Could Be Too Much of a “Dose” for One Person: Pashinyan on Incident with Flag at Customs

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed a comment on a Facebook live stream regarding the dismissal of a customs employee who was let go for improperly handling the national flag.

“Dear compatriots, I learned in the National Assembly that a new incident occurred. A citizen entered an X-ray machine that is not meant for people, but for checking luggage. We know that customs officials recorded this and posted it on social media; I saw today that not only did they take a video, but they were laughing at that citizen. I mention this in relation to the flag incident; these are the same issues, two sides of the same phenomenon. There is outrage; after all, these workers have families. Why should we dismiss them in this case and not in others? In one case, a citizen was allowed to act freely; in this case, the flag was treated carelessly. Without the citizen, there is no flag, and vice versa. The state symbols in our country are not yet established. I have analyzed my actions that day, and to be honest, I must admit that I believe my reaction was correct. Maybe for one person who was dismissed, the 'dose' was too much, but in reality, I did not know that citizen. I did not dismiss that one person; I dismissed all the public officials who disrespect the symbol,” Pashinyan emphasized.