“As is usually the case before an opposition rally, the propaganda machines of both sides will fire their traditional salvos,” “Aravot” says in a commentary on Friday’s opposition rally in Yerevan. “The government propaganda will say that the rally is yet another meaningless and weak event which they, the authorities, don’t have to worry about. Somebody should ask them, ‘If you are not worried, why do you close roads [to Yerevan?] The opposition, for its part, will claim that the rally will be so powerful and influential that the authorities will have no choice but to pack up and flee Armenia.”
In an interview with “Zhamanak,” Miasnik Malkhasian, an opposition figure, says if Armenians want to see real change in their country they must actively participate in opposition actions. “There are segments, members of the society who realize all that only when they personally feel injustice on their skin … Every struggle always produces a result. If citizens are active and participate in these actions, the authorities will have to reckon with that and make concessions, no matter how small.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian tells “Azg” that the draft resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict submitted by Azerbaijan will not be discussed at the United Nations General Assembly anytime soon. “The countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group as well as most of the international community have spoken out against any attempt to change the current format of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiating process and have unconditionally backed efforts by the Minsk Group co-chairs,” says Kirakosian. He says Azerbaijan withdrew the resolution from the General Assembly agenda last week to avert a serious damage to its international reputation.
Asked whether Baku could use the draft resolution’s inclusion on the agenda of the next General Assembly session to put pressure on Armenia, Kirakosian says, “As has been repeatedly pointed out, UN General Assembly resolutions are not binding. What is more, a resolution that does not enjoy the backing of a majority of UN member states can not have any impact, let alone serve as a lever. Having said that, Armenia has always stressed that bringing up one-sided resolutions in various [international] bodies -- and the UN in particular -- … only reflects negatively on the negotiating process.”
(Tigran Avetisian)
In an interview with “Zhamanak,” Miasnik Malkhasian, an opposition figure, says if Armenians want to see real change in their country they must actively participate in opposition actions. “There are segments, members of the society who realize all that only when they personally feel injustice on their skin … Every struggle always produces a result. If citizens are active and participate in these actions, the authorities will have to reckon with that and make concessions, no matter how small.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian tells “Azg” that the draft resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict submitted by Azerbaijan will not be discussed at the United Nations General Assembly anytime soon. “The countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group as well as most of the international community have spoken out against any attempt to change the current format of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiating process and have unconditionally backed efforts by the Minsk Group co-chairs,” says Kirakosian. He says Azerbaijan withdrew the resolution from the General Assembly agenda last week to avert a serious damage to its international reputation.
Asked whether Baku could use the draft resolution’s inclusion on the agenda of the next General Assembly session to put pressure on Armenia, Kirakosian says, “As has been repeatedly pointed out, UN General Assembly resolutions are not binding. What is more, a resolution that does not enjoy the backing of a majority of UN member states can not have any impact, let alone serve as a lever. Having said that, Armenia has always stressed that bringing up one-sided resolutions in various [international] bodies -- and the UN in particular -- … only reflects negatively on the negotiating process.”
(Tigran Avetisian)