Arman Melikyan, a Candidate for the Presidency of the RA, Responds to Questions Posed by Readers: We have only translated Mr. Arman Melikyan’s answers to questions submitted in English. The entire interview can be read in Armenian version of Hetq.

Mher - Dear Sir,
The following disheartening story of the experiences of a young French-Armenian trying to conduct a private business in Stepanakert recently appeared in the pages of Karabakh Open.
(http://www.karabakh-open.com/src/index.php?lang=en&id=2&nid=7085).
It seems that the government has swindled all the investments that this Diaspora Armenian had made there.
Could you please comment on this matter?  

Arman Melikyan - In this case the proper thing to do would be to contact the government of the NKR.

Ahar - Mr. Melikyan, reading media reports I have the impression that the specificity/originality of your electoral program is based on the Artsakh issue. More precisely, you consider that the liberated territories should be given to Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan as compensation and not returned. Do you really think it is possible to convince the international community with this argument? It seems to me that the Artsakh issue will not be solved based on international law; otherwise our independence would have been recognized a long time ago. Unfortunately, it seems to be a purely political question, where power will determine the outcome. If we resist Azerbaijan long and efficiently enough we'll eventually gain independence, whether next year or in 30 years. Therefore, What can you do to make the Armenian position stronger militarily, economically, demographically, etc? How will your initiatives make Armenia stronger than the Armenia left by the current and former authorities?
Thank you.

Arman Melikyan - I am confident that the international community cannot neglect this approach. This has a basis to it and flows from legal norms. When we talk about a political solution we must understand that such a solution assumes a bargain or deal which cannot offer a long-term result. Any solution outside the legal sphere is dangerous and doesn’t offer us any positive long-term prospects. I am making available to “Hetq” a work called, AZERBAIJAN AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF KARABAKH: POLITICO-LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF AGRESSION AND THE INFLUENCE OF THOSE CONSEQUENCES ON THE PROSPECTS OF REGIONAL SECURITY, in which one can find the detailed bases of this approach. The book has been published in Armenian and Russian. So that Armenia becomes stronger militarily, economically and in other spheres the corrupted governmental system must be torn down. This will bring raise us to a qualitatively new level and will provide us with an advantage over our neighbours.