Sasun Mikayelyan's 'Velvet' Remark to the Ruling Power

The newspaper 'Zhamanak' reports that Sassun Mikayelyan, a member of the Armenian Parliament's 'My Step' faction and president of the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union, has apologized to former Minister of Justice and former Vice President of the Parliament Arpine Hovhannisyan on behalf of his colleague Andranik Kocharyan. The apology comes in relation to a controversial statement made by Kocharyan that sparked significant online uproar.

Interestingly, during a simultaneous conversation with journalists, Andranik Kocharyan declared that he does not plan to apologize for his statements. Against this backdrop, Sassun Mikayelyan's apology takes on a political dimension beyond mere civil decorum.

It is clear that Kocharyan's contentious remarks were unfortunate and offensive. What is particularly distressing is the prevalent culture within the Armenian socio-political landscape, which suggests a selective critical approach to such issues, indicating that the discourse on moral and cultural values arises more from political expediency than from a principled ideology.

However, this should never serve as justification for any single episode or event. Returning to Mikayelyan's apology, its significance is perhaps heightened by the political positioning within the 'My Step' faction concerning both Mikayelyan and Kocharyan.

It is important to note that these two deputies operate within the domains of defense, internal affairs, and national security, each with their own status. Additionally, there have long been signs and media reports indicating Mikayelyan's somewhat isolated stance within both the faction and the ruling Civil Contract Party.

Within this context, Yerkrapah President Mikayelyan seizes the opportunity not only to express the need for unity in displaying a political culture but also to allude to 'velvet' references that signal a gathering of forces, not just against his rival Andranik Kocharyan but more broadly within the 'My Step' faction and the ruling Civil Contract team.

This latest episode once again highlights the urgent need for political crystallization within the ruling political force, given that the issue remains within the realm of objective reality and has yet to devolve into subjective political blemish.

For more details, see today's issue of the newspaper.