Armen Hosepian -Dear Mr. Hovannesyan,
How do you expect to have an aggressive campaign against Serge Sargsyan who supports and is supported by most corrupt figures in Armenia's government, while in the meantime Serge Sargsyan is your in-law through marriage of your kids?

Also would you be in support of a new law that would cause parliament members who are rarely present in parliament, to lose their seat? As you know Serge’s brother who is a parliament member, is very busy with real estate development in Los Angeles and is unable to attend Parliament sessions.

Vahan Hovhannesyan - It seems to me, that when people have nothing else to criticize about our campaign, they come up with this question even though I have answered it so many times. Serge Sargsyan is my in-law’s brother, my daughter is married to the son of one of his brothers. If so far you have not grasped from my public announcements and speeches how aggressive my campaign is going to be, then there’s nothing I can tell you that will make you change your mind. I suggest you follow my campaign closely and see for yourself how aggressive it is. 

As for the second part of your question, our party has supported not only what you suggest, but even to adopt an law lifting the parliamentary immunity of all members of the National Assembly for their non-parliamentary activities. All members of parliament, regardless of their political or other affiliations, should be equally subject to these measures. 

Hovik - Hello Mr. Hovhennesyan,
As a member of the present ruling government, do you agree with the regime's "non-policy" regarding the territories of Kashatagh and Karvachar? If elected, what would your program be regarding these areas?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - I am not a member of the government, our party has a cooperation agreement with the ruling coalition and we have three cabinet ministers as a result. As for your question regarding Kashatagh and Karvajar, our party’s policy has been and is that they, along with all of liberated Artsakh should be developed and populated. 

Richard (Boston) - Does the ARF favor the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border? If so, what would the benefits to Armenia be?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - The ARF regards Turkey’s blockade against Armenia as an act of hostility according to international law. We have raised and continue to raise this issue in all accessible international forums and during our relations with other political parties. Turkey should lift the blockade not because it may or may not benefit Armenia, but in order to demonstrate that it is not hostile towards Armenia. All states should have open borders with neighbors. Open borders can have both benefits and threats for the economy and national security of any country. Armenia should be prepared to increase the benefits and decrease the threats.

Setrak - If you win the presidency what concrete steps will you take to convince the citizenry of the ROA that they have a real stake in an ARF-lead government? Do you think it will be difficult to overcome the "political fatalism" that afflicts a large segment of Armenia's populace today? 

Vahan Hovhannesyan - For me to win the presidency, we have to overcome the “political fatalism” in the public. We have to convince them that each of their votes counts and they are the real rulers of our country. We have to convince them that we guard the sanctity of their votes and that in order to change their lives for the better, they have to be political active at least during elections. 

Garo Armenyan - Sir, Is it true that the ARF Minister of Education of Armenia Mr. Mkrtchyan owns de-facto brothels in the city of Yerevan?

If you (and the other ARF members) can't demonstrate any definitive evidence of your ability to fight corruption within the ARF, how may any of the voters be sure that you'll fight corruption in Armenia once you become a President?

In case your candidacy gains less public support than necessary for presidency, how may voters know that their votes won't go to Mr. Sargsyan?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - The answer to your first question is no, it is not true. Your second question is making an accusation that there is corruption within the ARF without giving a shred of proof. The answer to your third question is that all votes for me are votes for me, whether I am elected or not, I can not give my votes to anyone else. 

Masis - Mr. Hovhannesyan, what will you do to address the anti-ARF and effectively anti-Armenian rhetoric propagated by elements in Armenian society who seek to color everything the ARF does in a negative light? I am confident that these people, such as ararat, are operatives of Turkish intelligence or Mossad. Because only a foreign spy or someone manipulated by those wishing the ruin of the Armenian people and nation would attempt to seed such divisiveness in the Armenian people. Also, what do you make of the fact that Ter-Petrosyan's wife is a Jew and his son has spend many many years in Israel instead of his homeland Armenia. Can we really discount that he is a tool of the US-Turkish-Israeli alliance?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - In a democratic society everyone should have the right to speak out their mind no matter how we perceive their ideas to be. I trust in the wisdom of our people to correctly judge the veracity of whatever is being said. As for your second question, I find it totally wrong to accuse someone of anything because of their nationality or religion or association. If you have any proof to substantiate what you are accusing, then you should put that proof forward. Otherwise, you accusation of Ter-Petrosyan or anyone else is as divisive as you accuse others of being. 

Ararat - Mr Hovanessian How do you propose to change the economic situation in Armenia?
How do you justify your party members ministerial positions in the current government?
A governement that has followed on from the der petrosian's presidency and a government that is very unjust and backward?
Your parties opportunistic methodes in accepting power is not a good advertisment for you and your party.
Your party is party of decrimination in Iran, In Europe and US, and from what we know of your party you will do the same in Armenia.
Your party and it manifesto believes in national socialism, in otherwords FASCISM.
Do you forsee a change in the manifesto i.e. removal of national socialism?
How do you propose to remedy the socio political situation in the country?
Do you and you party forsee a change of policy in recognising Ejmidzeen as the true sit of the armenia and remove antilas which came about at the soviet times?
Do you or your party forsee a time for appologising to the whole of the Armenian's all over the world for the anti armenia stance you had during the soviet times?
Would your party remove its monopoly from Armenian education all over the world and start using what is being used in Armenia?
Would you use gharabagh as a card in the game of chaos the same way this government and the one before has done? or would you go for a refrendom for Armenian's to decide how the relationship should be?
Would you supress the progressive forces and individulas the same way as this government is doing?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - To answer your questions regarding our policies on the economy, social and political issues, as well as Karabakh, I suggest you read my pre-election platform and my party’s pre-election platform during the parliamentary elections. I also suggest that you read our party programme, you will notice there is nothing there that resembles “national socialism” or “fascism”. Your question regarding our party’s cooperation with the current ruling coalition does not warrant an answer, because it is not honest nor genuine, since you have already judged us without getting my response. No one questions the ???? of Holy Ejmiadzin in the structure of the Armenian Apostolic Church. For this and for you claim that the Holy See of the Great House of Cilicia, what you refer to as “Antilias”, “came about in Soviet times”, I suggest you do some reading. I am not responding to your unfounded accusations and judgments of our party, because you’ve already made up your mind. I just want to state my conviction that any party would have been proud for the positions and policies our party had regarding Soviet Armenia. And finally, in response to your last question, I suggest you ask the “progressive forces and individulas” you refer to about their opinion about myself and our party, and I assure you they do not share your concern about us.

Shant Tagvoryan - I had the opportunity to hear Mr. Hovhannesyan speak at various events in Los Angeles over the weekend and I must say that I was impressed by his grasp of the issues facing the Armenian nation, his competence to address them, and his resolve to lead Armenia into the future.

My question to Mr. Hovhannesyan is: Why has not Levon Ter Petrosyan been tried in a criminal court for the political and economic crimes he committed against the Armenian people and do you forsee a scenario where he will be brought to justice in front of the Armenian people?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - Trying a president for what he has done politically as a president actually means impeaching him. In 1998, Mr. Ter-Petrosyan resigned. The next National Assembly formed an ad-hoc committee of inquiry to inquire into the several alleged irregularities in the economy and the energy sector during his presidency. The committee was chaired my party comrade Davit Lokyan. According to law, the committee passed on all of its findings to the prosecutor general’s office, which has the sole authority to bring such cases to the court. Some cases have been pursued by the prosecution and some have not, because of lack of sufficient evidence to stand in court. As for a scenario for Mr. Ter-Petrosyan to brought to justice in front of the Armenian people, well, the presidential elections are such an opportunity, because Mr. Ter-Petrosyan is running as a candidate and the people have the opportunity to give their opinion about him.
 
Gurgen - Please refresh my memory - who was it that stated that....Dashnaktsutyun@ aylyevs anelik chuni....?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - Hovhannes Kajaznuni, the first Prime Minister of the first Armenian Republic. If you haven’t read his book, first published in 1923, you should read it, you might really learn something about his honest, genuine, although misguided patriotism and our party history. You should also read other related books published following Kajaznuni’s said book, to see how the party disagreed with his assessment that Soviet Armenia was the culmination of the Dashnaktsutyun’s liberation struggle. Time and the existence of liberated Artsakh and the present Republic of Armenia also proved Kajaznuni was wrong in his assessment. You should also read the evidence in memoires of his contemporaries during his years in Soviet Armenia that how, on each May 28th, he would mark the anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Armenia. 

Dikran ( Anjar) - I have always found the Dashkanktstiun to be very secretive and aloof from the people here. If you come to power how will you attempt to create lines of communication and contact with everyday people in the ROA? 

Vahan Hovhannesyan - I don’t agree with your characterization of our party in Anjar or in Lebanon in general. The public support the Dashnaktsutyun enjoys in Lebanon, and elsewhere for that matter, bears witness that it is not aloof from the people, that the public appreciates all the services the Dashnaktsutyun has provided the community and the Armenian people at all times. As for your question, let me assure you that in Armenia the party has already created open lines of communication and contact with the people. The most recent example of that is the unprecedented exercise that the Dashnaktsutyun carried out while choosing its candidate for the presidential election; regular people on the street were given the chance to express their opinion on the two choices the party had put forward. So, whether I am elected president or not, we will continue our dialogue with the people, because we believe that alongside our ranks, the people are the only power base we have. 

Harout Sislian (Paris) - Would you say that the Tashnak Party is "Socialist in Content and National in Form", or the other way around?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - I would say what our party programme says: the Dashnaktsutyun is a national, revolutionary, socialist and democratic party; both in content and form, I would add.

Bedros R. ( Cyprus) - As a "member" of the Socialist International, why does the ARF totally refrain from even using socialist rhetoric in the diaspora? If socialist parties expound their message in various European countries, why doesn't the ARF feel comfortable in doing the same? 

Vahan Hovhannesyan - I think for some reason your information is incomplete. In the Diaspora, in New York city and in Buenos Aires to be exact, in 2006 and 2007 respectively, the Dashnaktsutyun Central Committees of the respective regions organized public conferences titled “Armenians and the Left”, where ARF and AYF members and other progressive Armenians together and openly discussed many issues, mainly from a socialist perspective. These issues included national questions, i.e. Armenian-Turkish relations, Artsakh, etc., as well as social issues, i.e. women’s public and political role in Armenian society. As for other regions in the Diaspora, in France for example, in 2004, the region’s ARF Central Committee signed a cooperation agreement with the French Socialist Party and supported that party in the 2007 presidential elections. So there is no issue of the ARF shying away from expounding its socialist message in the Diaspora. If nothing else, then at least the reporting in the party’s Diaspora media of its activities, campaigns, pre-election platforms in Armenia is “using socialist rhetoric”, as you put it.

John ( New York) - Dear Sir, Perhaps you could explain wht the ARF, in the Diaspora, was so opposed to and worked against the ASALA and its supporters during the 1980's when there was an opportunity for a mass national rebirth vis-a-vis the Armenian Question? If your Party claims to be "Revolutionary" and "Socialist", why was the ASALA, an anti-imperialist and left-leaning, so antithetical to the ARF? 

Vahan Hovhannesyan - Leaving an in-depth response to this question to another, more appropriate time, I will give a brief response now. The ARF was opposed to the ASALA being used as a tool by this or that force for causes and interests having nothing to do with the Armenian Cause. A mere reading of the list of operations carried out by ASALA from 1975 to 1985 is enough to see that most of those operations had nothing to do with Turkey. Furthermore, the ASALA even targeted ARF members. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in the Diaspora, mainly because of policies and activities by the ARF, and in Armenia because of mass events, there was a national reawakening, which I guess you choose not to see.  

Mher - Mr. Hovanisyan - What is the ARF's conception of socialism in general and how do you and the party envisage putting socialist policies into practice in Armenia today? What benefits will "your" brand of socialism to the masses of people in the ROA?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - I hope you realize that within the confines of an online interview, my response to your questions can not be exhaustive. Besides referring you to my and our party’s pre-election platforms, both for the presidential and parliamentary elections, <http://www.arf.am> and http://yerkir.am/news/?id=292 , let me say that our concept of socialism envisages a set of economic, political and institutional reforms, that would dismantle and prevent private monopolies, create a really competitive market where everyone is equal and subordinate to the law, develop a society where the rights of workers and the interests of business owners are protected in a cohesive manner, where the villagers and farmers are equipped with the means to work the land and bear its blessings, where the young can get a decent education and a helping hand to form new families, where healthcare is freely provided for all in need, where culture and the arts are supported, where the retired and those social groups in need are looked after, a social structure which is fair, a society in solidarity, where a citizen can live really free. Finally, an Armenia of which every Armenian can be proud of and desire to live there. For details, please do visit the above websites.  

Sako - Mr. Hovanisyan as a member of Dashnak party what is your stance on Artsakh issue? And do you think Armenia should demand our ancestoral lands like Naxichevan from azerbaijan?

Vahan Hovhannesyan - For the Dashnaktsutyun, the resolution of the Artsakh issue can be summarized like this: gaining de jure recognition to the de facto existence of Artsakh. Populating the liberated Artsakh is a priority in that direction. Armenians should bring to the international community’s attention the activities Azerbaijan is carrying out in order to destroy every material witness and proof that Nakhijevan is Armenian.