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WE HAVE ALREADY STAGED OUR REVOLUTIONS, SERGE SARGYSAN SAYS
Haroutyun Gevorkan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia
Nov 13 2007
The 11th Congress of the Republican Party was held on Saturday,
November 10.
By the nomination of the Congress, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan,
Chairman of the RPA Council, was unanimously elected as Chairman of
the Republican Party of Armenia. The voting with the participation
of 650 MPs resulted in the election of an RPA Council consisting of
100 members and an Executive Body consisting of 13 members. The RPA
Chairman Serge Sargsyan, Vice Chairman Tigran Torosyan, Moushegh
Lalayan, Razmik Zaohrabyan and Galoust Sahakyan, as well as Deputy
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, Head of the RPA parliamentary faction
Karen Karapetyan, NA Deputies Haroutyun Pamboukyan, Hranoush Hakobyan,
Gagik Minasyan, David Haroutyunyan and RPA members Rouben Tadevosyan
and Derenik Doumanyan were elected as members of the party's permanent
governance body.
During the announced break, the newly elected Council convened its
first session and made a decision to nominate Serge Sargsyan, the
RPA Chairman and the Prime Minister of the Republic, as a candidate
for presidency. The session unanimously approved Serge Sargsyan's
nomination; thereafter the Chairman made a comprehensive speech
devoted to the program.
After the end of the activities of the Congress, SERGE SARGSYAN
answered the questions of the journalists.
"Will there be peculiarities in your activities in the pre-election
period?"
"No, I have said several times and repeat again that our goal is to
explain to the Armenian people and first of all - to the citizens
of Armenia the idea of our programs, and to introduce our ideas
about the future of Armenia. There is no other peculiarity for us,
at least for the time being.
"Mr. Prime Minister, in your speech devoted to the program you
mentioned that any attempt of violence will be prevented."
"What I meant was the political manifestation of the activities of
the political forces that wish to run for election. If a political
or any other force attempts to perform an illegal action, there are
law enforcement agencies for preventing it. They will tackle those
problems. This is not a matter to be dealt with by any party.
"Do you think the prospects of a colored revolution probable?"
"As far back as a few years ago I announced that a colored revolution
in Armenia is out of the question. We staged all our revolutions
long ago."
"Do you see any rival during the presidential elections?"
"Presidential elections are a chance and not a sports event.I don't
consider anyone a rival. We must demonstrate our abilities to the
voters and our people instead of struggling against anyone. It is
possible to fight negative phenomena and all kinds of manifestations,
but I don't consider that struggling against anyone, any person is
the right policy."
"Mr. Sargsyan, was your interview given to 'Los Angeles Times'
translated accurately, and is it interpreted in a proper manner?"
"I said all I had to say during the meeting with the editorial staff
of 'Los Angeles Times'. I told the truth. I am responsible for what
I said. One has to take much trouble to find vulnerable points in
my speech. And this is what they are doing now. They are trying to
persuade the public as if I have said that the Karabakh conflict
is against the religious background, and that we are waging a war
of religions. This is something ridiculous and also results from
ignorance.
I have said that the religious factor is present in the Karabakh
conflict. And I have always said that; it is not the first time. If
there is no religious factor, why then are the historical monuments
and cross-stones being destroyed? Why were the people burnt on fire
only because they were Armenians? And this was done not only at
the beginning but also at the end of the last century. If anyone
declares that the religious affiliation has nothing to do here, it
is his problem. But that person is not allowed to tie his problem or
complex upon me."
"What kind of team do you have today?"
"Strong. Our team is true to its ideas. We consider personal
faithfulness influential. Personal faithfulness has a great importance
in family and friendly relations. The important thing in politics
is for a person not to change his/her skin, not to try to constantly
justify his/her immoral steps by calling politics immorality. I don't
believe that a person who is moral in everyday life can immoral in
politics. It is impossible. Our team is strong with its ideas, with
the path it has passed, and it imagines fairly well what should be
done to make Armenia a prosperous country.
Haroutyun Gevorkan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia
Nov 13 2007
The 11th Congress of the Republican Party was held on Saturday,
November 10.
By the nomination of the Congress, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan,
Chairman of the RPA Council, was unanimously elected as Chairman of
the Republican Party of Armenia. The voting with the participation
of 650 MPs resulted in the election of an RPA Council consisting of
100 members and an Executive Body consisting of 13 members. The RPA
Chairman Serge Sargsyan, Vice Chairman Tigran Torosyan, Moushegh
Lalayan, Razmik Zaohrabyan and Galoust Sahakyan, as well as Deputy
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, Head of the RPA parliamentary faction
Karen Karapetyan, NA Deputies Haroutyun Pamboukyan, Hranoush Hakobyan,
Gagik Minasyan, David Haroutyunyan and RPA members Rouben Tadevosyan
and Derenik Doumanyan were elected as members of the party's permanent
governance body.
During the announced break, the newly elected Council convened its
first session and made a decision to nominate Serge Sargsyan, the
RPA Chairman and the Prime Minister of the Republic, as a candidate
for presidency. The session unanimously approved Serge Sargsyan's
nomination; thereafter the Chairman made a comprehensive speech
devoted to the program.
After the end of the activities of the Congress, SERGE SARGSYAN
answered the questions of the journalists.
"Will there be peculiarities in your activities in the pre-election
period?"
"No, I have said several times and repeat again that our goal is to
explain to the Armenian people and first of all - to the citizens
of Armenia the idea of our programs, and to introduce our ideas
about the future of Armenia. There is no other peculiarity for us,
at least for the time being.
"Mr. Prime Minister, in your speech devoted to the program you
mentioned that any attempt of violence will be prevented."
"What I meant was the political manifestation of the activities of
the political forces that wish to run for election. If a political
or any other force attempts to perform an illegal action, there are
law enforcement agencies for preventing it. They will tackle those
problems. This is not a matter to be dealt with by any party.
"Do you think the prospects of a colored revolution probable?"
"As far back as a few years ago I announced that a colored revolution
in Armenia is out of the question. We staged all our revolutions
long ago."
"Do you see any rival during the presidential elections?"
"Presidential elections are a chance and not a sports event.I don't
consider anyone a rival. We must demonstrate our abilities to the
voters and our people instead of struggling against anyone. It is
possible to fight negative phenomena and all kinds of manifestations,
but I don't consider that struggling against anyone, any person is
the right policy."
"Mr. Sargsyan, was your interview given to 'Los Angeles Times'
translated accurately, and is it interpreted in a proper manner?"
"I said all I had to say during the meeting with the editorial staff
of 'Los Angeles Times'. I told the truth. I am responsible for what
I said. One has to take much trouble to find vulnerable points in
my speech. And this is what they are doing now. They are trying to
persuade the public as if I have said that the Karabakh conflict
is against the religious background, and that we are waging a war
of religions. This is something ridiculous and also results from
ignorance.
I have said that the religious factor is present in the Karabakh
conflict. And I have always said that; it is not the first time. If
there is no religious factor, why then are the historical monuments
and cross-stones being destroyed? Why were the people burnt on fire
only because they were Armenians? And this was done not only at
the beginning but also at the end of the last century. If anyone
declares that the religious affiliation has nothing to do here, it
is his problem. But that person is not allowed to tie his problem or
complex upon me."
"What kind of team do you have today?"
"Strong. Our team is true to its ideas. We consider personal
faithfulness influential. Personal faithfulness has a great importance
in family and friendly relations. The important thing in politics
is for a person not to change his/her skin, not to try to constantly
justify his/her immoral steps by calling politics immorality. I don't
believe that a person who is moral in everyday life can immoral in
politics. It is impossible. Our team is strong with its ideas, with
the path it has passed, and it imagines fairly well what should be
done to make Armenia a prosperous country.