“WHO SPOILED ROBERT KOCHARYAN?”

A1PLUS // Online News

[10:57 am] 26 September, 2006 [ http://www.a1plus.am/en/?page=issue&iid=41101 ]

“I have worked with Robert Kocharyan for a long time. He was a very modest person. He was a legendary personality for Karabakh. I don’t recognize today’s Robert Kocharyan”, said member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun administration Aram Manoukyan who was lucky enough to read the RA Declaration of Independence 15 years ago.

In that case, who spoiled Robert Kocharyan? Asked this question by one of the journalists Aram Manoukyan answered, “I don’t know, but someone did it for sure. Look who he is surrounded by – people who have changed party several times, people who have betrayed their parties. Robert Kocharyan is not surrounded by people who fought together with him for the sake of our independence”.

Mr. Manoukyan does not deny the fact that Robert Kocharyan had a great contribution to winning independence. Nevertheless, he thinks that «Today's authorities keep power in their hands at the expense of our independence. The authorities live like parasites, like fungi live at the expense of the tree».

Despite the shortcomings, Aram Manoukyan thinks that today we own something greatly worthy – our independence. “Today the countries which do not have independence are less than those which have it. The nations which lose their independence or the chance to gain it are punished”, he mentioned.

Aram Manoukyan also had to refer to the mistakes of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun made during the past 15 years. “The greatest mistake was that we did not warn the people that independence is something painful and responsible. Another mistake was that we believed in people who did not deserve it”. Aram Manoukyan is sure that only those who will fight for independence deserve to have power.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun does not think that they can succeed alone in the political field, but as Mr. Manoukyan mentioned, they get ready for the coming elections seriously.

Starting from tomorrow the first periodical of Independent Armenia, “Hayq” will be published again, after a pause of 7-8 years. “This is the first step by the ARF to redeem their fault”, Aram Manoukyan confessed.