YEREVAN. - Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan, who tops the candidate list of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), stated live on Azatutyun TV that he is surprised by the apparent struggle of his former counterpart, Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanian bloc leader Seyran Ohanyan against the RPA. 

“Frankly speaking, I watch the campaign slightly, and I am surprised by the apparent struggle against the RPA, which Mr Ohanyan has personally declared. His readiness for warm dialogue with a number of forces, whose relations with him I am aware of, is also surprising. But that is his choice; I cannot oppose. It is his constitutional right to struggle and be nominated. It is a person’s personal right to appear in different sides depending on whether he has an office today or not. I think the passed military path and the path which he passed with many people are important elements here,” Sargsyan noted.

The Defense Minister was also taken aback by Seyran Ohanyan’s statement on having built the army from scratch.

“To tell the truth, I am surprised by the thesis that he built the army from scratch. I served in the army before his becoming a minister and remember very well the development of the army at different stages. If it helps him to appear stringer in public, it is his choice but I wouldn’t say like that,” Sargsyan said.