Serzh Sargsyan replies to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, says he is ready to meet ex-president
Serzh Sargsyan has replied to the open letter of Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan. “I am grateful to you for the concerns you expressed in your open letter sent on Feb. 17. I want to say that I categorically deny your assessments on the Pan-Armenian Declaration on the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. I deny them not merely because this is the first document authored by almost all representatives of all communities and structures representing the Armenians since the independence (which makes the document a unique symbol of national unity), but also because there have been serious specialists from various parts of the world representing the realms touched upon in the Declaration, who participated in the drafting of the document. I am confident about the professionalism of those people. Therefore I cannot consider your concerns and arguments questioning the compliance of the Declaration with the Armenian Constitution or international legal documents as grounded. From the moment of its establishment, the State Commission on Coordination of the events for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide has been guided by the principle of uniting everyone and taking into consideration all opinions. The period both before and after April 24 will certainly see numerous messages addressed, statements drafted, letters written and initiatives undertaken. If any opinions or proposals have not so far been submitted to the joint discussions for some reasons, they must be taken into account as well. In this regard, I think that your proposals should be discussed as well. You noted that there is a necessity to hold a face-to-face meeting. I see no problem here. Moreover, I think the reasons you mentioned about the impossibility of such a meeting are totally irrelevant. I am ready to send you an invitation, when you find that there is a necessity and you have a desire to hold a private meeting to discuss events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.”
