Armenia’s first president Ter-Petrosyan warns again anti-russian rhetoric

YEREVAN, September 10. /ARKA/. The first president of Armenia and leader of the oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC) Levon Ter-Petrosyan called upon his supporters to avoid anti-Russian rhetoric in connection with the situation around official Yerevan’s decision to join the Russia-initiated Customs Union.

“Today I see there is a danger for us. Recently Serzh Sargsyan was being presented as a broadminded pro-Western politician, whereas we were portrayed as obscure pro-Russian forces. Now, after Sargsyan turned around 180 degrees, the same forces are trying to label us as Russophobes”, Ter-Petrosyan said at an ANC board meeting.

The first president reminded he warned against both an-Russian and anti-Western moods many times.

No ANC leader should make any outrageous statement against Russia, its people or Putin, Ter-Petrosyan said.

“We should realize we are not a marginal and irresponsible element, but an alternate serious institutional political force having a full understanding of state responsibility”, the first president said.

According to Ter-Petrosyan, after having received an offer from Europe to sign an association agreement, Sargsyan should have met with Putin and told him “Europe offers this, what could you offer in response”.

“It is a natural partnership diplomatic obligation, and if the outcome anyway should be the membership in the customs union, it would be a more worthy and more advantageous partnership and Armenia would gain much more than in the current humiliating situation”, Ter-Petrosyan said.

Yet, according to Ter-Petrosyan, Brussels would not burn bridges with Armenia, will not give up “flirting” with it and will keep hoping for a success in future.

The ex-president also said he cannot make assessments of the customs union before professional economists study its limitations and advantages.–0—