The Edited Conversation Occurred Late Evening on November 16, 2020. Diana Gasparyan Provides Details

I had decided not to address the violation of personal life and the illegally obtained recording at all, but I changed my decision because new legends are being woven around the recording, and journalists continue to ask provocative questions to my teammates about it. This was written by the Mayor of Echmiadzin, Diana Gasparyan, on her Facebook page.

She specifically noted: "So, the edited and cut conversation took place on the late evening of November 16, 2020, after the Prime Minister called our soldiers in the positions to gather in Yerevan. This call was definitely not accepted by many of us, and that was the reason why Minister Papikyan urged to wait and do nothing until it became clear what the announcement actually meant. The very next day, Nikol Pashinyan announced that violence or incitement to violence (especially armed) could have no place in the Government's instrumentarium. As a result of a healthy discussion within the team, all questions received their answers.

At the time, even in its edited form, it is clear from the recording that it is related to a specific event, which will receive clarification in the morning. Moreover, it is evident that the recording does not pertain to the campaign phase when political forces participating in the elections were already registered with the CEC, their leading representatives in the proportional lists, and it was practically impossible to replace anyone, in this case, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with any other political figure.

I do not find it coincidental that the recording was published during the campaign. It is obvious that this aims to mislead the public, to create the impression of division within the team, to distract your attention from our actual duties and goals in the context of the rise of our party’s rating.

I am proud to be a member of a team where there is freedom of speech, where healthy discussions can take place on any issue, and where instead of punishing and persecuting for this, it is accepted with understanding and embrace.

The dirty campaign that has unfolded against me in recent days will not break or discourage me but will instead multiply my zeal to create the future where lies and falsification have no place. On June 20, the liberated residents of Echmiadzin will prove that in our country and city, #FutureExists.

The photographs below were taken from yesterday's video recording of our march, where I am alongside my team and Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan."

It is reminded that a recording of a conversation between Acting Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan and the Mayor of Echmiadzin, Diana Gasparyan, surfaced online, wherein she stated that Nikol Pashinyan should leave because he can no longer handle it.