Accessibility links

Breaking News

Armenian Opposition Parties Join Forces To Fight Turkey Plan


Raffi Hovannisian
Raffi Hovannisian
YEREVAN -- Two of Armenia's leading opposition parties will join forces to protest the proposed Turkish-Armenian agreement aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

Raffi Hovannisian, former foreign minister and leader of the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, sent a letter to Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian on September 28 protesting the agreement.

Dashnaktsutyun (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) wants the government to make a number of significant changes in the documents, while Zharangutyun demands that the entire deal be put to a national referendum.

Stepan Safarian, a leading member of Zharangutyun, told reporters that the parties will fight the plan "inside and outside the parliament."

The agreement between Turkey and Armenia would open the border between the two countries and establish diplomatic relations.

It is due to be signed on October 10 in Switzerland. It would then have to be passed by the parliaments of each country.

The Dashnaktsutyun and Zharangutyun parties together have 23 seats in the 131-member National Assembly.
XS
SM
MD
LG