"Armenian Volunteers Union" did not make any official statement on withdrawal from ANC since its membership - Levon Zurabyan.

Zhirair Sefilyan, an active member of the Sardarapat movement, made a statement in response to a statement by Samvel Harutyunyan, a member of the Armenian Volunteers Union (AVU) national and political group and ex-mayor of Goris.

At a March 6 meeting of the Political Council of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) Mr Harutyunyan particularly said that the AVU had no intention to form an alliance with the ANC.

Mr Sefilyan noted that AVU withdrew from the opposition alliance in the summer of 2009 and has not had any contacts with it since.

Tert.am asked ANC Coordinator Levon Zurabyan for comments.

“I cannot explain this situation. Back in 2009, Mr Sefilyan asked us to admit the AVU to the ANC Political Council. Later, this political group elected Mr Harutyunyan its representative. He attended the council’s weekly meetings and presented the group’s points of view,” Zurabyan said.

As to whether Mr Sefilyan was informed of cooperation between some of the ANC and AVU members, Zurabyan said: “He must have been informed because decision-making was consensual. They did not make any official statement on withdrawal. What conclusion can we make?”

Samvel Harutyunyan, an AVU representative at the ANC Political Council, told Tert.am that Mr Sefilyan broke off any contacts with the ANC, but never prevented any of the AVU members from taking part in the ANC-arranged events.