In a recent interview with Radio Liberty, ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Supreme Council of Armenia member Levon Mkrtchyan stated, that “the party is truly ready to enter into a dialogue.”

Mkrtchyan did qualify his statement, however, by saying, that “the policies currently being implemented by the authorities, in my opinion, can be called rejection through delay tactics. ”

Mkrtchyan was responding to an inquiry into how long the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun would continue to make unilateral attempts at beginning a dialogue.

“The party is truly re-evaluating the policies regarding Armenian statehood adopted by its organization in Armenia. If rejection through delay tactics becomes outright rejection, then the party will take a position and clarify that position. In my opinion, this process will become clearer in the coming few months,” Mkrtchyan said.

“There are those in the public who misunderstand, thinking that the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun, following the 26th World Congress, has adopted a policy of unilateral concessions aimed at securing a moderate outcome in the trials, etc. This is absolutely incorrect because the 26th World Congress was in essence the rational extension of previous World Congresses. In these critical times, when relations between the ARF and the government are very tense and the ARF in Armenia is judicially suspended, the party found the strength within itself to stand above all these issues and evaluate its activities and establish the efforts it will undertake in the future,” noted Mkrtchyan.

The ARF leader was also asked what prompted a stern evaluation by the 26th World Congress of the previous ARF Bureau. “If you look at the party’s history, you will see that criticism of previous policies is beyond being just stern. The fact that a party is capable of identifying its tactical errors and developing new policies indicates that it is free of sectarianism and conceit,” he explained.