The
experts of "Marshal’s Foundation" met the political and economical groups.The
delegation of US political experts which arrived Armenia for cognitive visit within
the project of German "Marshal’s foundation" met the produced authority
coalition in the RA NA and the members of Armenia-USA relationship deputy group
as well as the large public and political groups yesterday.And if the deputies
of the authority speaking about the RA developing level of democracy during that
meeting said that Armenia was the most democratic country in the region the deputies
of the opposition insisted just the opposite, about violating every elementary
standard of democracy. The only similarity in standpoints of the deputies of opposition
and authority is that the USA and the West in general has begun interesting in
our region more seriously especially in democratic processes of the three countries
of Southern Caucasus.The representatives of Marshal’s foundation were interested
more in two questions during the meeting with the deputies of the opposition that
took place round dinner table. Viktor Dallakian who took part in the meeting said
to "Aravot" that those two questions were nowadays condition of democracy
in the RA and the position of the Armenian opposition for integrating into European
values, Euro-Atlantic, Western system of values.The representatives of the
opposition marked the standards of democracy in Armenia "very low" and
showed concrete examples. Especially Victor Dallakian speaking of the question
about authority-opposition relations said that there were two important factors.
The first factor is that the presidential elections were rigged in 1998 and 2003.
On this occasion the declaration of the US State Department about the elections
of 98 for falsifying 100 thousands votes and the conclusion of international institutions
for not corresponding to the international democratic standards about the elections
of 2003 have been alluded. It was mentioned that the RA Constitutional Court also
suspected the results of those elections in time suggesting to hold a referendum
of confidence. The second factor is the political terrorism, which took place
in the RA NA in 1999 and that according to the opposition the not elected president
didn’t help the disclosing of the crime. "These two factors must always be
taken into consideration for marking the level of democracy in Armenia,"-
it was said during the meeting. Victor Dallakian has also added that the opposition
in Armenia deals with the "leaders of armed gang".It has also been
spoken about the violence on the night of April 13, 2004. The representatives
of the opposition mentioned that the NA territory became a base for military structures
of the authority for using violence against quiet demonstrators that day. The
attacked the demonstrators in front of the US embassy while the US ambassador
in Armenia went to cafe to listen to jazz with the president who had realized
that violence the next day. The representatives of "Marshal’s foundation"
were also interested in the value system of the opposition. One of the American
experts even asked whether the opposition was with Russia and Iran or with the
West. The answer was simple: "But is there any alternative value system for
democracy?" Certainly there isn’t so the question is false. And what refers
to the relations with Iran the opposition thinks that country is the RA neighbor
and we must have normal relations with our neighbors. And the attaching importance
towards Russian factor is explained as the feeling of danger from Turkey, which
doesn’t recognize the Genocide. Speaking about Armenian-Turkish relations the
leader of "Republic" party Aram Sargsian said that his party was for
membership of Turkey to EU and normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations. The representatives
of "Marshal’s foundation" met later the member of ANM /Armenian National
Movement/ David Shahnazarian and advocates. Naira Mamikonian