YEREVAN. - The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) did not eliminate the second political force of the country, namely Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP).

MP of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Sukias Avetisyan, told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am at a press-conference Saturday.

Referring to the observation that the representatives of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun issued an ultimatum to the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan so that the latter persuades Gagik Tsarukyan to change his mind to return to politics, the MP noted:  “Over the last one or two months, one political wing urges Gagik Tsarukyan to return to politics, while other political forces urge him not to do so. I think there is no point in making calls: he will return if he wants.  That is, Tsarukyan’s return doesn’t depend on calls. One shouldn’t outpace political processes. When a person specifically states that he is returning to the political field and will head a certain party, [only] then it will be possible to speak about that.”

To the observation that according to different expert opinions, the RPA shouldn’t have eliminated the second political force of the country, Avetisyan said: “The Republican Party of Armenia did not eliminate the second political force of the country. The latter collapsed itself.  And not coincidentally exactly at the last parliamentary session the PAP leader herself stated the people once voted for Gagik Tsarukyan. Gagik Tsarukyan left the party, after which it got divided and followed different directions.”

Former PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan, who quit politics last year after the harsh criticism by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, didn’t rule out the possibility of his returning to politics.