I Will Not Accept Pashinyan, I Closed the Door, Went Inside, and Saw They Were Knocking on the Door: A Woman from Shurnukh on Her Encounter with Pashinyan

“There were a lot of them, they surrounded the house as if we were criminals. It was unexpected for them to enter the house like that all of a sudden,” said Naira Galstyan, a resident of the Shurnukh village in Syunik province, in an interview with NEWS.am about the unexpected visit of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to her home yesterday evening.

“We had just come home from the land plot to rest and eat, and at that moment they entered. I was embarrassed. We did not expect them to enter in such a manner and in such a capacity. I stepped outside and saw a stranger who said they wanted to come in. I said, ‘I will not accept Pashinyan,’ closed the door, and went inside, and then I saw they were knocking on the door. Pashinyan entered with his entourage, and the bodyguards surrounded the area around the house. This is not the way to do things; there’s a small child in the house, and this is not the behavior of a prime minister,” she said.

Naira added that she did not exchange any words with Pashinyan. “He asked me why we are living in such a situation, and I said, ‘It’s normal; this is how we live.’ Then he asked, ‘Isn’t there any work for you to do to support the child?’ I responded, ‘There is no work; I am busy taking care of the child.’ After that, they went outside and left. Now, we go outside in the morning and see unexpected photos posted online. This is not something to do.”

“I was terribly scared; my legs have been shaking since last night. There must have been a few dozen of them, they jumped over the fence and entered. Where was he all this time, while the Turks came and settled right under our noses?” The Shurnukh resident noted that besides the mayor, no one has provided assistance to them. “The Turks are everywhere in the village; my child goes outside, and I am scared in my heart. I tell him to come inside; they could shoot from there. Why hasn’t he ensured our safety until now? Besides, they scared us yesterday. We go to bed, waking up in fear as it is. I have a 9-year-old daughter; if something were to happen, would they take responsibility?” Naira said. “At one point, when they entered the village, I thought the Turks had come and the police were there for that reason. But when they said it was Pashinyan, I said I would not accept him. He says that Syunik is safe; what is safe about Syunik? The Turks are almost close to our houses. If it’s safe, he should come during the day, not sneak in at night.”

Naira Galstyan further emphasized that they are living in a very poor condition, with no work. “We live in an emergency house; it burned down about three years ago, and we have not received help from anywhere. You can come and see. We cultivate our land so we can survive at least through the winter. My husband used to work in the forestry of Artsakh, but now the Turks have taken over those areas.”