Chairman of the extra-parliamentary “Ardara Armenia” party Norayr Norikyan summarized 2022 in a conversation with Radar Armenia.
– What was the past year like politically?
– It can be said that it was a challenging and less effective year because the published goals or the issues discussed in the political agenda, which were related to signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, unblocking communications, weakening the military escalation in the region and forming a qualitatively different status quo, came to nothing. On the contrary, RA was subjected to another military aggression on September 12, resulting in territorial and human losses. The situation created today speaks of something that, in a significant sense, 2022 was an ineffective year. This means that the external military challenges formed around Armenia have not yet been neutralized, and we have not found a counter-game to act against Azerbaijan, which deprives us of additional opportunities, preventing us from trying to contain Azerbaijan through countermeasures. If we do not reach a peace treaty or reconciliation with Azerbaijan, at least we can make the hostility and their appetite manageable. To have such an opportunity, the military-political balance must be restored.
– How do you evaluate the work of extra-parliamentary forces in 2022?
– I can say about us. We were involved in the councils elections of several cities and tried to make our activities more visible. We have been active in the public sphere and tried to express our opinion on issues of strategic significance. Of course, there is still work to be done. In 2023, we will create a wider activity window for ourselves and try to expand our activities.
– What specific plans are there that you will implement in 2023? What political goals do you have?
– Naturally, the possibility of participating in the elections of the Yerevan Council of Elders, the problem of forming a more effective political alternative, is being discussed. The current parliament is one of the most disgraceful parliaments and does not reflect our public sentiments. I have also ensured that these forces, regardless of what issue is being discussed in the parliament, are exclusively busy accusing each other of mutual treason and corruption. These political forces, which appeared in the parliament today, need more desire and ability to perform any state-building function. And the legislative power, which was supposed to be engaged in the law-making activity, trying to change all spheres of our public life, today, having left all that behind, they are gossiping. As an extra-parliamentary force, our task will be to increase our political influence and, by acquiring new allies, become a natural alternative to the existing political elite.
