The President Has Much to Do and Does Not Think About Becoming Prime Minister: Armen Sarkissian

President Armen Sarkissian stated that there can be no talk of ambition regarding the possibility of becoming Prime Minister in an interview with Public Television's "News" program. He said, "I was Prime Minister 25 years ago, and when I was Prime Minister, I was young, I knew what I wanted, and I had a clear program. But it was God's will that after some time as Prime Minister, I had to spend a year and a half in the hospital recovering from a serious illness, and I am fortunate to be here with you today. First of all, there can be no talk of ambition: I am the President of the Republic, and even in a parliamentary country, even in the Armenian parliamentary country, where the functions of the president are very limited, the president has certain clear duties and the capacity to provide support.

The presidential institution should be the platform that both the government and the opposition can use in times of crisis, such as the one we are experiencing today, to bring confrontation from the streets to the negotiating table," added Armen Sarkissian.

He expressed the opinion that to find the truth, it is not necessary to go out into the streets. He stated, "The crisis is not determined by the number of people in the streets. I believe we have a truly deep crisis in Armenia, and the reason why there are not 100 or 200 thousand people in the streets can be understood through simple analysis. However, we have a crisis not only in Armenia; there is a deep moral and psychological loss crisis for the entire Armenian people. This exists for any Armenian, as you verified in Jordan, it is the same in Moscow and California. We have economic and political crises in Armenia, and there is a crisis related to Armenia in international relations, as the image and representation of our country and nation is currently not very positive.

We have also lost the public war, and therefore, if we had a world in 1994 that was very friendly towards us, our problems, and the Nagorno-Karabakh struggle, today that is not the case, as our adversaries have worked purposefully for years, and we have not done that work. Therefore, the President of the Republic has much to do and does not think about becoming Prime Minister, and is ready to work with any government and Prime Minister chosen by the people and contribute to that," he stated.

Armen Sarkissian also emphasized that he is able to use only 5 or 10 percent of his potential: "Whether due to constitutional limitations or the lack of openness from my partners regarding cooperation... These are the main reasons; I think I can do much more not only in international relations but also in investment, cultural, and diplomatic fields, however, I am doing very little. This is quite heavy for me because I want to work; of course, I am working, but I think I can do much more," he concluded.