Ter Petrosian and Dashnaktsutiun — Making Up?
A1 Plus reports that the former and first president Levon Ter Petrosian met earlier today with representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutiun. The meeting is a surprise given the fact that Dashnaktsutiun was outlawed under Ter Petrosian. Senior party officials were arrested and newspapers closed.
Nevertheless, Dashnaktsutiun has also recently stated that during his tenure as president when they were in opposition, ideology at least existed in politics here. A1 Plus reports that both Ter Petrosian and Dashnaktsutiun agree on this point. In fact, with the acquisition of wealth being the main preoccupation of those in the political sphere, few would disagree.
On 29th of September in “Simon Vracyan” Center of Dashnaktsutyun party representative of the ARF Office Armenia Hrant Margaryan and the representative of “Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Body ” Armen Rustamian met Levon Ter-Petrosyan Aleksandr Arzumanyan. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was the initiator of the meeting. They discussed issues connected with internal political situation in Armenia and issues concerning coming presidential elections. Both parties found ideological-political debate necesary at this stage of development.
The meeting is sure to raise some eyebrows among ARF-D supporters and not least in the Diaspora. For them, Ter Petrosian is considered something akin to a criminal and traitor and this news must appear strange after last week’s angry rebuttal of Ter Petrosian’s Friday speech. Nevertheless, the ARF-D’s Vahan Hovannisian still welcomed his return to active politics.
While reaffirming Dashnaktsutyun’s highly negative attitude towards Ter-Petrosian, Hovannisian said he and his party would welcome the ex-president’s participation in the forthcoming presidential elections as it would add “an ideological element” to the race.
“It wouldn’t be bad if he nominated his candidacy because the HHSh and Dashnaktsutyun poles will be very visible. It would be interesting to see how others will position themselves in between those poles,” he said.
Interesting to see Ter Petrosian’s last foreign minister, Alexander Arzoumanian, at the meeting so soon after his release from custody if only because it seems to back up suspicions that his emergence, as well as that of Impeachment, during the May parliamentary election were in preparation for Ter Petrosian’s possible political comeback. Anyway, photographs of this unexpected but interesting meeting are here.
- Published:
- 09.29.07 / 4pm by Onnik
- Category:
- Armenia, Armenia Presidential Election 2008, Candidates, Parties
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