"I have never adhered to any political office." Serzh Sargsyan's interview with Russian Ogonek magazine

Russian Ogonek magazine had an interview with RA President, presidential candidate Serzh Sargsyan about Armenia's political situation, and the upcoming elections this month.

President Serzh Sargsyan, in particular, said: “Naturally, I will not comment on various political statements being made these days as they are done proceeding from the interests of those who make them.”

Speaking to the magazine apparently before last week’s assassination attempt on one of opposition presidential candidates, Paruyr Hayrikyan, which resulted in a new situation in the Armenian elections with the possibility of their being postponed, Sargsyan said:

“The situation in Armenia is just as one would expect it to be in civilized countries before elections. People closely follow the struggle in which worthy politicians are taking part. I do not consider anyone of them to be my enemy. Rather I regard all of them as opponents.”

Seven candidates, including former prime minister Hrant Bagratyan, former foreign minister Raffi Hovannisian and Soviet-era dissident Hayrikyan, are challenging Sargyan in the ballot scheduled for February 18.

Hayrikyan, who was wounded in an apparent assassination attempt late last week, has until tomorrow to ask the Constitutional Court to postpone the vote by two weeks in view of “insurmountable obstacles” to his campaign. His failure to apply today will result in the original voting date remaining unchanged by default.

Referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process, President Sargsyan stressed that people of Karabakh are the ones to decide their fate.

“They are to decide in what political status they want to live in future. It is a classic example of fight of people for their right to self-determination and there is no argument that can claim why people of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot use this right,” he said, stressing that all other issues are derivatives.

He said that it is necessary to reinforce international mechanisms to set control over the arms in our region.

“We will continue negotiating with Azerbaijan. But it is not realistic to expect any progress in such conditions. Moscow, Washington, Paris know quite well why the solution to the conflict has not been reached till now,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

Asked what Russia can do for the settlement of the conflict, President Sargsyan said Russia is an important mediator in the conflict, together with France and the USA, and only thanks to Russia it was possible to sign the 1994 cease-fire agreement.

Serzh Sargsyan reminded that they have tied serious hopes with Russia’s mediation on the highest level while at the last moment Azerbaijan tried to insert changes in the already approved document.