Epress.am News from Armenia
On Oct. 9, 2008, then US Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch met with National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan (pictured). In this, their first official meeting, the then new parliamentary speaker “blasted” the opposition for “blackening” the image of Armenia, asking the US ambassador to use US influence to moderate the Levon Ter-Petrossin (LTP)-led opposition movement, according to a confidential Oct. 29, 2008 cable recently published by WikiLeaks.
Abrahamyan appealed to the Ambassador for the Embassy to stop providing the opposition with support. “The Speaker said such support was ‘harming our country,’ and that the opposition would be better off devoting itself to preparing for the next parliamentary elections in three years’ time. (COMMENT: In fact, we provide no support to the opposition of any kind, although our frequent advocacy of political freedoms and human rights can be misunderstood by the likes of Abrahamyan as pro-LTP.)”
During the meeting, Abrahamyan played down the relevancy of the opposition, saying that “‘their numbers are decreasing because they have nothing to tell the public.’ Abrahamyan also pointed to the resounding loss of LTP ally Ararat Zurabyan in the Sept. 28 election for the post of Yerevan central district prefect as further evidence of the lack of public confidence in the opposition. (COMMENT: Local and international observers, including our own from the Embassy, reported widespread irregularities in the conduct of the vote as well as the vote count. However, Abrahamyan has a point about LTP’s decreasing public support and lack of a compelling message.)”
Yovanovitch writes that in reference to the Mar. 1–2 post-election unrest, Abrahamyan “said the authorities are not scared of the opposition, but do fear provocations that seek to frame the authorities for violence initiated by the opposition. Abrahamyan complained that he has not heard ‘any constructive statements’ from the opposition on the issues of reform currently underway in Armenia. He declared that every country needs a constructive opposition, ‘not enemies’.
“In response, the Ambassador enumerated the continuing concerns of the US government: that the conduct of the presidential election was significantly flawed; that some of those detained during the Mar. 1 unrest appeared to have been arrested because of their political activities; that there appeared to be a denial of fair, speedy justice in many of the ongoing trials of those detained; that the electronic media was being unfairly manipulated by the authorities so as to give a one-sided picture of the situation; and that the political rights of citizens to associate and assemble continued to be severely curtailed. The Ambassador urged the government to resolve all these issues and ‘turn the page’ on such an unfortunate chapter in Armenia’s post-independence history.”
Abrahamyan admitted violations in the presidential election, but not enough to influence the outcome, reads the cable.
“Abrahamyan also defended the banning of opposition rallies on various grounds. He first argued that ‘we have not denied, but proposed new venues’ to the opposition when their requests have come in. (COMMENT: The alternative venues offered by the authorities are comparable to denying protesters in Washington access to the Mall and offering them instead the parking lot of RFK stadium.) The Ambassador objected to the Speaker’s rationale for banning the opposition’s rallies, and noted that in the 90 rally requests submitted since Mar., only two were permitted for the originally requested venue. She reiterated that by continually depriving the opposition their right to be heard, the authorities only aggravated the situation.”
The National Assembly speaker said, however, he was prepared to open the parliamentary platform to “all political forces, people and the public” to allow open discussions to take place, as long as the discussions are based on objective, reasonable criticism. Abrahamyan said that ‘we are ready to listen to their critiques,’ and that the Ambassador will see in practice that ‘we are inclined to a constructive approach,’ and that ‘we are democratic people’.”
The parties also discussed the Millennium Challenge Program (MCC), with the parliamentary speaker urging the Ambassador to end its limited funding suspension. “Abrahamyan said he hoped the Ambassador could ‘intervene to undo its delay.’ When told by the Ambassador that the program was delayed because of its failing eligibility indicators, the Speaker feigned surprise and said it was ‘news to me’.”
Yovanovitch informed Abrahamyan that “until Armenia substantively addressed the fallout from the flawed presidential election and the post-election violence, as well as its failing indicators, the future of MCC would be in question. The Ambassador reiterated that it would help if the authorities did three things: adjudicate in a transparent, fair manner all of the cases of those detained in relation to the election; allow people to demonstrate legally who want to; and allow the media to work and report more freely.”
In the commentary which concludes the cable, the US ambassador writes, “Abrahamyan typifies the type of Republican politician that makes up a large chunk of the parliament and of the ruling party establishment: politico-oligarchs who use political power to advance their business interests and vice versa. Such figures brought Sargsyan to power, but also could become a potential threat to Sargsyan’s rule if he moves overtly against their interests. Over time, Abrahamyan’s political fate may be a bellwether of reform prospects during President Sargsyan’s Administration. At the moment, it is not clear to us whether he won his current position because he enjoys Sargsyan’s trust and confidence, or conversely whether he wrested the job from Sargsyan unwillingly, and Sargsyan did not feel secure enough in his position to refuse.”