Number One Culprit is Pashinyan, Number One Responsible is Also Him: MP Who Left 'My Step'

Hraparak.am's interview with Anna Grigoryan, an MP who left the 'My Step' faction.

- You announced that you took the mandate at the request of the residents of Syunik, but you left the faction. Could you elaborate on how that decision was made, and did you initially intend not to take the mandate?

- At the end of last year, when it became clear that Tigran Karapetyan had resigned, and I had to make a decision whether to take the mandate or not, I began active discussions with the team that supported me during the 2018 campaign, as well as with the people who had given their vote of confidence. As a result of those consultations, the call, urging, and signal was clear: if I was ready to stand beside them two years ago, now, with numerous problems, security threats, and many socio-economic issues, I could not leave my supporters. And yes, it is my duty; I hope I will be able to fulfill this duty with dignity. My decision to leave the faction was primarily my own decision, and to my joy, it coincided with the opinion of those who support me, regarding the situation we currently have in Armenia, the loss of part of our homeland, and the security of Syunik's borders, which cannot be ensured at this moment—I could not make any other decision in this environment. I believe this was the only decision that my voters also supported.

- After leaving the faction, a campaign began against you, and they said this was a blow from behind, comparing you with backpacks. Would Pashinyan's backpack indeed gather more votes in Syunik than 'My Step's' proportional candidates?

- I think the topic of backpacks has been discussed enough. The environment we have today in Armenia, the polarization, the division into black and white does not allow us to create new dividing lines once again. It is evident that comparing people to backpacks was aimed at this. I think the mayoral elections in Kapan were a brilliant example, where the candidate proposed by Nikol Pashinyan did not win, and one who genuinely enjoys the trust of the residents of Kapan did. Therefore, to say that in Kapan or Syunik people could vote exclusively based on their connection to Nikol Pashinyan is, I believe, inappropriate. After making my decision, I spoke to both a representative of the political team and the faction leader Makunts, and I explained my motives and reasons. I believe what I said was understood by them, and the campaign circulating on social networks does not actually reflect the realities of everyday discussions.

- So, did they react tolerantly to your decision? What did you present to them regarding your reasons for leaving?

- During the elections, of course, Nikol Pashinyan's rating and authority played a significant role, but allow me to say that my personal contribution was also significant in the formation of the 'My Step' faction and accumulating votes. Therefore, I can primarily, based on my voters, say that yes, I can make such a decision and morally, yes, I can leave the faction. After all, I did not take the mandate from my voters to go to war, to lose the war, and generally for the incompetent policies pursued over the past 2.5 years.

- When you ran in the 2018 elections on the 'My Step' list, were you also dissatisfied with Serzh Sargsyan's government, the former authorities, and in awe of Nikol Pashinyan? What disappointed you later?

- In 2018, I, as well as thousands of people, were not following Nikol Pashinyan personally but were genuinely expecting change in Armenia. For me, that change was primarily the restoration of social justice and a change in the value system. I have been teaching for about 8 years, and when I talk to my students, I try to motivate them to study better; sometimes I struggle to explain why they should learn, considering the people who are representatives of the elite can be quite ignorant and do not deserve all they have achieved. In this regard, I truly expected value-based changes and the restoration of social justice, which, unfortunately, could not be realized in the past two and a half years. Moreover, we currently have the disastrous consequences of war that need to be overcome very swiftly.

- Do you personally see Nikol Pashinyan and his political team as responsible for the defeat in the war and this disgraceful situation?

- Of course, the current government cannot avoid responsibility. Nikol Pashinyan's administration is the number one responsible and the number one culprit for the problems Armenia faces today. I do not know who he considers the number one culprit, but to me, he is the number one culprit, and he is also the number one responsible. And the rhetorical question of whether I am responsible but am I guilty? I want to understand: if the team is ready to bear responsibility, how should that be reflected?

- Are you demanding Nikol Pashinyan's resignation?

- I have said quite clearly on this: Nikol Pashinyan needs to resign, and we must go into negotiations concerning the clarification of Artsakh's status with new authorities, we need to form our security architecture under a new government. Yes, the authorities must resign as soon as possible.

For more details, refer to the original source.