Authorities Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place on Amulsar Must Resign: Hayrikyan

Authorities caught between competing interests regarding the exploitation of the Amulsar mine should resign. Paruyr Hayrikyan, leader of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), stated this during a meeting with reporters today, August 23.

“Usually, authorities caught between a rock and a hard place resign. In such situations, they say that we cannot prioritize one option over another, and both cases entail risks. In our current situation, we are unable to orient ourselves; politically, we are impotent, so we resign. If there is a danger regarding the exploitation of the mine, and there are voices raising concerns about that danger, then specific steps must be taken,” he said.

“For example, our generations took pride in the Sevan-Hrazdan cascade, but it was handed over to a foreign company for several tens of millions as collateral against a debt. Now, regarding the Amulsar case, let those who illegally signed that contract be taken to court, held accountable and find a solution; if they cannot find a solution, they should resign,” he added.

Addressing the question of resolving the exploitation of the Amulsar mine through a referendum, Hayrikyan commented: “The previous government's step to bring it to a referendum means that today’s authorities want to shift responsibility onto uninformed citizens. It’s tantamount to asking if we should operate on someone's heart - bringing in you and me to decide, yes or no. If you have taken that position, then you must show a professional approach.”

Hayrikyan also stated that if Nikol Pashinyan remains in power until 2020, it means the Armenian nation has chosen a path to destruction. He emphasized that no legitimate authority could be formed under the electoral code and Constitution approved during Serzh Sargsyan’s tenure, which was removed by the will of the people.

“Nikol Pashinyan stated in the government's program that no legitimate authority can be formed under this electoral code. Now, you should say, did you act foolishly back then or now? Were you lying then or are you lying now? You said back then that a legitimate parliament couldn’t be formed under this code. Now you say we have a parliament elected by the people. At least apologize; I wasn’t in good health back then, my awareness was low, I was a fraud which is why I said it couldn’t happen. But since I have come to power, it can form a legitimate authority,” he remarked.

According to Hayrikyan, the government speaks of the necessity to implement constitutional reforms in 2020, yet he insists that this step should have been taken long ago. “That kind of person says that a Constitutional Reform Commission should be created in 2020. But you should have said long ago that this Constitution is tailored to Serzh Sargsyan. When you were saying ‘Reject Serzh’, you should have been thinking of this first. In other words, you should have done that long ago. What, must you stay in power with your lies until 2020? It would be the ruin of our nation if you remain the main face of the Armenian people until 2020 with your antics, which means the Armenian nation has chosen the path of destruction,” he concluded, clearly agitated.