Heritage Party appeals to oppositional and pro-government political forces to unite around round-table discussions on Armenia’s foreign and domestic policy issues and challenges.

The suggestion, made on March 30, Tuesday, which, according to Heritage Party, should make a new equal (political) arena for oppositional and coalition forces, was not received with great enthusiasm.

Edward Sharmazanov, Press Secretary of Republican Party, advised “not to invent the bicycle,” and “not to forget that the idea of starting a dialogue belongs not to Heritage Party but rather to President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who has already initiated three such meetings.”

“If the president considers it to be important to hold a new round table discussion, he will do that; and we, as always, will offer a chance to all political forces to participate in it,” Sharmazanov says.

Meanwhile, two main oppositional forces – Heritage Party and Armenian National Congress (ANC) did not participate in three previous forums (on economic crisis, Armenian-Turkish relations, Nagorno-Karabakh issue) summoned by the president of Armenia last year.

Heritage Party proposed creating a proportional round table discussion with an equal number of participants from oppositional and pro-government forces, which, as the party statements says, will “create prerequisites for ensuring the inter-social and inter-political unity in case of military operations, resist the opponent through combined efforts and promote democratic reforms.”

Stepan Safaryan, head of Heritage parliamentary faction, says that such response has been expected, because, previously, similar suggestions by Heritage Party have been denied.

“However, I believe that the current situation will make them join our initiative, because concerns have been voiced by almost everyone,” Safaryan told ArmeniaNow.

Nevertheless, even oppositional forces do not hurry to respond: ANC coordinator Levon Zurabyan told ArmeniaNow that he had not studied the statement yet; NA deputies of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun also evaded expressing their opinion.

Heritage Party hopes that the initiative will not be limited only to the involvement of political forces within Armenia; according to the statement, political forces from Nagorno-Karabakh, and Diaspora, as well as pivotal civil role-players and Mother Church representatives are welcome to join the round table, too.