YEREVAN. – If you carefully read Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian’s statement and proposal and the response to it by President Serzh Sargsyan’s press secretary Armen Arzumanyan, you will see that they are at different dimensions, the National Assembly’s Heritage Faction leader Ruben Hakobyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.     

He stressed that Hovannisian clearly states the agenda item and content of, and the necessity for, a meeting between him and Sargsyan.

“What Armen Arzumanyan is saying has nothing to do with that statement made by Raffi Hovannisian. No meeting has taken place between Raffi Hovannisian and Serzh Sargsyan as of yet,” Hakobyan noted, but stressed that if the president accepts the agenda item which Hovannisian has dictated, there will be a meeting.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, Raffi Hovannisian on Tuesday made a proposal to meet with Serzh Sargsyan, no later than Wednesday at 5pm, to discuss the matter of transferring power over to Hovannisian because, as per the presidential contender, “the [Armenian] people have celebrated their triumph [in the presidential election] on [Monday,] February 18, with a ratio of 80 to 20 [percent].”   

Subsequently, Serzh Sargsyan’s press secretary Armen Arzumanyan reacted to the declaration by Hovannisian, who had proposed to Sargsyan to meet with him.    

“All international observation missions recorded that the 2013 presidential election was the best ever in the 21-year history of the Republic of Armenia. Against this backdrop, Mr. Hovannisian’s statements cause bewilderment, at the very least.  

As for the proposal to meet, the president of the republic has always been willing to meet with all political forces and their leaders. The president stands ready to receive Mr. Hovannisian now, as well, at any convenient time for him,” Arzumanyan had said.

 Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am