Armenian Revolutionary Federation yesterday and today

The member of the Bulgarian headquarter of the national-religious organization Onik Zarmuni, speaking about Armenian Revolutionary Federation in 1936, wrote: “The right federation has existed from the beginning and it will be the pledge of Armenian nation”. Respecting such serious political power as Armenian Revolutionary Federation, however I think if Zarmuni were alive today, he shouldn’t insist on his mind expressed in 1936.

The Revolutionary Federation, which with Republic Party of Armenia faction, Prosperous Armenia faction and Rule of Law faction was the part of the coalition, announced on April 27, 2009 about its exit from the coalition and becoming an opposition. According to the Federation the reason is the development of Armenian-Turkish relations in the last 1.5 year, to which they have a negative attitude. After the publishing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols on September 1, Armenian Revolutionary Federation began its protest meetings and hunger-strikes against the accepting protocols.

But many actions of Armenian Revolutionary Federation cause doubts and make think that its activity during the previous months is nothing but an attempt to establish in oppositional field and a very successful PR, because a great part of Armenian public expressed trust to the protest meeting of Armenian Revolutionary Federation against the Armenian-Turkish protocols. For example the leaders of Armenian Revolutionary Federation don’t realize that the Minister of Foreign Affairs isn’t responsible for foreign policy, whose resignation they demand, but the President Sargsyan is responsible about the possible demand of whose resignation the federation has made only indefinite announcements. Or how can they, having been a part of the government for many years, having an important part in the governing of the country, announce about the joining opposition within several days and begin to judge the government which part they were before that.

It was surprising the existence of the cooperation of Armenian Revolutionary Federation- Republic Party of Armenia faction over the issue about the Armenian-Turkish protocols. But as we know this cooperation hasn’t existed.

It must be mentioned that after the events of March 1 Armenian Revolutionary Federation didn’t organize protest actions and hunger-strikes. They were considered to be a part of coalition at that time.

Nowadays the members of Armenian Revolutionary Federation, continuing to carry their frequently changing political opinions, make different announcements. Especially on April 14 the member of Armenian Revolutionary Federation the chairman of the security of the National Assembly and of the committee of security and internal affairs Hrair Karapetyan, forgetting the protest of his federation against the foreign policy of the government, announced that the federation is satisfied with Serzh Sargsyan’s report behind Wilson’s tomb and he found national advantages in it. Hrair Karapetyan mentioned that Armenia should strengthen that policy.

According to this, another member of this federation Artsvik Minasyan’s announcement causes doubts who, explaining the president’s meetings in Washington, mentioned that in the result of the Armenian-Turkish process the relations between Armenia and Turkey have worsened. This situation isn’t advantageous for Armenia.

The members of Armenian Revolutionary Federation have begun to express opposite opinions about the possible returning of the previous president Robert Qocharian to policy. As it’s known among three presidents of the third republic only Qocharyan is considered to be a supporter of this federation as he released several leaders of Armenian Revolutionary Federation, arrested by the first president Ter-Petrosyan. And the federation was a strong basis for Robert Qocharyan. But recently discussing the possible returning of Qocharyan, the leader of Armenian Revolutionary Federation of the National Assembly Artyusha Shahbazyan criticized the second president and mentioned that the Armenian economy developed in the period of Qocharyan.

How many times may the political opinions be changed and every time to insist on its truth?

But as we see, the authorities don’t pay great attention to the political opinions of Armenian Revolutionary Federation having been changed many times recently. The representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armen Rustamyan didn’t exclude the possibility of by-election in the country. The authorities answered this announcement by the press reporter Eduard Sharmazanov: he just announced that each faction makes arrangements for the next elections and it may choose its policy freely. He also added that he was unable to influence on it as there isn’t one-party system in Armenia.

All these facts make us think that Armenian Revolutionary Federation doesn’t have any disagreements with authorities. Just this is the reason that the authorities hadn’t made a serious political announcement against Armenian Revolutionary Federation after its becoming opposition. But the pressure by the authorities on Armenian Revolutionary Federation may be also the reason of a serious control by foreign organizations. It isn’t a secret to anyone that the power of the organizations, guaranteeing Armenian Revolutionary Federation, is very strong. By the way the point of view, according to which there are serious disagreements between Armenian and foreign organizations of Armenian Revolutionary Federation, dominated. It mustn’t be excluded, if we pay attention to the protest actions which were organized in the countries where the president Sargsyan was during his tournament.

But watching Armenian Revolutionary Federation among nowadays Armenian political parties, it must be pointed out that it has had a great importance in the political development of the country. By the way the rating of Armenian Revolutionary Federation raised in 2008 presidential elections, when Armenian Revolutionary Federation organized voting for choosing its representative and one of the two representatives Vahan Hovhannisyan was elected and the other one, Armen Rustamyan wished lucky to him. By the way it must be pointed out that no political power has existed as an opposition for the last few years in Armenia. Nowadays the situation in the Armenian oppositional field is a PR arena for political authorities and they aim to raise their rating.

In case of continuing all this, Armenia may lose the chance of having healthy opposition, which is very dangerous for the country, in every country the existence of opposition is as necessary as the existence of government.

It’s clear till when the crisis of Armenian Revolutionary Federation will be continued, in which it appeared by the mistakes of the leaders of the federations as it’s impossible to please the government and simultaneously to be an opposition.

In any case everybody believes in Armenian Revolutionary Federation, about which Onik Zarmuni wrote and which member was Nzhdeh.