RFE/RL reports that the U.S. born first Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian who is now in opposition to the President has teamed up with Vazgen Manukian to form a pro-democracy movement in Armenia. Although both are likely to contest the 2007 parliamentary election in unison with other opposition forces, the two political figures say the movement will be “apolitical” and aimed at engaging the population in the process of democratization in Armenia.

A senior member of Hovannisian’s Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, Vartan Khachatrian, divulged more details on Wednesday, saying that the movement was launched on Saturday during a meeting in Yerevan of some 200 opposition activists, civil society representatives and even representatives of unspecified pro-government forces. He would not say whether there were other prominent oppositionists among the participants.

“This is not an [opposition] alliance that will aggressively campaign for regime change,” he told RFE/RL. “Its agenda is much broader.”

Khachatrian said the purpose of the movement is to “form and reinforce a civic base” that will allow for the protection of human and civil rights, judicial independence, freedom of speech and other ingredients of democracy. “The idea is to make courts as independent as possible by means of public pressure, to acquire media outlets or airtime which will allow us to trigger public reaction to the existing problems,” he said.

The initiative seeks to address widespread popular apathy towards politicians and politics in general which Armenian opposition leaders say seriously hampers democratic change in Armenia. Manukian has repeatedly stated that the existing mainstream opposition lack popular support and must therefore widen its agenda, largely confined to regime change, that would attract other public actors.

For sure, such a move is needed, but let’s see if it can achieve its aims and objectives, or indeed if pro-government forces move to nip any potential movement in this direction in the bud. Personally I fear the economic stakes are too high for the powers that be to allow such a movement to succeed, but one can only hope.

The full report is here, and an interview I conducted with Hovannisian last year is here.