“My meetings with high-ranking European officials are evidence that the international community is running out of patience, and a day of reckoning is nearing for the Armenian authorities,” Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), stated at the ANC-held rally in Yerevan on October 19.

According to him, the recent corruption scandals in Russia, U.S. and Malaysia, with Armenia as center of drug trafficking and other international crimes, are evidence of stronger international pressure on the country.

“The European institutions must realize that a lenient policy toward the Armenian authorities and attempts to change the human rights situation by means of reforms do not produce any effect – the incumbent authorities only understand ultimatums and sanctions. By holding this mass action today we show that:

1.Despite the international community’s efforts the Armenian authorities are keeping more than ten opposition members in jail.
2.The Armenian authorities have shown disrespect for PACE Resolution #1677
3.PACE has not been reasonably consistent and shown leniency to the Armenian authorities’ crimes.
4.The attempts to persuade the Armenian authorities into implementing reforms produced an adverse effect.
5.We are determined to struggle for democracy and human rights until we gain victory,” Ter-Petrosyan said.

The ANC does not want a victory of democracy at the cost of the Armenian people’s reputation and the country’s political victories. However, the situation is developing this way. The ANC leader stressed that the international agencies are the Armenian people’s “friends.” S it would be inappropriate to speak of “foreigners’ involvement,” which the ANC’s opponents are doing.

The ANC leader reported that the next rally is scheduled for November 9, when the EU holds the next event dealing with human rights protection in Yerevan.