I Looked into Pashinyan's Eyes and Told Him I Was Dissatisfied with His Activities: Who Asked the Uncoordinated Question?

The meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian lawyer representatives raised significant attention in Moscow. Reports suggested that the meeting’s agenda was pre-arranged with Pashinyan, his protocol officer, and Zareh Sinanyan, and that the atmosphere during the meeting was quite tense. One participant reportedly posed an uncoordinated question.

ArmDaily.am established contact with Narek Kostanyan, a lawyer residing in Russia, who asked Pashinyan two questions that were not on the agenda during yesterday's meeting.

- There were media reports that the questions posed at the meeting with the Prime Minister were pre-prepared and distributed among the participating lawyers.

- There was a misunderstanding. The questions were actually coordinated within the association, not with the Prime Minister. Journalists did not correctly understand this nuance. To use the time allotted for the meeting effectively, it was decided that the lawyers themselves would suggest questions to their moderator. From these questions, the moderator selected about 20 of the most relevant ones concerning ongoing processes in Armenia. All the questions were authored by the lawyers themselves and were not pre-prepared for them.

- What question did you ask, and did you receive an answer?

- Yes, I asked a question that was not agreed upon with the association, but I unexpectedly had the opportunity to ask it. My question was that I do not support the previous authorities and am also not impressed with his activities. I looked directly into Mr. Pashinyan's eyes and expressed to him that not only I but many of our compatriots are dissatisfied with his activities. He looked into my eyes without emotion and listened to my question to the end. My question was under what circumstances he would be willing to hand over power to his opponents, and what kind of opponent he considers himself to have. I wanted to understand whether he considers anyone a rival or not. In response, he answered quite respectfully that extraordinary elections have been appointed in Armenia. He stated that he does not want to hand over power to anyone and that power belongs to the people. He often likes to mention the people. He stated that the political force that wins the elections will come to power. And if it is not himself and his party, they will transfer power to the political force that wins without any incident or noise. He answered my question quite thoroughly and comprehensively.

My second question was also not approved by the association and concerned which promised reforms he has not yet been able to implement for the Armenian people. Do you remember that during the 2018 Velvet Revolution, he promised to carry out a number of reforms in our legislation? He said that unfortunately, he has not been able to implement reforms in the judicial system, that excuses are not a good thing, but he has not been able to implement them. Pashinyan mentioned that if he were to dismiss all those judges, who would come to replace them, as there were no substitutes, so he had to work with the judges who were appointed by previous administrations. He indicated that efforts would continue to carry out reforms in the judicial system.

- Were there any incidents during the meeting, such as a participant dramatically leaving the room, or were not all listed participants present?

- No, all those listed were present, and distorted information has been circulated. The information about the meeting was communicated to us in advance, and the lawyers who wished to attend the meeting were present. Those who could not participate did not attend, and individuals who came but were not included in the list were not allowed in, which is quite logical.

- After the news about the meeting, participants were accused of legitimizing Pashinyan's visit to Russia, etc. How would you comment on this wave of criticism?

- No, that is not the case. It is incorrect to assume that the Association of Armenian Lawyers in Russia has a pro-Pashinyan or pro-Kocharian orientation; that is not the case. Simply put, this association has a different role, significance, and direction. The main goal of the association is to provide legal assistance to our compatriots, regardless of whether they are in Russia or Armenia. Who becomes the head of the country does not matter. The association is willing to meet with Kocharian's supporters and other relevant figures, including senior officials from our historic homeland. I saw myself on a list later presented as a list of traitors. That is not how it is. I was interested in seeing the first person of Armenia and asking him a question about an issue that concerns me.

- Was there any discussion in the association following your question about whether such a question should have been asked of Pashinyan, etc.?

- No such discussion took place in my presence. Perhaps someone later said why it was okay for me to ask a question that was not discussed within the association, while they did not. But no such discussion took place in my presence.

- Was there anyone else besides you who posed out-of-agenda questions to Pashinyan?

- I do not remember such a thing. Because I cannot remember the approved questions, I cannot say how coordinated the questions posed were or if they were out of agenda.

- What overall impression did the meeting leave on you? Did Pashinyan feel comfortable, or was the atmosphere still tense?

- There were many legal questions among those asked. The Prime Minister candidly stated that he is not a lawyer by profession, so he would have difficulty answering highly specialized questions using professional terminology. It is natural that someone without legal education would struggle to answer professional questions, although he tried to provide comprehensive answers. Overall, there was a civilized discourse, as in all other civilized countries—questions and answers without interruptions. He listened to the questions in full, and in my opinion, he answered all questions, did not avoid questions, and gave detailed answers, not shying away from inquiries.

- What do you know about the detained young people?

- I cannot say clearly, but those individuals who entered the hotel but were not included on the list were escorted out. However, I am not aware of what happened afterward. But I want to add that the Association of Armenian Lawyers in Russia is not a political organization; it has exclusively different issues and objectives, and our goal is to provide legal assistance to all Armenians and does not intend to support any candidate or political figure.