“I Will Expose Every Lie You Have Said”: Tigran Avinyan

“Mr. Yeritsyan, you and I have never been allies, and in many cases, we have not even been ideological companions,” noted Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan while addressing Grigor Yeritsyan, a member of the council’s “National Progress” faction. He pointed out that they have different approaches and perceptions of reality. “When you talk about democracy, I want to remind you of this—the results of the 2023 council elections, where only 53 votes were decisive. Now you say we have stepped back from that principle. We have never stepped back from that principle, and we won’t,” he stated.

Avinyan also disagreed with the claim that the council is not functioning. “This council, despite all its problems, has made the most decisive decisions compared to previous councils in recent years. By the end of 2023, we reached decisions that increased Yerevan’s own revenues by 64%. Such a volume change has not occurred during your teammate and colleague Hayk Marutyan’s term as mayor,” he asserted.

Avinyan accused Yeritsyan of lying. “It’s no longer manipulation; you have crossed over into outright lies. You repeated the same lie here when I said we spent more on the Christmas tree lights. Every word matters, Mr. Yeritsyan. For those who have political hearing, these words are cutting. When you say we have spent more on the Christmas tree lights than you, you are lying. You are doing this consciously,” he mentioned.

He emphasized that they envision real work, responsibility, and, in many cases, responsible decisions. “As for you, you have crossed over into populism, manipulation, and already into the realm of lies. With every issue, I promise to expose the lies you have stated,” he asserted.