Epress.am News from Armenia
The dialogue between the opposition and the ruling coalition will continue because, according to opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) representative Gurgen Yeghiazaryan, it is necessary for the the ruling authorities, while, according to Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) MP Lernik Aleksanyan, it is necessary for HAK, the ruling authorities and the public.
“I find that the dialogue will happen, and it will happen not because the authorities are very good, very democratic, but for a very simple reason: it’s already clear that they have neither the ability nor the good will to get the country out of this situation. Day by day, we live worse than before — other price increases will follow the price increase of sugar. If [the dialogue] was not necessary for the ruling authorities, they would have been as before this. The opposition has not yet put forth an ultimatum, [but] it will. I think there will be no political prisoners and the dialogue will begin,” said Yeghiazaryan, speaking to journalists in the Armenian capital today.
“I too believe the dialogue will continue, because, in the first place, it is necessary for our society, for HAK, and what is needed for society, is needed also for the government,” said Aleksanyan, noting that it allows HAK, which is not represented in parliament, to express its ideological and political thoughts to the people ahead of elections.
Recall, the opposition bloc suspended talks last month after one of its members, youth activist Tigran Araqelyan, was detained by police. The group has been demanding Araqelyan’s precautionary measure (pre-trial detention) be changed.
Asked whether the reasons for Araqelyan’s detention are legal (as opposed to political), the opposition representative said the legal “plane” in Armenia has long since died.
“What legal plane are you talking about when, say, recent findings by WikiLeaks directly speak to the opposite, as to what happened on Mar. 1, and before and after. The legal plane died at that very time,” he said.