THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE AMUSED BY KHOCHARIAN’S STATEMENTS

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Arman Melikyan, the former Advisor to NKR President on Foreign Policy Affairs is a candidate for presidency since December 6. A. Melikyan appreciates Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s promotion in presidential elections, but doesn’t think that there is such a candidate today, who is ready to accomplish Melikian’s proposed prescription regarding two key issues, namely for NK problem and in struggle against corruption.

This has been the reason for Arman Melikyan making a decision to promote his own candidacy. According to him, Armenia’s past, present and future will meet on February 19.

“Election results will show, which of them dominates,” stated Arman Melikyan and answered to other questions asked by A1+.

-Mr.Melikyan, which of the candidates is supposed to be Armenia’s future?

-Future will be presented by the candidate, who is neither from Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s and nor from Serj Sarkisian’s team.

-It means you?

-I am not excluded either. We still have time to discus my approaches and perspectives of other candidates.

-Mr. Melikyan, in difference to other candidates, the public doesn’t know you so well. Don’t you think that you have the problem of popularity?

-Yes, other candidates are well known people, some of them are really highly respected, but they didn’t gather corresponding voices in previous elections for presidency. Today there is lack of new approaches to pinpoint the new path for the country. Mainly mutual denouncements are being voiced creating an atmosphere of aversion. Mostly two poles have been formed excluding each other. I am against to any type of skirmishes and this is another reason of promoting my own candidacy. Being not well known has also its advantages. I think I can propose such approaches, which can convey deductions to all political powers.

-Usually candidates for presidency are having political power behind them. Who is or who are standing behind you?

-There is no one behind me; all people are standing on my side.

-Who are on your side?

-These are all those people who are against the idea of giving back the liberated lands, who are against the corruption system of current management in Armenia. The Azerbaijan-Armenian refugees are standing on my side, whose problems I am considering for a long time.

-In your opinion, can this electorate guarantee your victory on February 19?

-This electorate is sufficient for confronting the approaches that are trying to be on political agenda today, namely returning territories and sustaining a corruption system.

-In this case, won’t it be more correct to support the candidate, who would accept the prescription for the issues mentioned by you.

- I am talking about this for 3 years already. Anyone of the candidates could have adopted this. No one of them is the advocate of this approach.

- How do you estimate you chances?

-I do not estimate in general.

-How to comprehend this?

-I know very few people who are for the corruption on every step in Armenia; I know very few who are for returning the liberated territories.

-Can it be inferred that other candidates are for the corruption structure in Armenia, and for returning the liberated territories to Azerbaijan? -I have accurate prescriptions, which they do not possess otherwise I would have joined to one of them.

-And what are your prescriptions? Let’s start with NK problem.

-Until now both OSCE mediators and the direct parties of the negotiations discuss the territorial problem, namely exchange of territories for NKR status. I do not accept this as a negotiable basis. It does not embrace the protection of rights of Armenian refugees. The issue of Azeri refugees is included in the negotiation process, but not Armenian refugees. The NK problem negotiation process should be put on new foundation, namely equal acknowledgement of human rights and protection, as for Azeri, as well as for Armenian refugees. Once Terry Davis, General Secretary of PAEC said during the meeting with me “Man is of high importance to me, and not the territory.” I agree with him by 100 percent, but the problem of Armenian refugees should be considered according this approach as well, whose number is bigger than Azeri refugees. The Armenian officials that were conducting the negotiations should have raised this issue. The officials of RA didn’t articulate the problem of refugees in the agenda. If it were considered at the beginning of 90’s, the negotiations would have had different direction. Today thousands of Armenian refugees have applied for receiving reparation from Azerbaijan. It is the government that should have considered the issue and not the NGO.

-Levon Ter- Petrosyan has stated in his last rally, that any president of RA can’t sign a document regarding NK, if NKR people are against. Doesn’t this mean that territories aren’t being returned, or do you think NK people are for returning territories?

-But is there a government in NK, who will challenge the officials of RA in these conditions. Today we have such conditions when there is no potential in NKR to defy RA officials.

-Can we say that NKR officials are implementers of RA officials in NK problem at least?

-I can say one thing, that today the NK problem regulation depends on the results of the presidential election of RA. The future of RA also depends on the election results and instead of uniting we are being separated.

-Mr.Melikyan, you were an Advisor to the president of NKR, and prior that Minister of FA of NKR before promoting your candidacy for the president of RA. This means that an official of NKR is participating today for presidential elections of RA. Wouldn’t it be accepted negatively?

- Before being an official of NKR, I have been an official of RA. It is not from a good time that we are raising such questions. Every body keeps asking me am I from Kharabagh? I feel embarrassed when such questions are discussed. I am not from Kharabagh, I was born and raised in Yerevan, but I have never expected passing such a test on tribal purity in Armenia.

-How would you explain the detachment of Armenian- Kharabaghian?

-This has both objective and subjective reasons. Armenia and Kharabagh have been developing separately for decades. The spiritual cultural developments have been different. We are similar but different as well. These dissimilarities should serve as uniting factors rather than separating.

-In your opinion what is the dissimilarity between Armenian and Kharabaghian.

-Kharabaghian is more taciturn, stubborn, reticent but more pragmatic, rooted in their lands and do not receive signals from outside world. As an RA official with work experience in NKR, I can state that Kharabaghian treats all non-Kharabaghian with suspicion, but it can pass if they do not feel false tunes in your manners. Kharabaghians have good listening skills, not only in musical terms but also in terms of recognizing people. They are taciturn because they sense threat from outer world. It is a disposition that Armenians lack, because this is the guarantee for preserving traditions. And Kharabaghians have the problem of becoming natives in Armenia. Instead of mutual understanding, we are leaded by clashes and distrust. We can compare people from Guimry, Aparan, etc with the same principal. Guimry had the same problem with Yerevan, but people from Guimry and Yerevan have reconciled with their advantages and disadvantages during these years. People from Yerevan are seemed arrogant, sometimes a shallow personality for people from all other regions of Armenia, , and this is a problem for Yerevan, as it didn’t succeed in becoming capital of a country and a cultural center. This is a serious danger.

- I apologize for understating your potential, but whom will you support in the second round of presidential elections?

-The skirmish between two poles, Ter- Petrosyan and Serj-Sarkisyan is inevitable. The political powers can always horn one another, but it is futile. There should be an opportunity for people to pass a path. Arguments do not open paths. Let the day come for the second round and we’ll decide. I suppose, that the final results of the elections will be decided prior the elections.

-What is your approach regarding the mutual accusations during the election campaign today, particularly, comprehension of a word “tools” and evaluating the failure of Aram Kharapetian to be a presidential candidate as deprivation from fun in Robert Khocharyan’s statements, etc?

-Statements made by Khocharyan are already “amusing,” these are specific, unique ways of “humorous” expressions. This is a fact that should be considered. I am sorry, but they confirm my fear. In the beginning of 90’s I was in Tajikistan, in CIS peaceful mission and I saw the development of civil war with all its phases. By the way, there is a mountainous part in Tajikistan, the region of Badakhshan, where people are slightly different from Tajiks living in Dushambe. But the civil war cost 100 thousand people and this is not funny.

Interviewed by Victoria Abrahamian