YEREVAN. – ARF Dashnaktsutyun will protect the rights of the Armenians in Javakhk and will preserve the memory of Nakhchivan’s Armenian origin, ARFD member, Armenian former Minister of Labor Aghvan Vardanyan announced during the rally on the Liberty Square in Yerevan on Tuesday.

“We shall not surrender in the Karabakh issue. Armenia’s signature will be withdrawn from the Armenian – Turkish protocols. We shall protect the rights of the Armenians in Javakhk. We shall not allow forgetting about Nakhchivan’s Armenian origin. We shall organize all Armenians of the world and become an influential force,” Vardanyan announced.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun is one of the oldest Armenian political parties. It was founded in the end of 19th century.

Following the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun was banned by the Communists and its leadership exiled. The ARF-Dashnaktsutyun officially re-emerged in Armenia after the collapse of the USSR, in 1990.

In June 2003, the party signed a coalition memorandum with the Republican Party of Armenia and Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law). However, in 2009 ARFD left the coalition in protest against signing the protocols with Turkey. 

Party’s proportional list includes 85 candidates. Eight candidates will run for an MP seat with majority system. The party’s motto is ‘Freedom, Justice, Dashnaktsutyun.’