By Edmond Y. Azadian
If the ARF branch on the US West Coast was looking for an altercation, it certainly got it when it released to the press its bombshell.
Indeed, as the community was preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, the ARF on the West Coast decided to boycott the celebratory banquet, which will also be honoring President Serge Sargisian, the man who “has driven Armenia into the mire of corruption,” according to the ARF statement.
This rebellious stand received a mild rebuke from the ARF Central Bureau, through its representative, Giro Manoyan. This is not the first time that the ARF is extending the unpleasant “welcome” mat for Armenia’s president. We cannot rule out also a political posturing by the West Coast ARF, coordinated with the Bureau, to extract maximum concessions from the president during the upcoming elections.
There is no love lost in Washington towards Armenia, compared to the despotic ruler in Azerbaijan and the frivolous ruler in Georgia.
The Dashnag statement will certainly play into the hands of the same quarters in Washington, which recently terminated the Millennium Challenge contract with Armenia, leaving rural renovation programs there flailing and unfinished.