YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The Unifying Congress of the Ramkavar Azatakan Party (RAP) and the Armenakan Ramkavar Azatakian Party was held in Yerevan on October 3. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan sent his congratulatory message to the congress participants. "For over a century in the history of our people, the Ramkavar Azatakan Party with its prudent, balanced and practical policy has occupied a special place in the national and political palette. Returning to the Motherland in the 1990s, the party became a direct participant in the declaration of Armenia's independence and the active political life of the newly-independent country, at the same time giving renewed impetus to its patriotic activities in the Diaspora. Both in Homeland and Diaspora, the party has had internal difficulties in recent period in finding common aspects for dialog with the forces sharing the same ideology. I am hopeful that during this Congress today and in the future, you will be guided by the spirit of unity and consolidation of forces, thus reasserting your vision of a homeland-centered party. We have much work to do together in the name of our state, our people and their unity," the message of the RA president reads. Member of the Armenakan-Ramkavar Azatakan Party Board, editor-in-chief of Azg daily Hakob Avetikian said that in the 1990s RAP became established in Armenia and founded the Tekeyan Cultural Center and Azg daily and due to its enthusiasm and devotion, RAP was one of the six parties which signed the statement on the declaration of Armenia's independence. The first split in the party occurred because of the internal undermining work done by the Armenian National Movement Party (ANM)-led authorities - for the reason that RAP with its somewhat oppositionist position was the second largest faction at the parliament. Later, during the 2003 elections when RAP was the best prepared party in Armenia and had more than 8,000 members and some 80 partisan structures, it succeeded in conducting a successful campaign but suffered a defeat. According to H. Avetikian, the reason for RAP's defeat was that the elections in Armenia were turned into an "exchange of financial and economic deals", for which RAP was not prepared. "In an atmosphere of disappointment following that defeat, several swindlers took the party in their hands and a full-scale degradation began in all marzes, with the swindlers neutralizing each other, until one swindler - the most ignorant and impolite one - remained who continues discrediting the party, " H. Avetikian noted. As a result, RAP was defeated in three elections at once: the presidential, parliamentary elections and the elections of Yerevan City Council. The party has no presence in the political life. For that reason the stalwarts of RAP initiated the party's recreation in Armenia in May and called it Armenakan RAP, respecting the letter of the Armenian law and returning to the roots. Over 3 months the party has already set up 17 structures. H. Avetikian declared that the party will open its doors to youth. In response to the question: "Will your party be a progovernment or an opposition one?", he replied: "We have never been a progovernment party and cannot be such because we have not been in power and I do not think we will come to power in the near future. We have not been and will not be radical opposition, but we will act as opponents regarding the issues where the executive authorities will make mistakes or neglect their duties and we will encourage all those initiatives that the authorities will efficiently carry out for the benefit of our people". H. Avetikian reminded the party's definition by its one-time Chairman Ruben Mirzakhanian: "We are a pro-state party, we are a party of quiet force and will remain so". Speeches of welcome were made by Boston-based Nubar Berberian, former editor of RAP's several newspapers, and Dr. Arshavir Gyonjian, former Chairman of RAP Central Board, a founding member of AGBU. According to the latter, the party, which established itself in Armenia, was engaged in constructive work in a most difficult period: the Artsakh war, the earthquake, the transition period after the country's independence, but "later it lost its position and capacity". "Today we do not share at all its feature or activity. We have come to greet the revived and reorganized party. We, the tradition preserving leaders of RAP have come to combine our efforts and our activity with the work of Armenakan-RAP, to support its work and advance the supreme interests of the native people and statehood. We should provide our numerous centers in the Diaspora, our newspapers and all confidence enjoyed throughout Diaspora for the united work of Armenakan-RAP and RAP's tradition-preserving members in order to promote the main democratic principles in the Homeland for the sake of the Armenian people," he stated. Speeches of welcome were also delivered by some guests of the Congress. Chairwoman of the RA Union of Journalists Astghik Gevorkian said the unification is taking place at the right time: it is necessary to unite the Armenian people in the name of the nation, the state and the Diaspora. Chairman of the Public Council, leader of the National Democratic Union Vazgen Manukian said the party has a great history, it has passed a long path and still has a considerable way to go. He considered it symbolic that the unification is taking place at the time "when a new situation is starting to form between Armenia and Turkey. We face a complex way which will require our unity and it will also require us not to forget our roots and to pursue those tasks that we have pursued so far, and in order to make use of the advantages in this new situation, we need a new quality, including a new quality of management, otherwise we will fail to use these advantages and will also lose those we have gained". In the words of Deputy Chairman of Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Galust Sahakian, "this day is a really historical one". Secretary of "Prosperous Armenia" faction Aram Safarian said on behalf of Prosperous Armenia Party's Chairman Gagik Tsarukian that PAP is prepared to cooperate for resolution of the problems of the utmost importance for the nation, both in the field of domestic policy and the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. Chairman of the National Self-Determination Union Paruyr Hayrikian handed Hakob Avetikian a document, called a "Model of Perfect Democracy" signed by six parties. He expressed a hope that Armenakan-RAP will be the seventh one. "Armenia can become one of the most democratic countries in the world. With a 100% representative parliament, we will make Armenia a really democractic state," he declared. He pointed out the existence of such problems as the unification of churces and the use of single orthography: the nation is detached from its roots and is split. According to him, there is also a serious psychological problem: Artsakh should not be called Karabakh, and it is necessary to struggle not for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but for the elimination of its consequences.

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