Democracy must become Armenia’s benchmarkFebruary 16, 2011 - 17:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan should step down and finally oversee the conduct of post-Soviet Armenia’s first free polls since 1991, according to former Foreign Minister of Armenia, Heritage opposition party leader. “The nation he aspires to represent deserves no less. Democracy must become Armenia’s benchmark, not a motto thrown about to Western ‘partners’,” Raffi Hovannisian said in his article published by Foreign Policy Journal. “Modern-day Turkey must face history and itself, recognize the great genocide, and cease its unlawful and inhuman occupation of Western Armenia.” “Mountainous Karabakh, or Artsakh, is Armenian land, his predecessors lost what they never had in a war of aggression they unleashed two decades ago, and they will never see it again except as good neighbours. Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev would do himself and humanity a necessary favor by respecting the rights of his own citizens, by returning the Armenian heartlands, including Shahumyan and Nakhichevan, still under Azerbaijani occupation to their rightful owners, and by making full redress to the hundreds of thousands of Armenians, Lezgins, Talishes, Tats, and other minorities which he and his have attempted to destroy,” Hovhannisian stresses, urging Georgian President to stop trampling the ethnic, religious, and linguistic rights of the Armenian region known to all as Javakhk. “Russia’s leaders, too, must get with the game and finally recognize the fundamental rights of their “strategic ally.” It’s time to end the imperialistic, even if soft, design to control Armenia as its traditional, God-given “forepost.” Either accept Armenia’s sovereignty and stand in true partnership with it - internationally, nationally, democratically - or let it go and face a new day,” Heritage leader concluded. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. |