YEREVAN. – If Armenia’s authorities wish to commence talks based on the document I have sent, I am prepared and I possess no fears, said 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 and who declared a hunger strike on March 10 at capital city Yerevan’s Liberty Square—during Wednesday’s press conference at the square.    

In his view, the people, who triumphed on February 18, likewise are ready to wage a struggle, and there is no contradiction here. The ex-presidential contender noted that the public interest is at Liberty Square, whereas the overwhelming majority of the votes of Sargsyan is anchored in fraud and lies.   

Reflecting on some of the qualifications in President Sargsyan’s response letter to Hovannisian, the latter noted that he accepts no insults even in official letters, and does not believe that the text of his proposition sent to the President is “raw,” as Sargsyan had indicated, but rather a multifaceted proposal.     

In Hovannisian’s view, the sole legitimate authorities in Armenia are the people, and the claims, according to which it is impossible to hold snap parliamentary elections in the country, are false pretexts. As per Raffi Hovannisian, if there is a political will, it is possible.       

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am