The time and frequency of political dialogues and debates in Armenia entirely depend on President Serzh Sargsyan’s will, Stepan Safaryan, Chairman of the Heritage parliamentary faction, stated at the September 23 discussion “Political debate in Armenia: obstacles and development opportunities.”

Even if any debate is held in Armenia, it is all but political. “Political debate first of all requires a dialogue. If political forces are not holding a dialogue, not only debate, but also many other things are out of the question,” he said. He cited the example of the Heritage Party’s proposal made a few months ago, namely, organizing a roundtable on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish process. The initiative failed, as the parties rejected it without any explanations. “What followed I can call nothing but a comedy,” Safaryan said. “Our colleagues from the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) told us we were exaggerating, as there was no threat of war for Armenia. So there was no need for a dialogue. The President organizes political debate at the sports and concert complex, and, if necessary, he will do so again,” Safaryan said.

Another obstacle is the lack of access to TV. Many important events have taken place in Armenia’s history over he past two years: the signing of Armenian-Turkish protocols, a protocol on longer-term present of the Russian military base in Armenia, developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. However, no discussions have been held on the air. The MP lays the responsibility on the country’s authorities. “The authorities are strongly against alternative opinions being available to the public,” he said.