All Armenian political parties are already making preparations for the next parliamentary elections, Armen Rustamyan, an Executive Council member, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), told NEWS.am.

He warned against believing the forces claiming they are not preparing for the elections. “Some are more active others are passive – it is a matter of political strategy. But all the political forces are obviously preparing for the elections,” Rustamyan said. He stressed that, unlike other political forces, the ARF is not yet discussing the slates, as the party has relevant regulations. “We have no problems with party tickets. Let other political forces think of it – they face splits over each slate. But it is they that most of all speak of disunity within Dashnaktsutyun. For 20 years these political forces have been saying that Dashnaktsutyun is close to a split, but the party has existed for 120 years, and it will exist as long until the Hay Dat problems are resolved,” Rustamyan said.

Making political forecasts for this year, Rustamyan pointed out quite vigorous processes are expected, as issues of national importance are on the agenda: Armenian-Turkish relations, Nagorno-Karabakh problem, worsening domestic problems, human rights and social justice problems. “All this is evidence of serious domestic problems and of an impending crisis,” Rustamyan said. Evidence thereof is, he said, the increasing “qualitative migration,” when the young people supposed to shape Armenia’s future are leaving the country.