In view of
the political nature of the anti-ARF interdictions by the Armenian
authorities, the ARF continued to operate in Armenia. On February 9,
1998, less than a week after the resignation of the then president
Ter-Petrossian, the Justice Ministry lifted the ban on the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun.