I Am Offended by You: Artsakh Presidential Candidate Addresses Hrant Bagratyan

Artsakh presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan addressed former Armenian Prime Minister and economist Hrant Bagratyan on his Facebook page, stating: “I am surprised, Hrant… Dear Hrant Bagratyan, yesterday I watched the recording of Angela Tovmasyan’s program 'In Front of the Mirror' on your Facebook page. I am very offended by you for not reprimanding the host’s statement about me, which suggested that I flatter the Armenian authorities. To be honest, I was expecting that...

If I were a flatterer, dear friend, like many others, I would have distanced myself from you back in 2008, right after the events of March 1, when the National Security Service of Armenia shamelessly followed every step you took, instead of seeking the real perpetrators. And we, being close friends, continued to meet frequently both in cafes in Yerevan and in Stepanakert, at my home, during those days. If I had a desire for slaughter or suffered from a craving for power, would I have taken such a risk as a newly appointed prime minister, thinking that after each of our meetings, my career as a high-ranking official could end? Who knows, maybe even my political career...

In the more than a decade since then, you have consistently acted from the position of a staunch oppositionist, sharply criticizing all heads of the Armenian government with whom I have had warm cooperative relationships. You are still doing the same today. Has our closeness ever suffered from it? What do you think, can a flatterer be a good friend? I am convinced that one cannot, and I know that you, too, embody that value system. Therefore, I would kindly advise you to avoid public meetings that seek to shamefully serve certain interests under the guise of intellectualism...

As for the fact that my political force has supported and continues to support Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from the first days of the Velvet, non-violent revolution in Armenia, I will say the following: the time will come to speak publicly about this. I know that there will be people, those benefiting from the patronage of other forces, who may not want to understand my words, but those for whom the Homeland is above petty manipulation will sit down and consider the truth, which is of paramount importance.

P.S. Regarding Angela Tovmasyan: Let the journalistic community forgive me, but if someone bearing that title humiliates a person's dignity to please certain circles, they tarnish their profession, and do not have the right to be called a journalist.”

Press Center of the 'Free Homeland' Party