Clashes of September 1996 and March 2008 are incomparable
Armenia's first President, ANC Leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan is currently answering questions in Yerevan's Liberty Square.
Speaking about the parallels drawn between the March 1, 2008 deadly clashes and September 26, 1996 events, the ANC leader said the protests were sparked in the result of rigged elections.
"I see no other similarity. The events of March 1 were unprecedented in the history of independent Armenia. We did not have casualties in September 1996," said the country's first president, describing the events of the last 15 years.
Ter-Petrosyan says in September 1996, Vazgen Manukyan, leader of the National-Democratic Union (AZhM), organized a rally at Liberty Square which was later continued in the vicinity of the National Assembly.
"Manukyan announced, "I am going to the National Assembly to negotiation with CEC President Khachatur Bezirjyan. If I do not return in 20 minutes, come after me." Twenty minutes later, people began to climb the bars," said the ANC leader.
He recalled that National Minister Security Serzh Sargsyan was assigned to guarantee the security of state figures, including the then President Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
"When people broke into the parliament building, Serzhik Sargsyan [his name by passport] rushed to my room and said, "Boss, we must open fire!" "In no case," was my reply. They fired into the air, dispersed the crowd and we were able to save the situation without any causality. Whereas, during the 2008 post-election clashes ten people were killed and 100 injured in the capital center," said Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
