Dissenters Oppose Move to Join Prosperous Armenia Party A group of about 100 dissenters from the ranks of the Armenia Youth Party, in a sign of protest over the decision to merge with the Prosperous Armenia Party, say that will go it alone and continue to operate independently. Arman Sargsyan, President of the Artsakh Club and a member of the AYP, told Hetq that the January 29 decision to merge with Gagik Tsarukyan’s PAP has been opposed by many since the ideological approaches of the two parties are different. "We will fight to the end to realize our aims and achieve the plans we have set out," Sargsyan told Hetq. He said that the dissenters plan to create a civic organization that will hold a press conference in the near future. Meanwhile AYP President Vahan Babayan labeled the news of a splinter group a lie. "The delegates to our convention were elected and certain decisions were adopted. If certain people now say something else, that’s their problem. Naturally, those who opposed the decisions of the party or who are in opposition now, were never elected delegates. There is no problem," Babayan told Hetq. When asked if there are ideological differences between the AYP and the PAP, Babayan refrained from answering. He said that the Artsakh Club had nothing to do with the AYP. "I do not know those making these statements and what their aims are. All I can say is that Arman Sargsyan has no ties to our party. In fact he left six months ago," Babayan said. In turn, Sargsyan denies ever leaving the AYP.