YEREVAN (A.W.)—The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) signed a memorandum on the formation of a political coalition on May 11. The memorandum was signed by ARF Supreme Council representative Aghvan Vardanyan and RPA Deputy Chair Armen Ashotyan.
A scene from the signing ceremony (Photo: Office of the President of Armenia)
“There are three core values set out as the basis of our cooperation. The overall security of Armenia and Artsakh, the economy and economic development, and our common resolve to make qualitative, fundamental changes in the country, said Vardanyan during a press conference held after the signing ceremony. According to Vardanyan, the memorandum will be in force until 2022.
The signing ceremony was attended by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, ARF Bureau representative Hrant Markarian, and other high-ranking members of the two parties.
Negotiations between the two parties began soon after the results of the April 2 Parliamentary Elections were announced, in which four political parties and blocs—the RPA, the Tsarukyan bloc, the Yelk bloc, and the ARF—garnered enough votes to be represented in Parliament.
After months of negotiations, the ARF and the RPA signed a “Political Cooperation Agreement” on Feb. 24, 2016, at the Armenian presidential palace in Yerevan
In the 2017 Parliamentary Elections, the RPA won 58 seats while the ARF won seven. The ARF is represented in Prime Minister Karapetian’s current cabinet by three ministers in line with the Feb. 2016 cooperation.