If Snipers Are Installed in the National Assembly Building, Their Task Is to Shoot at Any Moment: Stepan Danielyan

“If snipers are installed in the National Assembly building, then their task is to shoot at any moment because that is what a sniper is for. This could happen at the moment if the people gathered there, for example, decide to enter the National Assembly building,” political scientist Stepan Danielyan told "Factinfo" in an interview.

It should be noted that today snipers were deployed in the National Assembly building, and stun grenades were placed in the AJP courtyard for everyone to see.

The political scientist points out that since the National Assembly is planning to make important decisions, it has become the target of the protesters gathered there. “It is evident that the internal political developments have reached a critical situation. At this moment, neither side has a tendency to implement clear steps. Nevertheless, it is obvious that this government cannot stay in power for long; the more it hesitates, the weaker its foundations become, and the state finds itself in an increasingly difficult situation. On the other hand, within the framework of the current constitution, there are no appropriate solutions,” he added.

Danielyan further states that, in his analysis, the only possible solution is for the parliamentary opposition factions to resign their mandates, thus creating an intra-parliamentary crisis and moving towards snap elections. “If the opposition factions of the National Assembly are not ready to take that step, then they should explain why, on what grounds they are not resigning their mandates, and also present their options for overcoming the current situation. After all, the parliament cannot operate with only one faction; this is unprecedented in the world,” says Stepan Danielyan.

In response to the question of what steps the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces and its head should take in the current situation, political scientist Stepan Danielyan answers that the General Staff has already done what it should have done. “That body has already stated that the state's security is at risk and that the current authorities are unable to solve the problems facing the country and must resign. At the same time, the General Staff has also stated that if the authorities use violence against the public, they will not allow it. As we see, the General Staff is still within the scope of its statements. Perhaps today’s critical situation is precisely due to this, meaning the authorities are unable to use force because they know that the next step will see the military entering the city. In any case of developments, of course, it is preferable to resolve the internal political crisis without clashes and the use of brute force,” states the political scientist.

Summarizing the conversation, Stepan Danielyan notes that one thing is clear: the government has set itself the task of achieving the resignation of the head of the General Staff, and why not, even changing the entire high command of the army, which results in us calmly noting that we no longer have an army. Is this government ready to pay that price to achieve its goals? Time will tell. The political scientist is confident that Nikol Pashinyan, who is in power, has obvious problems related to adequate behavior; therefore, any type of internal political developments is possible in the coming days.

It is noteworthy that today the office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia received alerts regarding the visible deployment of snipers from the windows of the National Assembly toward the gathering occurring on Baghramyan Avenue. Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan wrote on his Facebook page that the office is conducting an investigation based on media reports and on-site observations, where children and elderly are also present. “The open display of firearms from the windows of the National Assembly building, including the demonstrative presence of snipers in military uniforms, is an inadequate measure of security employed by the state in the current situation on Baghramyan Avenue,” stated the Human Rights Defender.