Wednesday, December 3 2014

 Paruyr Hayrikyan, Leader of the non-parliamentary National Self-Determination Union Party, well-known Soviet dissident, urges the political parties to unite to resist Russia.    

During the Dec 3 press conference, Hayrikyan expressed his concern over the future of Armenia within the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). He informed the journalists of the content of the National Self-Determination Union Party's letter addressed to the Armenian parliamentarians on December 2. In their letter, the members of the specified Party urge the parliamentarians to take measures to prevent Armenia from turning a "puppet" of the Russian Empire. They also call on the MPs to abstain from voting for Armenia's accession to the EAEU.        

Hayrikyan is concerned over not only the foreign and domestic political future of Armenia, but also the country's financial future. He qualifies Armenia's accession to the EAEU as nothing but an "imbecile" step. Hayrikyan supposes alliance with Russia is fraught with irreversible consequences given the current situation in Russia.  

Asked if in that case Armenia should join Europe, Hayrikyan replied that at present it is still early to think about it, as Armenia is too far from joining the European Union, since it should at least meet the sample of a European country, and gain democratic victory. "Today, we should worry about preserving of sovereignty and should not willingly limit ourselves. Why should Armenia, because of Putin's freak, limit  the Armenian-Iranian relations? Why are the Armenian-Russian relations better than the Armenian-Iranian ones, taking into account the fact that not Iran but Russia sells weapon to Azerbaijan?", - Hayrikyan said and added that Armenia is not in such a bad plight as it seems to be, and liberal people should unite.