I have not welcomed Gagik Tsarukyan’s return to politics: Serzh Sargsyan

“Speaking laconically, I have not welcomed Gagik Tsarukyan’s return to politics,” Serzh Sargsyan. President of Armenia and Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), told at the Council meeting of the party on January 26.

The President also reflected to the process of forming coalitions,

“It’s very healthy and welcoming. You might remember when during the debates on the Constitutional changes we urged that enlargement of political institutions and entities will take place and we will have a much more stable and efficient political environment. A bit more than a year has passed and we can see that our perceptions were correct.”

Serzh Sargsyan expressed admiration over the youth, assuring that they are fully capable of leading the country in the future. “Being a representative of the country’s leading party, to my perception, is not a privilege, but a serious additional responsibility. Under the new Constitution the role of the political parties in our countries will change, the tasks and working formats of the parties will also change. I have no doubts here. This Council will have much more important say in the discussions and of course in the decision making over various issues. It will be more active than it was till today. This refers not only to our but also all the other parties. I believe all the parties that will continue their activities in the future will have to work in this manner,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

Referring to the upcoming elections, President Sargsyan noted that at the moment the main task of the party is to prepare for the parliamentary elections on a high level. “We give start from very beneficial positions. We ready to present to our public how well we realize the problems facing us, we have most realistic and promising programs and most importantly, we have the most viable team,” Sargsyan said, adding that “our party defines the political agenda and benchmarks.”

Serzh Sargsyan emphasized that apart from presenting their programs to the public, it is particularly their responsibility to hold elections in line with the new Electoral code. The Chairman of the ruling party of Armenia noted that during the period of talks with the opposition and civil society representatives over the Electoral Code, the Republican Party has always been constructive and made reasonable concessions to achieve a consensus-based Electoral Code.

“This is unprecedented not only for Armenia, but generally in practice”, Sargsyan said. Speaking about the date of the elections, April 2, President Sargsyan noted that he is well-aware of the disagreements over this issue. He clarified that their lawyers have strong arguments to consider the date legitimate, but added that he also has some concerns over that.

“I wanted to dedicate April 2 and the days following it to our hero friends, to their memory and glorification”, Serzh Sargsyan said, assuring that he sees no obstacles for postponing the elections by 4-5 days. He suggested to wait a bit more until all the participants are known, after which it will be possible to reach an agreement with them.