Vice-chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia: "The Armenian authorities are constantly making some kind of shady deals"

The Armenian authorities are constantly making some kind of shady deals. This was stated to journalists by the vice-chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia, Armen Ashotyan, answering a question about the proposals of the Armenian side on a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.

According to Ashotyan, it is no longer surprising that the Armenian public learned about the six principles of settlement proposed by the Armenian side from Azerbaijani sources.

"It would be better if we didn't know about these shameful principles," Ashotyan said, adding that they do not contain a word about the right of nations and peoples to self-determination. He noted that there is no internationally recognized principle on the non-use of force, and nothing has been said about the release of Armenian prisoners of war and the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the sovereign territory of Armenia.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan: "Pashinyan concluded an agreement with Aliyev on the construction of bypass road in the Nagorno-Karabakh"

“Nikol Pashinyan concluded a criminal agreement with Ilham Aliyev on constructing a bypass road in the Nagorno-Karabakh.” Ishkhan Saghatelyan, the coordinator of the "Resistance" movement and vice-speaker of the National Assembly, stated this at the press conference.

“If this road is put into operation, which is scheduled in 2-3 months, we will lose Berdzor, Aghavno, and other Armenian villages," Saghatelyan flagged. According to him, all communications - gas pipelines and electrical systems - will pass under the enemy's control, leading to a complete outflow of the population from the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Seyran Ohanyan comments on Lavrov's statement on Parukh

"Armenian-Azerbaijani relations should not be linked to the [separatist] Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Nagorno-Karabakh has the right to self-determination in its historical homeland. Armenia must be the guarantor of the security of the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh must have a land connection with Armenia," stated the head of the Armenia opposition faction, ex-Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan. It was his comment on the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement that the commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will deal with the issue of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh village of Parukh.

"I don't know what Lavrov meant, whose statement, as far as I know, was later corrected. We have already marked our "red lines," and the "Resistance" movement was created precisely to prevent their violation,” Ohanyan said.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan: “If they came to power, Artsakh would remain part of Azerbaijan”

The "Resistance" movement cannot go out under any circumstances. Otherwise, it will mean the defeat of the Armenian people. One of the leaders of the "Resistance" movement, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Ishkhan Saghatelyan, stated this at a press conference on the square.

“This is an exceptional process; people have been taking to the streets 24 hours a day for forty days. Some of our rallies and marches gathered up to 40-50 thousand people, some - less, but our movement cannot be extinguished. It is doomed to success," Saghatelyan said. He stressed that we are talking about a national, all-people movement - without any support from external forces.

Saghatelyan also commented on Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan's statement that there is no internal political crisis in Armenia. According to him, the authorities have no right to say that there is no political crisis in the country while referring to the results of last year's early elections. "They would have this right if, during the election campaign, they said that if they came to power, Nagorno-Karabakh would remain part of Azerbaijan, that they would make anti-national concessions and promote the idea of ​​a “peaceful era” at the expense of losing their homeland - and after that would receive a mandate from the people. “The whole problem is that during the campaign, they spoke completely different things - about the self-determination of [separatist] Nagorno-Karabakh, about de-occupation. And they are already making statements about lowering the bar on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and about new concessions,” said Ishkhan Saghatelyan.

“Consequently, there is an internal political crisis in the country, and it was created by the authorities themselves,” he concluded.

Former Minister of Defense: “The authorities are not familiar with the provisions of the current Law on Defense”

“The authorities are not familiar with the current Law on Defense provisions,"  stated the former Minister of Defense, head of the opposition parliamentary faction "Armenia," Seyran Ohanyan, answering a question about the government's initiative to combine the role of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces with the position of First Deputy Minister of Defense.

The MP recalled that the positions of the Minister of Defense throughout the history of post-Soviet Armenia were civilian - except Vagharshak Harutyunyan [now the Armenian Ambassador to Russia], who was appointed to this position in 1999. In December 2008, by presidential decree, the powers of the Minister and the Chief of the General Staff were divided with a precise distribution of duties between them. As a member of the political team, the Minister was responsible for implementing the policy of the ruling power. He was responsible for assessing the military-political situation, implementing personnel policy, military education, and the logistics of the armed forces.

Ohanyan emphasized that the authorities' initiative to combine the position of the Chief of the General Staff with the post of the First Deputy Minister of Defense means that the position of the Chief of the General Staff is becoming political. "Thus, they want to let everyone know that the Chief of the General Staff will be subordinate to the Minister of Defense, not realizing that the current law also has a vertical command and control of troops, that is, the Chief of the General Staff is subordinate to the Minister," Ohanyan emphasized.

According to the former Minister of Defense, the amendments to the law will lead to the appearance of two deputy ministers, one of whom, being a political figure, may not have experience in the armed forces. During the absence of the Minister, it is this inexperienced person who will act as Minister.

Opposition members meet with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy

Members of the Armenian Parliament opposition factions met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Kara McDonald, reports the press service of the "Armenia" bloc.

It is noted that MPs of the "Armenia" faction Aram Vardevanyan, Anna Grigoryan, Gegham Manukyan, and MP of the "I have the Honour" faction Taguhi Tovmasyan took part in the meeting, which was held at the initiative of the American side.

“During the meeting, the deputies presented the internal political situation in Armenia, as well as the situation in the areas of law, freedom of speech, and the media. Particular attention was paid to the violence used by law enforcement agencies during peaceful demonstrations,” the report said.

EU mission in Armenia: “European Union is closely monitoring the internal political situation in Armenia”

The European Union is closely monitoring the internal political situation in Armenia and the protests and calls on all parties to ease tensions. The head of the EU mission in Armenia, Andrea Wiktorin, stated this at a high-level conference held in the Marriott hotel on the topic "Judicial power as a guarantor of democracy."

"The situation in Armenia today is quite tense, and it is crucial that all parties work together to protect the constitutional rights of citizens," she said. According to her, it is vital that people freely express their opinion, and law enforcement agencies and police forces should refrain from using brute force.

"Some of the incidents that have taken place need to be investigated. In some cases, this is already happening, cases are reaching the courts, and decisions are being made. This is how democracy works," said Andrea Wiktorin.

Armenian opposition outraged by EU silence

Supporters of the "resistance movement," initiated by the parliamentary opposition of Armenia at the end of April, on June 7, came to the EU representation in the Transcaucasian republic, where they expressed their anger at the "silence" of Brussels.

Earlier, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, one of the leaders of the "movement," Vice-Speaker of Parliament from the "Armenia" opposition faction, said that the political opponents of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan would go to the EU office in Yerevan to present the facts of violence that had taken place in recent days by law enforcement officers.

“We will demand an appropriate assessment. These double standards and their (the Europeans') silence contribute to the establishment of Nikol Pashinyan's dictatorship in the country, which we will not allow,” Saghatelyan argued, adding that the opposition would demand a meeting with various ambassadors accredited in Armenia to present to them the domestic political situation that has developed in the country.