President Sargsyan rejects key points of ARF Election Plan

By Asbarez | Monday, 10 December 2012

ARF Bureau chairman Hrant Markarian

YEREVAN (arfd.info)—President Serzh Sarkisian on Saturday rejected two key elements of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s seven-point elections platform, following a lengthy meeting with the party’s Bureau chairman Hrant Markarian and Supreme Council of Armenia representative Armen Rustamian.

Markarian told press representatives on Monday that Sarkisian rejected the ARF’s proposal for Armenia to adopt a parliamentary form of government and the party’s insistence that Armenia withdraw its signature from the Turkey-Armenia protocols.

Markarian explained that the president is firm in his belief that Armenian government is on the right path vis-à-vis the protocols and has added that the system of governance was not the problem.

“Was the meeting with the president useless?” said Markarian. “If we look at it only in a purely functional way, then probably yes. But it also made sense because our arguments and views might influence his thinking.”

“If that happens, we will be grateful. If not, we will have no regrets that we did not try,” he told journalists.

Markarian explained that the meeting with Sarkisian was previously scheduled and was among the series of meetings ARF leaders were having with political forces in Armenia ahead of the February presidential elections.

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