Demand for Alen Simonian's Resignation is Our Political Assessment of His Statements, MP

What is behind the demand for the resignation of the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonian, by the "Hayastan" faction? NEWS.am spoke with Aregnaz Manukyan, a member of the National Assembly from the "Hayastan" faction.

As one of the members from the ruling party correctly described their situation, we have a supervised majority in parliament that is directed by instructions from another building. We understand that just as this supervised majority elected Alen Simonian as the President of the National Assembly under instructions from another building, they will oppose his resignation unless instructed otherwise from that building. Therefore, I want to emphasize that the demand for Alen Simonian's resignation is primarily our political assessment of his behavior and statements.

If you are sure that the "Civil Contract" will not vote in favor of Alen Simonian's resignation, what other mechanisms do you intend to use to achieve his dismissal?

The "Hayastan" faction is contesting the legality of Alen Simonian's election as President of the National Assembly in the Constitutional Court. As you remember, the opposition also nominated the candidacies of Mkhitar Zakaryan and Arthur Sargsyan for this position, but due to their illegal detention, they were unable to attend the session under equal circumstances and were deprived of the right to express their views in parliament.

Your faction's proposal for dismissal states that Alen Simonian's activities endanger Armenia's international reputation. Is this related to his expressed thoughts regarding the so-called "Lavrov's plan"?

First, in a country in a disastrous situation, when we have thousands of victims, the homeless, hundreds of captives, broken destinies, when almost every day the enemy continues to fire, kill, and take our citizens captive, when Armenia's sovereignty is violated, the President of the National Assembly, along with several deputy members from his party, travels to the expensive resort of Mykonos for a luxurious vacation and indulgent entertainment amid questionable corruption schemes. And this is while just two days prior at a meeting with the relatives of captives, he shed tears claiming he is thinking about the captives day and night. Meanwhile, he buys a nearly $200,000 BMW for himself with the state budget at the same time the government rejects the opposition's proposal to increase pensions.

Let's also remember his unacceptable statements regarding the captives, which not only harmed our captives who are still held in enemy prisons, offended the feelings of their relatives and the conscientious part of society but also struck the army, which this government has been busy with from day one.

And finally, let us not forget about Alen Simonian's anti-Russian statements in the fragile security situation, where he spread another lie that according to Russian proposals for resolution, Nagorno-Karabakh should have been surrendered. This statement, which has caused diplomatic scandal in Armenian-Russian relations, is extremely dangerous and unacceptable.

Not to mention his reprehensible behavior while presiding over National Assembly sessions, where he continuously exceeds his authority, attempts to impose discriminatory sanctions against opposition members, and creates unnecessary tension. I reiterate, by demanding Alen Simonian's resignation, we have politically assessed his unacceptable behavior and statements, and should the supervised majority oppose this, they will share the full responsibility with Alen Simonian.

Alen Simonian's behavior and statements are unacceptable, and in a civilized country, not only should he resign, but he should also not engage in politics at all.