Stepan Safaryan on Disputes with Vazgen Manukyan

“From the very first day, my desire has been to clarify what we are engaged in within that structure. I have witnessed the blatant intentions to use that body for political games,” noted Stepan Safaryan, the president of the Public Council, in a conversation with reporters.

He stated that the peak of their disagreements occurred during the last session of the Public Council when former chair Vazgen Manukyan expressed something that Safaryan felt he could not disagree with. Safaryan specified that this pertained to the redefinition of the Public Council's mission, aiming to pit society against the authorities.

Safaryan mentioned that their disputes reached a climax following that speech, when it became evident that his and Vazgen Manukyan’s visions of the Public Council were different. “Some envisioned the Public Council as an opposition party. It is apparent that our partners who continue to view the Public Council not as an advisory body but as a participant in political games, it is clear that either I should have no place there, or the respective members should,” said Safaryan.