Every Day That Nikol Remains Brings Us Closer to War: Vazgen Manukyan

Every day, there are at least three incidents for which the authorities of any country would resign. This was stated by Vazgen Manukyan, the candidate for Prime Minister of the "Homeland Salvation Movement," in a conversation with journalists at Freedom Square.

"Every day that Nikol remains brings us closer to war, because the temptation exists when there is a state before them that has no protection and its leadership acts on the will of others; this always creates the temptation for war. War can only be restrained through strength," he noted.

According to Manukyan, the authorities incite rebellion, and the "Homeland Salvation Movement" is engaged in forming a nationwide movement. "The participants of the movement are tens of thousands; people sitting at home who feel like participants are hundreds of thousands. We want to increase both of these numbers," he emphasized, adding that the authorities should not speak on behalf of the people as they have no connection with them.

When asked how he envisions the rebellion, Manukyan responded: "For me, the blood of the people has great value, and I will not be the initiator of that, but for the authorities, the blood of the people does not matter, and they can incite the people to various actions."

Commenting on the number of participants in the rallies and demonstrations of the opposition, Manukyan stated that time is needed to understand the calamity that has befallen Armenia. "Some people understand immediately, some understood before this, but many need time to get acquainted with the facts, to 'digest' them, and gradually convince themselves that this is not something someone maliciously invented, but to understand what is happening," he said.

Manukyan reaffirmed his view that this is not a government that will leave voluntarily; the foundations of this power must be broken. "There are three foundations: one does not need to be broken but rather persuaded—this is our segment of the people who do not yet fully grasp the situation. The second is their members of parliament, most of whom I believe are in a trap. The third foundation is the police. People do not want to lose their jobs and are being deceived that they are fulfilling their duty to the state, but gradually they realize that they are fulfilling their duty not to the state, but to Azerbaijan and Turkey," he noted. According to Manukyan, Pashinyan also has compromising material against the government deputies.