Epress.am News from Armenia
The Armenian National Congress (HAK) opened a new office in Artik on Tuesday. HAK representatives Levon Zurabyan, Aram Manukyan, Vahagn Khachatryan, Myasnik Malkhasyan, Petros Makeyan, Harutyun Urutyan, Ashot Zakaryan and Stepan Minasyan were in Artik for the occasion.
Yerevan-based HAK members met with Artik-based members in the new office. During the meeting, Zurabyan said the office has to become the political center of Artik. In the last three years, HAK has opened about 40 offices in the country and soon, there will be office in Yerevan’s Davtashen district, in Dilijan and Noyemberyan, he added.
“HAK forms the political situation in Armenia — this is an undeniable fact. Everyone sees that for three years, the authorities were hunting us down, ignoring politics and they were sure they would get results, that people would get tired and disappointed going to rallies, but everything changed this spring. We held 5 rallies, one bigger than the other,” said Zurabyan.
The senior HAK representative then touched upon recent developments in the Arab world, noting that revolution took place differently in different countries — in Egypt, the regime was toppled, in Syria and Libya, the regime announced war on its people, while in Armenia, the regime has decided to go the route of a plushy or velvet revolution. According to Zurabyan, this is the best option.
However, Zurabyan noted that the opposition shouldn’t lose its vigilance and more people have to participate in rallies from now on.
He informed those gathered that they’re expecting “political prisoners” at the May 31 rally (referring to HAK loyalists still imprisoned in connection with the events of Mar. 1–2, 2008), and after their release, HAK has to do everything so that it obliges the “regime” to hold snap presidential and parliamentary elections.