Internet Press Conference with Karapet Rubinyan

Artak Barseghyan, Public Radio of Armenia-www.armradio.am (Armenia)

1.Mr. Rubinyan, how do you assess the current political situation in Armenia, in the light of post-election developments?

-Despite assurances from the authorities that they were willing to hold the most democratic elections in the history of Armenia and the enthusiastic and complacent moods at the start of the race, the result is no less deplorable than that of the previous presidential elections. The incumbent illegitimate Armenian authorities are hated so much by the Armenian people, that many of those who under the lash still voted for the government, or voted for an electoral bribe, demonstrated such a great desire to change the regime, that  both the government and the opposition were absolutely stunned. In this situation the whole nation knows that the elections were rigged, and that Raffi Hovhannisyan was the real winner in the elections. Once again we are in a revolutionary situation, the authorities have no other arguments, except brutal force, and the people cannot tolerate further the presence of deeply corrupt power. Unfortunately, after the last election, as you know, the nationwide uprising, expressed by peaceful protests, was harshly suppressed, shedding blood. And today we have commemorated the sad date. The following questions arise: “What has changed since then? What gives a reason to think that this time the public will be able to change anything?” Basically, the situation is almost identical to that in 2008, simply the opposition is more experienced, and the society is more developed than 5 years ago. And thirdly, consolidation of various political and social forces is just underway.

2.During the Parliamentary elections you were on the "Heritage" slate. What are the prospects for your cooperation with this oppositional political party?

-I do not think it is correct to speak of an individual's cooperation with the whole party. I have a very good relationship with the head of the party Raffi Hovhannisyan, but the decision to support his candidacy and vote for him were taken not because of this personal relationship. As it turned out, most of the voters of the Republic and I saw him as a competent candidate to consolidate all the progressive forces of the country around him because of his flawless past and unblemished present. Moreover, his platform has envisaged constitutional reforms, the most important of which is the transition to the parliamentary system of government which I have been promoting for many years. Thus, Raffi’s movement, which has now begun to be called "BAREVOLUTION" proclaimed the aims and methods of struggle which are entirely acceptable to me and I'm willing to make every effort to help them succeed.

3.Have you received an offer to be part of Raffi Hovannisian’s "shadow government?"

-Issues related to the institutionalization of BAREVOLUTION, its structure and methods of organization are only beginning to be discussed. Whether or not Raffi will proclaim a shadow government is also still under question, and there are different opinions here. I think that the issues of the organization and structuring of the movement are more important that the discussions about the shadow government which can lead to unnecessary bouts of ambition and complications.

David Stepanyan, “Arminfo” news agency-www.arminfo.am (Armenia)

1.Hello Mr. Rubinyan. Do you think that after the elections on February 18 Armenia was caught in another political crisis? What is the most realistic way out of this situation?

-Firstly, the crisis after the Presidential election in 2008 has not been overcome at all. So now we can talk about the continuation of the crisis and a new surge of nationwide dissatisfaction with the regime that has usurped power in the country. The only way out of this situation I see is increasing public pressure on the government and forcing them to take steps that could lead to democratic reforms in the country.

2.Do you consider Raffi Hovannisian’s ongoing revolution of "greetings" feasible?

-I see massive popular discontent with election fraud and a great desire for change. I have already said that Raffi Hovannisian is a figure that can consolidate figures from different walks of life as well as various political and social forces that can focus their efforts on democratic reforms. The success of this movement depends on every citizen in our country. It is not necessary to wait for "guidance from the higher places." BAREVOLUTION, in my opinion, is in the first place a self-organization and self-activity movement by various groups.

3.Syunik Governor Suren Khachatryan said he believed Raffi Hovannisian's rallies were "threatening." How and who do you think the regional meetings held by the leader of the Heritage party threaten? 

-The Governor is right, the activities of Raffi Hovannisian and the movement he leads bear a direct threat to the entire criminal-oligarchic regime, an element of which Mr. Khachatryan himself is.

4.Can Hovannisian change the regime in Armenia exclusively with the support of the Armenian public, without any external support?

-I am sure that no power can stop the people who have stood up for their rights, and no external support will be crucial for either the power or the insurgents. Thank you all for your questions.

Aydin Kerimov, “Novoye Vremya” newspaper-www.novoye-vremya.com (Azerbaijan)

1.Do you think it is possible to expect activation of the negotiation process and the achievement of a real agreement in 2013?

-It is quite unlikely, for as you can well see, we have now had problematic elections and who knows how the rest of the post-election process will proceed. As far as I know, Azerbaijani presidential elections are also planned for the end of this year. Hence, this background is the least favorable for any decisive action to be taken by the parties.

2.Do you think the opening of the airport in Khojaly will lead to a complete freeze of the negotiation process?

-It would be very difficult to call the negotiation process “unfrozen” even now. The glorification of the mean killer Safarov in Azerbaijan has substantially contributed to the freezing of the normalization of relations between the two countries. The possible opening of Stepanakert airport is perceived in Armenia, Karabakh, and the countries of the OSCE Minsk Group as a purely humanitarian action. The only exception is Azerbaijan, where the authorities are inappropriately politicizing the issue. Hence, their future decisions depend on whether this issue exacerbates and whether there is further freezing in the negotiations.

Tarana Kyazimova, “Turan” news agency-www.contact.az (Azerbaijan)

1.Mr. Rubinyan, how do you assess the presidential elections in Armenia? Was Serzh Sargsyan’s reelection predictable for you?

-Sargsyan's election could not have been predictable, since his true electorate ranges between 10 and15%. However, it was fully expected that he would go on clinging to power.

2.Do you expect President Sargsyan to actively launch domestic reforms and "undertake" the settlement of the Karabakh conflict in his second term?

-Actually, I expect Sargsyan's resignation and the advent of democratic forces. I think such developments in Azerbaijan would also be useful. If, however, there are no positive developments in our countries, we should not expect any real reforms or any progress in the settlement of the conflict. The head of the criminal-oligarchic regime, by definition, cannot undertake real reforms because they will immediately move the ground away from under his feet, and the authorities, in general.

Natigh Javadli, “Bizim Yol” newspaper - www.bizimyol.az (Azerbaijan)

1.What was the picture of the presidential election in terms of voter turnout in the country's regions? Was it different from the activity of people in the cities?

-It is no secret that Armenia has the problem of temporary and permanent emigration, especially from the villages in the mountainous and remote areas. Ironically, the official statistics of the elections showed a completely opposite picture. It turned out that everyone was in place and more than 90% of the electorate voted for Mr. Sargsyan. There was a cynical ballot stuffing in the name of the missing voters.

2.Was the lack of any interest by the West in the presidential elections in Armenia just another proof that Armenia is still under Russian influence?

-Russian influence in the South Caucasus and the former Soviet Union and its neo-colonial ambitions are not novel. At the same time it is common knowledge that the United States are opposing this. This was recently and explicitly stated by the U.S. Secretary of State of the time Mrs. Hillary Clinton. The United Europe is pursuing a similar policy, simply in a much softer and more disguised manner. I do not think that the U.S. and EU have distanced themselves from the processes, related to the presidential elections in Armenia. It is a different matter how they have decided to evaluate these elections and how they will choose to assess the post-election processes.

Rashad Rustamov, “Zerkalo” newspaper-www.zerkalo.az (Azerbaijan)

1.Can we think that the presidential elections in Armenia were transparent, fair, and open?

-No way. Authorities used the whole arsenal of falsifications.

2.Since you are a former deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament, I wonder whether the present Parliament of your country represents the entire political spectrum of the Armenian society.

-Unfortunately, it does not. It is no secret that the last parliamentary elections were also rigged, and the ruling Republican Party booked the majority of the Parliament seats. If you consider the official statistics of the recent presidential elections, we can see that even these distorted results call into question the representativeness of the current parliament.