VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN: "DASHNAKTSUTIUN IS FORCE, WHICH SHOULD MANAGE TO ELIMINATE POISON AND HATRED FROM ARMENIAN POLITICAL LIFE WITH OTHERS"
Noyan Tapan
Dec 12 2007
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. "You are a political force if
you have managed to make the authorities take your viewpoint into
consideration, at the same time being opposition. You are a political
force, if you have managed to act the way so as not to be identified
with the authorities and not to become a stranger for your people,
at the same time being among the authorities," Armen Rustamian,
the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee of Foreign Relations,
and the representative of the Supreme Body of the ARF Armenia
organization, mentioned in his speech at the solemn event dedicated
to the 117th anniversary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
held on December 11.
During the solemn ceremony, which was held in the building of the
Alexander Spendiarian Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater and
which was attended by the representatives of almost all the Armenian
parties, Vahan Hovhannisian, a candidate running for the post of the
RA President, the Speaker of the National Assembly and a member of the
ARF Bureau, made a speech. Touching upon the historical way passed
by the indicated party, he, in particular, mentioned that since its
creation Dashnaktsutiun has managed to re-create the formed political
thought, the Armenian Armed Forces: from the detachments of volunteers
(in Armenian war of liberation against the Turks) up to the regular
Army of the First Republic, it has restored the Armenian statehood
after a 6-century break.
He also mentioned that even "the 70-year break of the ARF
Dashnaktsutiun participation in the Armenian processes did not bring
forth a break in the activities of the party." According to him, after
the 70-year break brought forth as a result of the Soviet years,
a problem arose to restore among the people the sense of general
all-Armenian interest, after which having formed the contents of the
interest to understand the dangers threatening them both from outside
and inside, after which to form a national strategy in order to make
those threats neutral.
Answering the questions of journalists, Vahan Hovhannisian declared
that the Dashnaktsutiun is the force, which together with others
should manage to "eliminate the poison and hatred from the Armenian
political life:" "We cannot let the slogans sounded for destroying
become leading in our society, however, on the other side, we cannot
let the authorities rest either," when the authorities think that
everything is already all right, everybody is smiling, everything
is being restored and therefore we may happily accept what we have
around us with laurels on our heads. That is not that way," Vahan
Hovhannisian said.