I Want to Apologize to Our People for Witnessing Such Events: Alen Simonyan

It is a fact that the press today is freer than ever, so free that it crosses the boundaries of permissibility, beginning with personal insults. This was stated by Alen Simonyan, who is temporarily exercising the powers of the President of Armenia, during an interview on Public Television's "Interview with Petros Ghazaryan" program.

In response to a question about political persecution against political figures participating in local government elections, he said, "Excuse me, what political persecution? We have passed the elections; we have overcome the most complex situation in the most open elections, and we have lost in some cities. Do you think we should take some steps because of that?"

Regarding the question of persecution against individual judges, Alen Simonyan noted, "The judicial system in Armenia will be 'cleansed.' There will be a free judicial system, with decisions that the government will not always be satisfied with, but it will be an independent judicial system."

Commenting on the activities of the ruling and opposition factions in the National Assembly, as well as the previous fights and mutual insults, he stated, "I want to apologize to our people for witnessing such incidents. All the street tensions that existed found their way into a 100-seat hall. I believe that, nevertheless, we have succeeded and managed to keep the Parliament acting like a Parliament. Let us consider how far we have come: going to the homes of deputies, hanging tape near my house, threatening, and so forth. I am proud of our people’s awareness that at this critical moment they did not cross the red lines."

Alen Simonyan also discussed the potential corrupt dealings by the government. "That is impossible, at least concerning my teammates, not to mention the country's leader; if any of us becomes a corrupt person, we will not evade punishment; if we go in that direction, our colleagues will punish us. They say that I’m laying a water line, building a mansion; I invite them to come and see that water line, the mansion being built," he stated.

Simonyan also noted that his recent visit to the U.S. was unprecedented in the past 30 years. "The last meeting of such a high-ranking official with a comparable official from Armenia probably took place 30 years ago during the independence period; no such meetings have occurred since then. My meetings provide guarantees for Armenia’s security. Some say 'caviar diplomacy,' but what kind of diplomacy should we have? We are forced to oppose our thoughts and honesty. This is great diplomacy, where we are putting in three times more effort to convey our message," he added.

When asked whether, as an individual exercising presidential powers, he should maintain political neutrality, Simonyan replied, "The law that has been written did not envision that such a situation would occur. I am a founding member of the 'Civil Contract' party; now I am expressing my political assessments, and the law does not prohibit me from doing so. I am not an elected president; a president will be elected who will come and maintain his neutral position."