WikiLeaks: Armenian PM’s advisor labeled oligarchs as people with outdated mentality

PanARMENIAN.Net - WikiLeaks has released another lot of U.S. State Department's classifieds documents, including a cable dated February 27, 2008 by former U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Armenia Joe Pennington, who reported on an informal meeting with advisors to then-Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan – Mikael Minasyan and Levon Martirosyan – that took place on the threshold of the March disorders.

Pennington said the meeting focused on the presidential election and the ongoing opposition rallies.

The U.S. official expressed confidence that Serzh Sargsyan gained a greater number of votes that the other candidates but informed of violations that occurred during the elections, specifically during the count.

According to Pennington, in the course of the meeting Mikael Minasyan said that Serzh Sargsyan holds daily meeting with police commanders to warn them against any use of violence.

As to the opposition, Minasyan noted that their leader, Levon Ter-Petrossian, is a professional revolutionist, who had a role in the USSR collapse. He said, Ter-Petrossian will resort to provocation sooner or later. As to oligarchs, Minasyan described them as people with outdated mentality and said that Sargsyan hopes to put an end to their impunity.

Minasyan said that young, educated and perspective people are gaining weight in the ruling party.