Why Serzh Sargsyan fulfilled Ter-Petrosyan’s demands
Political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan sees truth behind ANC leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan's statement during the last rally according to which the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lies at the core of the authorities' fulfillment of the ANC's three demands.
"The process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution is in a stage that is having an impact on the authorities, but the conflict has been in this stage since 2008 and I don't think that was the only reason why the authorities fulfilled the demands. The main reason is inter-political, the upcoming elections," Mr Iskandaryan told "A1+" today.
Mr. Iskandaryan is not rushing to call the process taking place between the ANC and the authorities a dialogue.
"This is still not a dialogue. The two are still making attempts to lay down the rules of the game before the parliamentary elections, which are important for the ANC as well. For the first time in Armenia's history, the side that didn't garner the majority of votes after the elections will not announce that the elections were falsified and refuse to participate in political processes. They are trying to lay down the rules of the game. As to whether or not that will work out, that is a different story."
The political scientist also doesn't rush to say whether other political forces will have minimum chances due to the Levon Ter-Petrosyan-Serzh Sargsyan dialogue.
"The electoral processes are still ahead. The picture of the future parliament also depends on the ANC's developments. It is obvious that if a new force enters parliament, the existing NA forces will have less seats. That will be clearer in the fall."
Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict again, Iskandaryan said he no longer believed that the meetings could become a turning point.
Accepting as a basis the statements by the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mr. Iskandaryan doesn't rule out that sides will be presented with a document in Kazan. "However, that document will call on the sides to follow the adopted principles once again."
As far as stating a fixed period in the statement is concerned, Mr. Iskandaryan views that as the desire of the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries to bring the conflicting sides closer. "When journalists always ask me what I predict after every meeting, I always ask them what the problem with seeing serious results is."
