PARUIR HAIRIKYAN READY TO SUPPORT SERGE SARGSYAN
Lragir, Armenia
Aug 30 2007
If a meeting is to meet a person and know them better, it is already
justified, said the leader of the National Self-Determination Union
Paruir Hairikyan in commenting on the meeting of the opposition
leaders on August 28 at the Congress Hotel in a news conference at
the Hayatsk Club. First he told the reporters from the meeting he
would tell only what refers to his statements and proposals, as to
the others’ participation, he asked to turn to them. The leaders of
seven parties participated in the meeting: National Self-Determination
Union, National Solidarity, the People’s Party of Armenia, the Orinats
Yerkir Party, the Social Democratic Hnchak Party, the Democratic Way
Party and the National Democratic Party.
The formal leader of the Heritage Party Vardan Khachatryan was
denied participation because the real leader of the party is Raffi
Hovannisian. "They should have informed beforehand that Vardan
Khachatryan is in charge of these issues. We are telling Raffi
Hovannisian if he wants to participate, he is welcome, if not, it
is his problem," Paruir Hairikyan says. According to him, he does
not know why the head of the All-Armenian Movement’s board Ararat
Zurabyan missed the meeting, although Hairikyan says Zurabyan told
one of the newspapers he was going away and had to miss the meeting.
Aram Gaspar Sargsyan did not take part either because he has gone
away too and will return on August 31. As to Aram Zaven Sargsyan who
was said by the media to be against these meetings, Paruir Hairikyan
said freaky is the word for the approach of a politician who refuses
to meet with his colleagues. However, Paruir Hairikyan says he does
not think Aram Zaven Sargsyan holds such an approach. Paruir Hairikyan
thinks reporters distorted Aram Zaven Sargsyan’s words.
The leader of the National Self-Determination Union stated he would not
like the meetings he initiated to be referred to as meetings of the
opposition. Hairikyan thinks those are meetings of democratic forces
and are not confidential, and reporters are not invited because some
participants fear distorted reporting. According to Paruir Hairikyan,
their fears are justified. However, when Paruir Hairikyan said the
meetings are not confidential, he declined to say who had proposed
inviting pro-government parties to the next meetings, considering
that the meeting is that of democratic forces.
The efforts of the reporters to get the name of the author of the
proposal were in vain. Hairikyan declined to mention the name. He
advised the reporters to ask each of the other participants
separately. As to information that concerns him only, he said he
proposed the core project of making Armenia the most democratic
country of the world. If the political forces come together around
this axis, Paruir Hairikyan will think it is not pointless to run in
the presidential election, even if he does not run in the election,
he can support another leader. Otherwise, the leader of the National
Self-Determination Union says he will not participate in a "brawl".
"We can raise the importance of Armenia in the world by several levels
if my colleagues agree, together or separately, that the presidential
candidates run in the presidential election and pursue the goal of
making Armenia the most democratic country of the world.
This is my goal," Paruir Hairikyan says. In answer to the question
if he may support Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Paruir Hairikyan says he is
not interested in persons, and if Serge Sargsyan accepts his program,
he is ready to endorse him.