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PAPA IS COMING. GREET HIM!
S. Haroutyunyan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia
Oct 2 2007
Judging by all, ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan has decided to
start the return match of the Armenian pan-National movement with
the knight's move. That's to say, to do something that might be least
expected within the frames of political logic.
First, the great dumb unexpectedly broke his oath of silence,
announcing that he had not made up his mind to nominate his candidacy,
since he "saw" the solution to all the problems but hadn't yet
revealed the solution to the greatest problem, the Karabakh issue,
which is the only impediment to Armenia's development.
However, a few days later he moved his knight again, at least with
regard to the Karabakh issue, although there were no changes in this
process. Faithful to the slogan saying, "There are neither eternal
enemies nor eternal friends; there are eternal interests", he turned
to Dashnaktsutyun and asked Hrant Markaryan, member of the ARFD Bureau
for a meeting. And he agreed to remain comply with the rules of a
"civilized campaign": speak about his own programs and approaches,
instead of washing dirty linen in public.
Thus, Mr. Ter-Petrosyan killed two birds with one stone.
First, he stated that he had made up his mind to urgently nominate
his candidacy, setting aside his torments of "studying, weighting
and examining" the things because this was something dictated by the
political interest.
At the same time, he disagreed (at least tried to disagree) with the
opinion expressed by Robert Kocharyan and the overwhelming majority of
the politicians that by returning to "active politics" Ter-Petrosyan
would become an ordinary activist with all the consequences deriving
thereof. Agree that the considerations of political expediency wouldn't
make any ordinary activist go and squeeze hands with the leaders
of a traditional party that suffered the greatest losses a result
of the "democratic freedoms" granted by the Armenian pan-National
Movement. And this happened in a situation when he had accused that
party of keeping "terrorist structures" inside and outside Armenia and,
what's more - orchestrating Genocide against the Western Armenians.
Third, the ex-President appeared to public as the "papa of the nation";
a broad-minded political figure devoid of complexes. And despite
having a most serious problem with one of his sons, he is not vengeful;
he is ready to "forgive" and even remit the sins of the errant.
Fourth, he was granted a political "indulgence" for his own sins, thus
deserving the benediction of Dashnaktsutyun, the sworn ideological
rival, in order to stand in peer-to-peer competition with the
political factions not accused of disorganizing and dismantling
a country that used to be prosperous and requesting the people's
consent to sell Karabakh.
Fifth, he succeeded in his commitment to breed hostility between
Dashnaktsutyun and RPA, since it is quite possible that the
"Republican" will, nonetheless, be jealous of the political maneuvers
of its former ally which has signed a partial cooperation agreement
with the coalition.
In short, it is possible to state that at the current stage of the
official campaign Levon Ter-Petrosyan managed to settle the problems
he was faced with.
In such situation the following question comes up: what did
Dashnaktsutyun gain, apart from the golden opportunity of publicizing
its approaches on a "civilized debate"? It isn't as if it had never
been deprived of such opportunity.
S. Haroutyunyan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia
Oct 2 2007
Judging by all, ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan has decided to
start the return match of the Armenian pan-National movement with
the knight's move. That's to say, to do something that might be least
expected within the frames of political logic.
First, the great dumb unexpectedly broke his oath of silence,
announcing that he had not made up his mind to nominate his candidacy,
since he "saw" the solution to all the problems but hadn't yet
revealed the solution to the greatest problem, the Karabakh issue,
which is the only impediment to Armenia's development.
However, a few days later he moved his knight again, at least with
regard to the Karabakh issue, although there were no changes in this
process. Faithful to the slogan saying, "There are neither eternal
enemies nor eternal friends; there are eternal interests", he turned
to Dashnaktsutyun and asked Hrant Markaryan, member of the ARFD Bureau
for a meeting. And he agreed to remain comply with the rules of a
"civilized campaign": speak about his own programs and approaches,
instead of washing dirty linen in public.
Thus, Mr. Ter-Petrosyan killed two birds with one stone.
First, he stated that he had made up his mind to urgently nominate
his candidacy, setting aside his torments of "studying, weighting
and examining" the things because this was something dictated by the
political interest.
At the same time, he disagreed (at least tried to disagree) with the
opinion expressed by Robert Kocharyan and the overwhelming majority of
the politicians that by returning to "active politics" Ter-Petrosyan
would become an ordinary activist with all the consequences deriving
thereof. Agree that the considerations of political expediency wouldn't
make any ordinary activist go and squeeze hands with the leaders
of a traditional party that suffered the greatest losses a result
of the "democratic freedoms" granted by the Armenian pan-National
Movement. And this happened in a situation when he had accused that
party of keeping "terrorist structures" inside and outside Armenia and,
what's more - orchestrating Genocide against the Western Armenians.
Third, the ex-President appeared to public as the "papa of the nation";
a broad-minded political figure devoid of complexes. And despite
having a most serious problem with one of his sons, he is not vengeful;
he is ready to "forgive" and even remit the sins of the errant.
Fourth, he was granted a political "indulgence" for his own sins, thus
deserving the benediction of Dashnaktsutyun, the sworn ideological
rival, in order to stand in peer-to-peer competition with the
political factions not accused of disorganizing and dismantling
a country that used to be prosperous and requesting the people's
consent to sell Karabakh.
Fifth, he succeeded in his commitment to breed hostility between
Dashnaktsutyun and RPA, since it is quite possible that the
"Republican" will, nonetheless, be jealous of the political maneuvers
of its former ally which has signed a partial cooperation agreement
with the coalition.
In short, it is possible to state that at the current stage of the
official campaign Levon Ter-Petrosyan managed to settle the problems
he was faced with.
In such situation the following question comes up: what did
Dashnaktsutyun gain, apart from the golden opportunity of publicizing
its approaches on a "civilized debate"? It isn't as if it had never
been deprived of such opportunity.