During a press conference, in Yerevan, on January 21, 1996, the newly created body responsible for administering the activities of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun in Armenia outlined the party’s policies and programs and discussed the course of their activities.

The three-person body is composed of Levon Mkrtchyan, lecturer at the History Department of the Yerevan State University and a former member of the ARF Central Committee (CC) of Armenia; Edward Harutunyan, lecturer at the Department of Philosophy of the Yerevan State University and a former member of the ARF CC of Armenia; and Hratchik Tatevosyan, a teacher at Yerevan’s No 170 school and a member of the ARF CC of Yerevan. The body was introduced to the press corps by its political advisor Vartan Ghandilyan.

At the onset of the conference Mkrtchyan told reporters the briefing would be devoted to discussing decisions of the recently convened ARF 26th World Congress and the ARF responsible body’s activities and policies. He added the World Congress had set the stage for ARF strategy in the upcoming two decades.

Mkrtchyan also explained that the ARF-Armenia Executive Body was created based on a World Congress decision to deal with the current domestic, socio-political crisis in Armenia, and outlined the body’s agenda. He said the body was given the responsibility to convene a regional congress for the ARF of Armenia. For this the body has also been entrusted with the task of preparing by-laws for the ARF organization in Armenia, which are to be ratified at the congress, as well as forging provisions for the ARF’s resumption of activities in the homeland. He categorized the body’s responsibilities as being political, ideological and organizational.

The strengthening and prosperity of statehood for the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, as well as the utilization of all ARF resources in working within contemporary international political spectra to ensure the nation- building and strengthening process, was described as being at the top of the body’s political agenda.

Mkrtchyan also noted the ARF would continue pursuing its social agenda which aims to create a median for polarized societal strata in hopes of preventing conflict in that abnormal atmosphere through a state-administered social program.

The Executive chairman also explained that the body would maintain its relations with other parties, especially in where it concerns the interests of the Armenian people.

“We can cooperate with any [political] force, when issues concern the vital interests of our people,” outlined Mkrtchyan.

The ARF leader also stated that the body would attempt to popularize ARF ideology, and given that the party has been barred from operating media outlets, the organization would utilize other media to communicate with the people.

Mkrtchyan did not discount future relations between the ARF Executive Body and the Armenian Justice Ministry, since without those relations, he explained, it would be difficult to resolve the current situation.

On several occasions during the press conference, Mkrtchyan emphasized the decentralized nature of the ARF world-wide organization.