I Will Not Apologize to Arpine Hovhannisyan: Andranik Kocharyan

It is surprising that this topic has generated interest over the headline, while if you watched the interview, you would see its substantive depth. This was stated today, October 3, in a conversation with reporters by Andranik Kocharyan, a member of the 'My Step' faction of the Armenian National Assembly, commenting on his statement regarding former Justice Minister Arpine Hovhannisyan.

“I responded to the question by reacting to the mention of my name by Arpine Hovhannisyan in an interview preceding it. Of course, she mentioned it as an example or conditionally. I also countered that instead of mentioning my name conditionally, she could have mentioned another name, say her mother’s or other family members’, or her own in relation to previously declared property. My property declaration is available on the websites, and if Arpine Hovhannisyan were aware of everything during her tenure, she has given incorrect assessments regarding political realities in the interview, including about myself, which is why I responded in such a manner,” he noted.

Andranik Kocharyan is convinced that among those offended by his words in the interview, he sees the resource Hovhannisyan spoke about: “As far as I understood, apart from Arpine Hovhannisyan, everyone has been offended. I noticed a certain lustration here... Among those offended, I see the resource that former Minister Arpine Hovhannisyan announced would apply all resources to shed light on the legal issues related to these young people. In this resource, I only see fakes, in the form of insults. I have not deleted them; it would be worth your while to check Arpine Hovhannisyan's resource, the content and nature of the insults.”

The deputy emphasized that he does not intend to apologize to Arpine Hovhannisyan: “I do not intend to ask for an apology. I am waiting for Arpine Hovhannisyan to clarify her statement made in the interview. If any of Hovhannisyan's family members are offended, if I have offended her father in any way, I am willing to meet with him and discuss where this issue arose. I am prepared; there is no problem.”

Recall that Andranik Kocharyan, a former member of the fact-finding group on the March 1 case, the head of the National Assembly's Defense and Permanent Committee, and a member of the 'My Step' faction, in an interview with a media outlet today regarding the statement of former Justice Minister Arpine Hovhannisyan that the current government has legally failed the March 1 case, said: “Arpine Hovhannisyan should speak based on facts and can conditionally mention her mother’s and unknown father’s names.”