Prime Minister's Resignation Will Not Solve Problems, But Create New Ones in Governance and Legislative System, Says Aram Sargsyan

The president of the Republic Party, Aram Sargsyan, has addressed the domestic political situation, its causes, and potential solutions on his Facebook page.

"What to do and what not to do. The situation is such that every word and thought can lead to new tensions, therefore, aiming to carefully consider the preservation of the state, I decided to return to the genre of articles, especially since my problem is not to oppose but to unite. And so... Why did we lose?"

“Our choice is between bad and very bad, because the world does not perceive us.” This thought belongs to the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and whether through phased, package solutions, the exchange of Meghri, or the Madrid and Lavrov variants, the resolution of the issue was to hand over the liberated territories. This is a fact today. Maintaining a respectable status quo through military means was only possible by providing the army with greater financial resources. We lost because we financed our army five times less than the adversary. We allocated less money because we had a smaller budget. We had a smaller budget because, unlike the adversary, we did not utilize our natural resources. We did not use them because we considered there were risks and preferred that the soldier standing only on the border would bear that risk with a Kalashnikov, a poorly-quality body armor, and a metal helmet... All of this, coupled with the inefficient use of available resources and the convergence of approaches between our strategic partner and the adversary, has led to a situation where the government that signed the document can no longer manage the post-war processes for very logical reasons.

How to overcome the internal political crisis? In my opinion, the prime minister's resignation will not only fail to solve the problem but will also create new issues in governance and the legislative system, and any new prime minister will be forced to implement unpopular provisions of the signed document, which has already been signed and will quickly lose credibility by failing to meet public expectations. As a result, we will lose yet another valuable person, of whom we do not have the right to be extravagant.

Therefore, I believe the current prime minister must present a timeline for solving the internal political crisis and announce the deadline for early parliamentary elections within a reasonable time frame. Only then will the appointment of new government members produce results, and these individuals will be perceived as part of the community. During the period leading up to the early elections, issues that arise must be discussed in the Security Council, where the President of the Republic of Armenia and the Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians must always be invited. The issues of the signed document and the negotiations on the Artsakh issue should designate the President of the Republic of Armenia through the Security Council alongside the Foreign Ministry, as he is capable of addressing such issues based on his status, professional capability, and connections. The National Assembly must implement reforms to the electoral legislation and personnel changes among individuals involved in electoral processes as soon as possible.

What should the government do before the elections? The resumption of the war cannot be ruled out. The adversary is in a much more favorable positional condition, and their army is also in a winning mindset. It is only natural that they will try to gain more wherever possible and will resort to provocations. Therefore, our number one issue is security and readiness for future warfare. The state budget and economy must be entirely placed on military rails; non-military road construction should cease, and all released funds should be directed toward the purchase of modern strike and reconnaissance drones. The choice of quantity and type is a matter for intelligence and military-technical experts. My friends and experienced generals insist that even 100 drones could have significant importance.

All types of surcharges, reserves the state has, and unspent budget funds should be directed toward purchasing highly effective radar systems that counter American-made drones, for which the US has already given its consent during the war, as both the current prime minister and the former Minister of Defense are well aware. Restart the Amulsar metallurgical complex, grant preferential tax conditions to the owners of the existing 42 metallurgical mines to ensure that only 7-8 do not become partially inoperational. Funds from Amulsar should be directed towards purchasing body armor and modern civil helmets for 100,000 soldiers. Profits from the operation of the metallurgical complex should substantially increase the salaries of military personnel and contract soldiers. Only in this way can the size of the army be increased, and the preservation of extended borders be ensured. The opening of industrial enterprises will also solve issues of employment and maintaining currency exchange rates.

The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has always played a significant role in the spiritual and secular life of our people. It is necessary to request the Supreme Patriarch to use his authority, connections, and even church resources to address the treatment and prosthetics of wounded soldiers abroad. The Patriarch can also influence the humanitarian aspect of the process of repatriating Armenian prisoners through spiritual leaders of the Islamic faith.

We all need to adopt a thrift lifestyle because we have the challenge of safeguarding Artsakh, assisting our brothers who have lost their homes, and finally preventing the current situation from being sold off for a pittance and lost. Our and the state's savings must be directed toward creating second and, in some places, third defensive lines on our borders to prevent the collapse of one front line from leading to disaster.

After the army, one of the most important and essential issues during the period leading up to the elections is the operations of the police and national security services. This is the case in which the slogan "The policeman is ours" has real meaning and content because, at this stage, the work of security forces is equal to that of the soldier maintaining the border, as both are not protecting any authority or individual, but are serving voluntarily to defend their homeland and statehood without expectation.

This process is what will later change the attitude and perception towards the security systems that are foundational pillars of the state. I am convinced that if the authorities put forth such a program and lead by it, they will have the opportunity to reach a certain agreement in the political arena and smoothly proceed to early elections while ensuring our security issues as much as possible during that time.

The support of the diaspora is extremely important during this time, as well as addressing issues of defense, science, and education. We need highly qualified specialists and individuals capable of giving meaning to education so that we are prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. We lost because our science remained at the level of national liberation concepts of the late 19th century, failing to comprehend the entire history of the 20th century with its political, economic, and military consequences and unprepared to confront those challenges.

One of the consequences of this war is the attempts to isolate us from the outside world by surrounding Armenia with regional adversaries and 'friends' prioritizing their interests. Our primary task is to reconsider foreign policy; the Republic of Armenia cannot and should not isolate itself from the world. Technologies and finances of the 21st century, whether we like it or not, are in the West, and 'mouthing off' must be entirely excluded from diplomacy; our language of relations with the world must solely be the protection of our national interests. We must make our relationships with both the West and the East, as well as with Russia and China, substantive and actionable.

The coming months will be the most challenging for the Third Republic of Armenia. Alongside the pandemic issue, there are urgent problems concerning casualties, captives, injured individuals, and refugees that require immediate solutions. We are all in mourning and descending into despair, and only nationwide unity, the ability to assist and forgive one another, and ultimately God; when one door closes, the other must open. When we accept our share of the blame for the door that has closed against us and repent, the newly opened door will bring gifts and victories that will far exceed our losses. Respect and honor to our heroic martyrs, respect and honor to the Armenian army, soldier, and volunteer. Glory to our Creator Lord. Lord, protect and strengthen the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh,” he wrote.