Artashes Gegamyan: “Our president is exclusively the pro-Armenian politician!”

Artashes Gegamyan is the popular politician in the republic. And the matter isn't that he has a ready tongue – he has a lot of experience in policy. He was the mayor of Yerevan in hard time and is the deputy of National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia for already the fourth convocation. Has created the National Unification party, within seven years he was as a part of delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia in parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, now heads the delegation of parliament of Armenia in parliamentary assembly of OSCE.

Our conversation is on the agenda of the future presidential election in the republic.

– In my opinion, the essence of a problem consists that Armenia appeared in very difficult region as the fates decree and the geography. Only small site of frontier connects us with Iran – traditionally friendly state of us. Nearby there is Turkey with its unreasonable neo-Ottoman ambitions and Azerbaijan the president of which declares that the enemy of the Azerbaijani people is not only our country, but also a world of Armenians! One more neighbour is Georgia with its known foreign policy expenses and the problems connected with the relations with Russia which is our strategic partner and the closest ally in the regional policy.

And, when in such conditions you suddenly get acquainted with the opinion of figures who, applying to be powerful in policy, start going in for cheap politics and any separation from the main geopolitical features of the region, simply become despondent! Because there is an obvious thing: for opposition to external calls all internal political life of Armenia has to be subordinated to one main goal – consolidation of the Armenian people!

– And differently?

– And differently the split of political elite and the Armenian society as a whole that in the subsequent will inevitably lead to the statehood loss. If the politician is responsible, he can realize and can support the incumbent president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

– What can you say about him as the politician?

– Well, firstly, he is the person having the wide life experience and that is especially important, thus tolerant. Judging by his actions on a post of the president of the country, it is possible to draw a conclusion: he feels the responsibility before the Armenian state and before the people, before History … Often he is criticized in vain and even offended but if he, being the head of state, possessing all completeness of the power sees that his quite lawful actions finally won't lead to the solution of the main task facing the republic, namely the consolidations of our people and society, he rejects all personal. It is secondly. That, certainly, speaks about a deep inner world and big spiritual wealth of this leader.

If someone calls himself as the politician, he is obliged to understand it and in this case, naturally, he can support Serzh Sargsyan as the matter is not about support of the specific personality, and securing against external threats, to keep and develop further our state!

– Who will resists to president Sargsyan in political arena?

– The matter is not who resists – the matter is in other that we have a certain category of people who for some reason call themselves as the politicians and who get the knowledge from newspapers at the best. And they have no deep understanding of political and historical processes at a present difficult stage of globalization, the extremely demanded knowledge of global changes in all spheres of the modern world are completely absent. They don't know what is the force centres in world politics, don't understand what their influence on events in the world and, in particular, our region.

They simply have no concept what is the Big Middle East, what strategy is realized today by the centres of force of world politics in this region, what it can have consequences for the countries of South Caucasus. Moreover, I am not sure that they know it would seem such simple truth that for example, 30% of commodity turnover of Armenia are carried out through the Islamic Republic of Iran, and 70% through Georgia. What can they tell about it?! And meanwhile the knowledge of these things is very necessary. Not to be unfounded in the statement, I will give to you the fact which speaks about many things. So, in August, 2008 after the end of Georgian-South Ossetia war in the territory of Georgia, the only bridge was blew up by “unknown forces” and the communication between Armenia and Georgia was interrupted and within 17 days the bridge wasn't under repair. It was a peculiar prevention to the Armenian party about that Armenia wouldn't think to support the separatist moods in the Armenian populated Javakheti though we never gave to our Georgian neighbours any reason for such fears.

It is thought that this example eloquently testifies as far as Armenia is geographically vulnerable. Alas, it is the fact, but this fact means that, being in so, to put it mildly, uncomfortable situation, it is necessary to be the political adventurist to allow such actions which can loosen the Armenian statehood, and, especially, arrange any political showdowns in the country! It is both frivolous and unworthy of the person who devoted himself to policy in so fatal time for Armenia.

– That is, the politician has to feel as the statesman. But don’t you want much?

– But the serious politician if he really applies to be such is obliged to raise the questions the decision of which will promote the statehood strengthening. He has to make a start from it in the political activity. By the way, it is the most difficult, but, at the same time, the safest way! Certainly, playing on the moods of citizens, it is possible to achieve any momentary successes from certain segments of the population, it is possible to become even popular among them, but thus it is necessary to realize that, eventually, populism will push you on a pedestal of the political clown. All alluvial is short-lived and, sooner or later, will surely leave, but the interests of the state are constant.

– What then politicians have to do today in Armenia?

– Let's begin with that, unfortunately, that not all people have an understanding of this simple, alphabetical political truth: there is more than narcissism, unreasonable ambitions, the facade. We observe it and in our parliament, listening to certain speakers. And it is necessary to define accurately the priority purposes facing the state. Having defined them, it is necessary to formulate the tasks the decision of which will guarantee the achievement of goals. Then it is necessary to count the resources within the country and out of the country which will be demanded for realization of objectives. Thus, of course, it is necessary to consider all complex of foreign policy and strategic opportunities of the country, to estimate their adequacy to goals. And when it everything will be made, it is necessary to coordinate the activity of all branches of the power – presidential, legislative, executive and the press, having subordinated all policy of realization of the main tasks facing the state.

Wisdom of the Armenian politicians will consist in understanding the degree of complexity of tasks facing Armenia and to be consolidated in a united monolith with accurate cast.

– The team is necessary for this purpose …

It is true. And this team has to go in not for cheap politics, but policy demanded by the interests of the state. Thus, the subject distribution of all political forces is very important. For example, I passed in parliament according to the list of ruling Republican Party and, naturally, I am obliged to adhere to its election program. At the same time, as the head of political party “National unity”, I am able to afford to sound the vision of the solution of these or those pre-election tasks, to conduct the independent line in the conditions of the general plan. I consider that it is the correct line. The most important that I can be in the formulations and estimates more rigid, than my colleagues and I repeat, in the conditions of realization of pre-election tasks.

Well, and the team as a whole will be stronger, than the understanding of gravity of the historical moment will be higher.

– Will “National unity” support Serzh Sargsyan on coming elections in February?

– I very well remember the antiquated known saying: don't create an idol to yourself … I try to follow it. But today in Armenia even absolutely neutral, but the person not torn off from vital realities, can't but realize that incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan, being the Supreme Commander of armed forces of the country under the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, is objectively demanded by the Armenian state. Simply for today there is no other such politician in Armenia, “the political heavyweight” as speak in Russia who would be able to rally the political elite and to consolidate the nation.

– Does the alternative to a course of president Sargsyan is the westernized course?

– I would say differently: our president is exclusively pro-Armenian politician! Even those who for some reason consider himself as the politician, whose quantity of money considerably surpasses the quantity of “gray substance”, mental capacities, can understand it. And about the attempts of certain figures to proclaim own exclusiveness on a political field of Armenia – I don't know what to do here: to laugh or cry?