Epress.am News from Armenia
Despite just two of his three demands being met, Armenian National Congress (HAK) leader Levon Ter-Petrossian today said the door to dialogue is partially open and there is no need to ruin the “serious attempt to better the political atmosphere in Armenia and that which has already recorded success.”
Ter-Petrossian recalled his speech at the last HAK rally, on Apr. 8, in which he insisted that the Sargsyan administration free all political prisoners, agree to an objective inquiry into the 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan and guarantee opposition access to Liberty Square. He said all three demands must be satisfied before the next HAK rally scheduled for Apr. 28.
“If that does not take place, then the Armenian National Congress will consider the possibility of dialogue [with the authorities] to have been exhausted and will be compelled to drastically change its tactic and the character of activities… Apr. 28 must be either a day of the beginning of dialogue or a day of the final watershed between the authorities and the public.”
During his speech today, Ter-Petrossian asked whether the three demands have been met and “accordingly, together with you we will decide our future steps.”
On the first demand (access to Liberty Square), the HAK leader said by the fact that today’s rally at Liberty Square was sanctioned by the authorities shows that the right for citizens to hold rallies at Liberty Square has been reinstated.
Regarding the second demand (an inquiry into the 2008 post-election unrest), Ter-Petrossian said Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s meeting with Armenia’s top security officials, prosecutors and judges, in which he ordered them to investigate the events of March 1, 2008 with greater vigor, can be considered even more than the “simple official assurance” that HAK had stipulated.
“As for the third demand, to free political prisoners, it has been neither contractually nor formally fulfilled. As to why contractual and why formal, the explanation is hidden in the following lines of Serzh Sargsyan’s interview yesterday: ‘I would like to remind you all that we are all entering the month of May, a month of achievements, a month of victories for our people. In May we are going to celebrate Republic Day, a holiday which is full of very important lessons and these lessons are still relevant… Today we have a strong government; today we have an opposition which does not allow the government to weaken its vigilance, and through cooperation, we can ensure serious achievements for our country. Here too we are ready to be the first, we are ready to take steps towards easing tensions, and I have already instructed the justice minister to come up with proposals.’
“Recalling Republic Day, the remarks on taking steps and the news about instructing the justice minister leave no room for doubt, that the authorities… have decided to resolve the question of releasing political prisoners on the occasion of May 28 [Republic Day],” said Ter-Petrossian.
Consequently, he continued, essentially two of the three demands were met in full, while the other, only partially — “and that, not in terms of content, but only in terms of timeline.”
“This means that the possibility of dialogue cannot be considered exhausted; thus, there is currently no basis on which to change the nature of our tactics and actions. Figuratively speaking, the door to dialogue if not completely open, then at least it’s partially open. I have no doubt that it will be completely opened in one month’s time, which we will note at our next rally on May 31, when Nikol Pashinyan and Sasun Mikaelyan will express their words of gratitude from this platform [cheers from the crowd].
“We waited three years; we will wait one more month.
“On behalf of the Armenian National Congress, I apologize to Sasun, Nikol and the remaining political prisoners that the issue of their liberty was not resolved within our predetermined timeframe. However, I am sure that they will understand that the one-month delay is not the matter of principle for which it is worth ruining the serious attempt to better the political atmosphere in Armenia and that which has already recorded success,” concluded the opposition leader.