KP MPs Arrive in Artsakh Accompanied by 14 Bodyguards, Says Metakse Hakobyan

Tomorrow, there will be no festive events dedicated to the Independence Day of Artsakh; instead, separate activities related to the day will take place. We will visit the memorial complex, there will be a meeting with soldiers, and there will also be sports events, said Artsakh National Assembly member Metakse Hakobyan in an interview with Factinfo.

According to her, for the first time in history, representatives of the highest authorities of Armenia will not be in Artsakh on the occasion of Independence Day and will not participate in the events. During our conversation, the Artsakh MP also informed us that MPs from the "Armenia" and "I Have Honor" factions have arrived in Artsakh, while seven MPs from the ruling Civil Contract party (KP) came with a large number of bodyguards: "Only seven people came from KP – Andranik Kocharyan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan, Hayk Konjoryan, and others. They also organized a dinner yesterday, which we did not attend, nor did the 'I Have Honor' faction," said Metakse Hakobyan.

According to her, the seven KP MPs traveled to Artsakh accompanied by 14 bodyguards. "To inform these authorities – when the previous ones, whom they refer to, came to Artsakh, we did not see any bodyguards or a convoy of vehicles; they always walked with their families, friends, and party members. We have never seen the pompous behavior of the authorities because Artsakh has always been an idea, and such behavior has been shameful. Now both the authorities of Artsakh and those of Armenia have positioned themselves as the solution-makers of this century," said Metakse Hakobyan.

When asked why Armenian authorities are not going to Artsakh, Hakobyan responded that this once again confirms that, for them, Artsakh no longer exists. "Many people ask me if Nikola Pashinyan can sneak in with representatives of the authorities, but I, being confident about Pashinyan's cowardice, know that he will not take such a risk. No one can guarantee his safety; he will never set foot in Artsakh again. This is unprecedented, and it directly confirms the fact that these people have closed the issue of Artsakh for themselves, that for them, Artsakh does not exist," said the parliamentarian and added that this also has a political undertone. "With this behavior, they show their loyalty to their colleague, Aliyev. By this step, they agree with Aliyev's statement that the issue of Artsakh no longer exists; therefore, there cannot be any discussions on this matter. And personally, for them, Artsakh has never been; these authorities were established to erase Artsakh, Syunik, and generally the Armenian identity, and to fragment and hand over our homeland as much as possible," said the interviewee.