- Are you pleased with the ministers’ working activity of OYe (Rule of Law), do they manage the concrete spheres that they are trusted to do? How the personal type of each of them is convenient to work as a minister?

- Numerous problems are accumulated in Armenia, and the ministers, according to the spheres, are responsible for the solution of those problems. The ministers that OYe suggested can sufficiently fulfill the obligations stipulated by the programme of the coalition government. We won’t forget the reality that the minister works, according to the approved four-year working and mid-term state expenditure programmes, i.e. in fact, the superior directions are already pointed out by the general programme, and I think that that OYe ministers can fulfill their obligations not bad from other ministers. Sufficient reforms in different spheres are planned to make by OYe ministers. Only three-dozen concepts and laws will be adopted in future in the spheres reserved for us, which will cause numerous positive changes.

- In one of your interviews you’ve spoken about the legal successor of the power and said that the time of the legal successors passed. Isn’t it a transparent remark directed to Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan?

- No, because I never speak with remarks neither with the President of the republic, nor the Minister of defence, we discuss the existing problems during the working meetings, but not through media. So, there is neither back idea, nor transparent remark: I say what I think. Eventually, any expression may be commented from the readers; viewpoint. I’ve been and I remain to the opinion that yes, not the power shall bear power, but the peoples’ choice shall bear power. We don’t live in the times of dictatorship, so to have legal successors. Other problem is that current president of each country may have preferences and state before elections whom he would like to see in power. Republic of Armenia is also not an exception. Freedom, peace and progress – these should be our political principles in the future, principles that should work in the conditions of legal democracy. We should realize and accept that the world changes, our region also is in the process of democratic changes, and we should also understand that the Armenian in his kind is much more for democratic processes and pluralism. And the democracy supposes, first of all, free and transparent elections at all levels. Finally, nobody can cause a sense of inferiority without our consent. In this respect it’s important for me that our society confides in the real hope of the progress because the despair can’t be a trustworthy guide of the road.

- In the press there were remarks that you have possibilities of becoming a unified leader of the opposition. To what extent do you consider that viewpoint realistic?

- They try to question me with such emphasizes, and I answer that it’s the right of that person, who asks that question. Today I’m the Speaker of the National Assembly, chairman of OYe (Rule of Law), the opposition has numerous leaders, one better from the other, and, naturally, I have no intention to become a unified leader.

- The meetings of the coalition council carry on being convened almost once a month and the fourth side does it too. Why aren’t they convened at the offices of the parties? How do you assess the way of governing the coalition?

- The coalition acts within the frameworks of the memorandum. We won’t forget that today the power consists of four parts: President of the republic and coalition three parties, and I think that the coalition acts with ordinary, working rhythm. It wouldn’t be right that the three parties would get together, have discussions because, I repeat, the coalition consists of four parts, and naturally, numerous problems are necessary to discuss with the President of the republic, who, according to Constitution, has sufficient big powers and without participation of the President of the republic can’t be complete as there are universal problems, and the President’s participation is necessary and right.

- Being a member of coalition, OYe, in contrast with other parties, criticizes the power. How do you explain that? And doesn’t it appear that you play opposition within power?

- There were different estimations on this theme. I’m obliged to repeat that “OYe” party is a political organization demanding and making reforms within power. Being in power we bear responsibility and we can’t close eyes on the existing drawbacks and mistakes. We’re sure that it will also be possible to solve problems with healthy criticism and consistent work. When we were speaking that the vocational schools have been closed in the republic, it’s necessary to restore them, they were stoning us, but the raised questions, and why not, the criticism helped that in the result of the discussions, a joint political decision is made to re-open all the closed schools. Of course, such approaches are not always understood properly. But this is how we are - we think that we’ll have to say good things to the good, and bad - to the bad, despite the various criticisms that sound at our address. The same refers to numerous questions.

Today every party can have its priorities: if ARF continuously speaks out loud about the recognition of the Genocide, Armenian Cause, we’ll have approach with understanding that political force, emanating from its biography, adopted problems. RPA has its programmes. The opposition parties – theirs. If today OYe speaks about the social problems, if it criticizes the existing negative phenomena, criticizes the corruption, raises the issue of the return of deposits, one should also approach these important problems, as they refer to our country and people.

- By the way, during the Soviet times there was a person who was responsible for the sphere. Isn’t the coalition Government the return of the same Soviet system and doesn’t it contradict the principles of democracy?

- It doesn’t contradict. Today there are coalition governments in the most parts of the Western and Eastern European countries, and the very coalition government is the manifestation of democracy. Numerous countries, from Germany to Latvia, are governed by coalition governments. That is a concrete manifestation of political cooperation.

- Isn’t the coalition government the same as the oligarchs’ status, the latter have privatized the branches of economy, and the parties – the spheres of power?

- I don’t consider the question acceptable because the forming a coalition government, the parties are responsible for the activity of certain spheres. The greens rule the sphere of foreign policy, the social democrats – other spheres. In Latvia three parties divide the ministerial portfolios…So, in the aspect of parties, it’s not the problem of privatization, but – of responsibility. What refers to the oligarchs, I’m for setting up an economy based on small and medium business, but not on oligarchic economy. I’m speaking from the positions of the development of small and medium enterprise in Armenia – in favour of the development of free market economy and against monopoly economy. Unfortunately, in Armenia those processes are still slow, as a result of which often the wealthy become wealthier, and the poor become poorer. It means that we shall carry on making legislative and institutional reforms in the country, really for shaping a middle class.

Margarit Yesayan