VIDEO. The Material is Edited. Simonian on Scandalous Conversation

Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian claims that the video that surfaced online, in which he says that the prisoners captured in Azerbaijan no longer exist for him, is edited.

“The material is edited; the discussion is about negotiations, and it's about the state’s position in various situations. I sincerely regret that our compatriots, who present themselves as supporters and come and ask if they can ask me a few questions, which I answer, I noticed during that time that there was a girl, if I'm not mistaken, named Hasmik, who was holding up her phone. I said, ‘Please don’t film, because we are engaged in a conversation that I do not want to make public.’ She responded, ‘No, what are you saying?’ Such situations are used to undermine the interests of Armenia. All those people who take such steps should understand that there is criminal liability,” Alen Simonian said.

It should be noted that a video spread online showing Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian during an event conversing with a citizen, saying that the prisoners are “no longer existent” for him.

In a conversation with journalists, Simonian also stated that there are soldiers and officers who have not fulfilled their obligations and ended up in captivity, having preferred to surrender instead of protecting the borders of the Republic of Armenia.