Armenian Premier’s decision to join the ruling Republican Party (RPA) in 2009 strengthened both his and President Serzh Sargsyan’s positions. It was one of the most popular opinions in the Armenian political circles, says one of the WikiLeaks-published cables.
 
“Some pundits view the unexpected development as a move taken by President Serzh Sargsian, the leader of the RPA, to shore up his political base and keep the ambitious Speaker of Parliament Hovik Abrahamian at bay. Others view it as a necessary move by the PM to keep competitors at bay and to secure his job. Some speculate that the President is strengthening his defenses in anticipation of the inevitable political assaults should his signature foreign policy move - rapprochement with Turkey – fail,” the cable reads.

In two ministers - Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan and Finance Minister Tigran Davtyan also joined RPA.

“When President Sargsian chose the technocrat CBA governor to be his prime minister, many predicted that PM Sargsian would not remain long in office, given his lack of political affiliation and benefactors in the rough-and-tumble world of Armenian politics.

We believe that by bringing the PM and his allies under the protective ‘roof’ of the ruling RPA, and placing the PM on the party’s Executive Committee, President Sargsyan has effectively signaled that an attempt to undercut the PM is essentially an attempt to undercut the RPA -- which he leads -- and thus himself,” the document says.