VIDEO: Arthur Vanetsyan Responded to National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan's Offer for Reconciliation

Implementing reforms in the country, ensuring national security, and maintaining the integrity of borders are the responsibilities of the authorities. This was stated today, August 11, from the podium of the National Assembly by Arthur Vanetsyan, the leader of the ‘I Have Honor’ faction.

“The opposition's duty and responsibility is to be a counter to the authorities, to criticize them. Sometimes, that criticism can be sharp and unpleasant for you. We have been delegated to the National Assembly by citizens who disagreed with your governance. To accuse us of criticizing you, I think, is incorrect,” said Arthur Vanetsyan.

The opposition faction leader expressed that he had the impression from the speeches of the ruling party MPs that they were trying to create a situation where the opposition would not speak about the consequences of the 44-day war: “Do not speak about why this war happened, why our compatriots died, why we lost 75 percent of our homeland's Artsakh part. Why is it that today, according to official data, the Azerbaijani armed forces have intruded approximately 3.5 kilometers into Armenia's sovereign territory and have not been pushed back? These questions need to be answered, and regardless of whether you like those questions or not, we will provide them.”

Arthur Vanetsyan also addressed the offer for reconciliation made by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan. According to him, the suggestion to “zero” the events of today would be logical had he announced beforehand that he was canceling the disciplinary sanctions imposed.

“Although I know that the ‘Regulation of the National Assembly’ law does not grant such authority to the Speaker, at least you could have made a political statement,” stated Vanetsyan.

In response, the Speaker of the National Assembly stated that only the National Assembly Council has the capability to cancel, which has not yet been formed.

“You can take my statement as a step in that direction; I am committed to everything I have announced,” added Simonyan.

It was noted that today’s session of the National Assembly took place in a tense atmosphere. Earlier, ‘I Have Honor’ faction MP Anna Mkrtchyan referred to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as “capitulator Nikol,” after which the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, muted her microphone and removed her from the podium. Subsequently, the situation escalated after Vice Speaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan's speech. The Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, responded to Saghatelyan, saying the public has judged who the “capitulator” is and who the “betrayer” is. He then called the leader of the “Civil Contract” faction to the podium, while the MPs of the ‘Hayastan’ faction reacted from their seats to Simonyan’s remarks, after which tempers flared in the National Assembly, prompting Simonyan to invite security personnel in military uniforms into the hall and later order the live broadcast to be turned off.

Later, in the National Assembly hall, addressing all factions, Speaker Alen Simonyan proposed to “zero out” what happened today and extended a hand for reconciliation.