Republican Party of Armenia Ready To Fight Against Oligopol System in Armenia

The week began with continuation of discussions over the Armenian-Turkish Protocols, flowed mainly into the criticism of the foreign policy authorities, and conditioned by the weakness of its internal state. As Vahan Shirkhanyan, Member of the Social-Democratic Hunchak Party Central Board, noted on Monday at a press conference, challenges facing Armenia are not decreasing but increasing. He stressed that this process is not natural, but arising from the policies pursued by the Armenian authorities.

Vahan Shirkhanian also noted that Armenian economy will not benefit from the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. However, he did not press weighty arguments. Position of the Social Democratic Hunchak Party on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations was quite clearly laid at the press conference: “The party opposes any restoration of relations with Turkey until the latter recognizes the Armenian Genocide”. Shirkhanian also criticized the two leading opposition forces of Armenia – the ARF Dashnaktsutyun and the Armenian National Congress, declaring that the first is not opposition as such, and the second lacks its own ideology.

Tuesday took the Armenian nation by surprise – Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan joined the Republican Party of Armenia. A day later his opinion on the occasion expressed only Head of the Union of Political Scientists of Armenia Hmayak Hovhannisyan, who noted that from then on responsibility for Prime Ministers’ activities lied upon the Republican Party of Armenia.

Mid-week again was saturated with discussions on the steps to be taken by the Armenian Parliament towards ratification of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols. MP of the opposition faction “Heritage” Larisa Alaverdyan stated at a press conference that the Armenian parliament should not depend on someone else’s decision and should have its own approach to the issue. In her opinion, Turkey managed to delay the Armenian Genocide recognition issue for another year. She also criticized all the political forces of Armenia, declaring that the situation in the country today is beneficial to all political forces, including the opposition. Alaverdyan also stressed that current opposition negatively differs from the one existing 20 years ago.

On November 17, at a parliamentary session, MP Victor Dallakyan touched upon the quality of foreign policy debates held in Armenia on the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement. According to him, they demonstrate the imperfection of the Armenian political thought and the inability to generate and efficiently solve our national problems.

His views on the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement expressed Director of the Center “Sociometer” Aharon Adibekyan, who stressed that with the opening of the border, relations between the two nations would more likely improve than deteriorate. “When the Armenian President said that we should help the Turks to get to know themselves and their history better, it applied not only to the Armenian Genocide. We must help them to learn their roots. 30% of Turks are Armenoids,” Adibekyan said.

At that he emphasized that Armenian authorities act forcedly. “Anyone who comes to power now will have to follow the same rules,” Adibekyan said.

In the mid-week, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan reiterated the impossibility of Turkey’s mediation in the Karabakh conflict settlement, when addressing the Armenian parliament sitting and responding to a question of MP from the ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary faction Hrayr Karapetyan. RA Foreign Minister also denied the rumours on the possible returning of refugees. “I do not know who the President of Azerbaijan discussed with the issues of refugees or the seven regions around Nagorno-Karabakh, since only the status of Nagorno Karabakh is being negotiated,” declared Nalbandyan on November 18 during the governmental hour in the National Assembly of Armenia, responding to a question issued by Eduard Sharmazanov, Secretary of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Party of Armenia.
The end of the week was devoted to discussions over the national budget for 2010. ARF Dashnaktsutyun accused the Armenian Government of assisting the oligopol system and imitating an active struggle against oligopoly. “RA Government and the oligopoly in Armenia’s economy are a uniform system, so there’s no need to create an artificial impression that the executive conducts active policy against oligopoly,” declared ARFD faction member Ara Nranyan at a Parliament session on 2010 State Budget. Another member of the party Artsvik Minasyan stressed that “The Armenian government failed the anti-crisis policy as18.3% economic downfall and high inflation can now be recorded in Armenia”. Commenting on 2010 budget project, the MP characterized the project as reactionary as opposed to initiatory or anti-crisis one.

A similar view was expressed by Heritage parliamentary faction representative Armen Martirosyan. “Armenian Premier’s recent statement on importance of anti- oligopoly struggle is commendable, yet of purely declarative character, as practice proves,” declared Martirosyan at a parliamentary briefing held on November 20. In his opinion, “The current RA government doesn’t want to struggle against oligopol-monopolistic system, nor does it have enough will to undertake it.”

All these attacks at the end of the week tried to parry Leader of RPA parliamentary faction Galust Sahakyan. In his words, “The Republican Party of Armenia fully supports Premier Tigran Sargsyan’s statement on fighting economic oligopoly in Armenia. Armenian Government and the ruling party share unanimous position on the country’s economic monopolization, agreeing that it leads to regress.” However, responding to a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter on whether or not the ruling party of Armenia was going to fight against its party members, because, according to opposition MPs, many of the “brightest representatives of oligarchy are in the Republican Party”, Galust Sahakyan called on pro-opposition MPs to give specific names. “Give the names of the oligarchs so that everybody will know specifically who they are. There’s an impression that opposition is an adherent of Leninist principles, i.e. it aims to bankrupt all macro-businesses,” emphasized the head of RPA faction.

He also criticized the intolerant behaviour of ARF Dashnaktsutyun. “ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s harsh criticism of 2010 Draft State Budget is a manifestation of intolerance to Armenian leadership. Criticizing authorities, Dashnaktsutyun always refers to their recent years’ activities, forgetting in the meantime that it formed part of government in that period.”

Source: PanArmenian – Original Article

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