YEREVAN. – The Armenian Presidential Residence disseminated misinformation because opposition Heritage Party Chairman, former FM Raffi Hovannisian—who is declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election that was conducted on February 18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote—did not decline from Sargsyan’s proposal that was made to him by Sargsyan’s chief of staff, Heritage’s spokesperson Hovsep Khurshudyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.     

He noted that Hovannisian had merely responded that he is ready to meet with the incumbent President at Liberty Square, where Hovannisian started a hunger strike on Sunday.  

“What is more, up until yesterday [Sunday] at 6:30[pm], when Raffi Hovannisian announced this measure of his, he had expressed a readiness to meet with Sargsyan anywhere and to listen to his suggestions toward resolving this political crisis. But Sargsyan made no such suggestion up until yesterday at 6:30. That is the reason why Raffi Hovannisian, being in hunger strike, expressed a readiness to meet with the incumbent president at Liberty Square,” Heritage’s press secretary said.          

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the Armenian President’s Chief of Staff on Sunday telephoned Raffi Hovannisian to extend him an official invitation for another meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan, but Hovannisian declined the invitation, the President’s press secretary Armen Arzumanyan told Panorama.am.   

To the query as to whether Sargsyan plans to meet with Hovannisian, Arzumanyan responded as follows:

“The Head of President’s Administration phoned Mr Hovannisian yesterday [Sunday] to officially invite him to a meeting. We regret to say that Raffi Hovannisian declined the invitation to meet and thoroughly and comprehensively discuss all issues.

We only have to hope that Mr Hovannisian assessed the situation correctly, and that he soberly realizes the dangers of de facto declining an invitation for dialogue.” 

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am