How Dare Shahnazaryan Speak of Bridges Now, Says Dashnak MP

For weeks, Armenian National Congress (HAK) representatives were mocking Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian during his protest (hunger strike), whatever dirt they had they threw on him, whatever discreditable statement there was they said, and now they say don’t burn your bridges, said Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun, or ARF-D) parliamentary faction leader Vahan Hovhannisyan, commenting on an earlier statement by HAK representative David Shahnazaryan and speaking at today’s discussion in the Civilitas Foundation series “100 Hundred Questions, 100 Hundred Answers.”

As previously reported, Shahnazaryan had said that he considers the Heritage Party and the ARF-D as being in opposition to HAK, while at the same time, noting “it’s not worth burning all their bridges.”

“Ay, when David Shahnazaryan was the head of the KGB and I was sitting in the basement of that building, in prison, let him have thought about bridges then,” said Hovhannisyan, while not ruling out the possibility of cooperating with HAK.

“We don’t rule out cooperation, but no [political] force that respects itself can cooperate around a leader — around a program, things to do, sure. But not who is going to be the nation’s papa or grandpa,” he said, referring to the endearing term often associated with HAK leader Levon Ter-Petrossian.