The Armenian opposition postponed on Friday its upcoming rally in Yerevan
because of a landmark football match which the governments of Armenia and Turkey
could use for improving bilateral relations.

The Armenian National Congress (HAK), the country’s main opposition force, was
due to kick off a fresh campaign of anti-government protests by rallying
supporters on September 5. The planned opposition protest would have come one
day before Armenia’s and Turkey’s national football teams will play each other
for the first time ever as part of their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World
Cup in South Africa.

President Serzh Sarkisian has invited his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul to
visit Yerevan and watch the match with him. The invitation reflects a recent
thaw in the strained Turkish-Armenian relations.

In a written statement, the HAK said it has decided to postpone the rally by one
week and to stop the ongoing opposition sit-in on Yerevan’s Northern Avenue on
Sunday to enable the Armenian authorities to take adequate security measures in
and around the more than 50,000-seat Hrazdan stadium. The 16-party alliance said
it is concerned with Armenia’s international reputation and wants to contribute
to the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

Citing the anticipated arrival of a large number of Turkish soccer fans, the
Armenian government instructed the police last week to significantly tighten
security in the capital from September 2-10.

While describing the move as “unconstitutional,” the HAK said it understands the
“need to take additional security measures to maintain public order in this
special case.” “Our goal is not to stir up tensions during this quite serious
event that could attack thousands of Turks into Armenia,” Levon Zurabian, an HAK
leader, told reporters.

Another senior opposition figure, Suren Sureniants, argued that “internal
political problems must not hinder foreign policy.”

The HAK’s top leader, former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, has long championed
a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. Ter-Petrosian said last week that the war in
Georgia, which seriously complicated Armenia’s transport communication with the
outside world, underscored the importance of having an open border with Turkey.
“That must force [the authorities] to take positive steps to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and settle Turkish-Armenian relations,” he told the
A1Plus.am news service.

“The one-week delay will have no impact on the spirit of our movement,” said
Zurabian. “Furthermore, in a sense, it’s a good opportunity for everyone to have
rest.” The opposition will detail its plan of further actions at the September
12 rally, he said.

The Ter-Petrosian-led alliance has repeatedly demanded that the authorities hold
fresh presidential and parliamentary elections and free more than 70 opposition
members arrested in the wake of last February’s disputed presidential ballot.

By Anna Saghabalian and Tatevik Lazarian

(Photolur photo)