Several political forces in Armenia’s opposition have announced a nationwide effort to unite despite their political differences. Following a meeting at Strong Armenia party leader Samvel Karapetyan’s residence on the evening of 4 November, 13 political forces issued a joint statement outlining the main areas in which they intend to combine their efforts.

The meeting took place hours after Karapetyan’s arrest. Karapetyan was arrested on 4 November, and on 5 November a court ordered him to be remanded in custody for one month. He and 35 others are accused in a case involving particularly large-scale financial damage to Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), embezzlement of entrusted property and money laundering. According to the Investigative Committee, the total damage caused to the company exceeds AMD 64.585 billion.

The statement, adopted following discussions involving representatives of Karapetyan’s party and other opposition figures, stresses that “the political forces, recognising the challenges facing Armenia and the Armenian people, are ready to set aside a number of differences and unite around common goals”. Its authors say they are joining forces to foster public unity around priority national issues. They also called on other political forces and public and civic figures to join the initiative.

Representatives of the ruling Civil Contract party responded to the opposition’s announcement.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Vahagn Aleksanyan was among the first ruling party figures to react.

“I officially declare that calling this newly formed whatever-it-is anything other than ‘Serzh’s Front’ is a crime. A political and political science crime. In effect, the Karapetyans, the Republican Party, Kocharyan, LTP and the rest have formed ‘Serzh’s Front’ — SF — at Samvel Karapetyan’s home. I congratulate my colleagues on this brilliant achievement,” Aleksanyan wrote on Facebook.

Civil Contract MP Taron Chakhoyan also mocked the initiative, saying he was impatiently waiting for the united opposition to launch a street movement.

“A political memorial service is taking place at Samvel Karapetyan’s home: the political corpses have gathered. I am impatiently waiting for them to launch a street movement and seize power. By their own account, they have more than 50% of the vote,” Chakhoyan wrote.

Commenting on the opposition’s statement, Civil Contract MP Lilit Minasyan described the opposition as a gift to the ruling party.

“Damn it, you are a gift, a gift… I call on all young men and women who are interested in politics and were ‘born’ in Armenia: enter national politics and engage in opposition political activity. This cannot go on…” the MP wrote.

Civil Contract MP Volodya Hakobyan also sarcastically noted the absence from the opposition meeting of Bright Armenia party leader Edmon Marukyan and Vazgen Manukyan, former chairman of the Public Council and leader of the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement.

“What about Edmon Marukyan and Vazgen Manukyan?” Hakobyan wrote on Facebook.

The joint statement adopted by the 13 opposition political forces reads in part:

“We, the undersigned political forces of Armenia, recognising the full gravity of the critical challenges facing the Armenian people and Armenian statehood, and despite differences in our approaches and disagreements on a number of issues, hereby announce the formation of nationwide political unity, affirming the following primary objectives.”

The opposition forces identified four priorities: “rejecting the imposition of an ‘Aliyev constitution’; peace without unilateral concessions or territorial losses; protecting national identity and the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church; and restoring democratic freedoms and rights”.

The signatories include the Strong Armenia party, the Armenia Alliance, the Prosperous Armenia party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Republican Party of Armenia, the Armenian National Congress, the Hayakve initiative, Country to Live, Heritage, Democratic Alternative, New Era and other political forces.