IT IS NOT EXCLUDED THAT ATTACK UPON GYUMRI MAYOR WAS AIMED AGAINST RPA, PARTY SPOKESPERSON CONSIDERS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2007
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. It is not excluded that the attack
upon Gyumri Mayor was aimed against RPA. RPA Spokesperson Edward
Sharmazanov stated at the April 3 press conference. He refused to
answer the questions, for whom this could be beneficial mentioning
that as long as those ordering and executing it are not known, it is
difficult to make conclusions. In E. Sharmazanov’s words, RA Acting
Defence Minister Serge Sargsian’s appointment to the post of RA Prime
Minister is beyond any doubt. He said that as early as at the March 26
consultation between President Robert Kocharian and representatives
of political majority it was decided that the candidate nominated
by RPA will continue holding Prime Minister’s post. At the party
Board’s April 2 sitting it was decided to nominate the candidature
of Board Chairman, Acting party Chairman Serge Sargsian. 66 out of
69 RPA Board members were present at the sitting.
They unanimously voted for that decision. Gagik Khachatrian,
Ruben Hayrapetian and Suren Khachatrian were absent from the Board
sitting for a valid reason. In E. Sharmazanov’s words, the party
Board did not discuss the issue whether S. Sargsian will continue
to carry out the duties of Security Council Secretary. Asked whom
RPA sees on the post of Defence Minister, he said that Armenia has
many worthy figures who can be a Defence Minister. Meanwhile he was
not able to say whether the candidature of NKR Defence Army former
Commander Samvel Babayan is discussed among these figures. In the
words of RPA Spokesperson, after RPA Chairman, RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian’s death there are no intra-party disagreements
in RPA. In his words, division of RPA members into "old" and "new"
is artificial: the party has a untied team, which henceforth will
work in more consolidated way and more resolutely." E. Sharmazanov
assured that RPA’s ideology and political way will remain the same,
as it is "not a party of one or two persons, but an ideological team
of political figures." He also noted that there will be not strategic,
but only tactical changes connected with the holding of the electoral
campaign, in connection with the change of the party’s first figure.