VIDEO: Footage from Tense Situation in National Assembly

The atmosphere in the National Assembly heated up during the Q&A session with the government. This occurred after a response from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to a question by Armenia's 'Hayastan' faction member Garnik Danielyan, where he stated, 'When the leader of your political force asked a question, I made it clear...'

Following that, members of the 'Hayastan' faction began shouting, which prompted a shout-back from the ruling 'Civil Contract' faction members. For a time, there were loud exchanges in the National Assembly hall.

Earlier, Levon Kocharyan, the son of former president Robert Kocharyan, had directed his question, saying it was addressed to the 'head of the government.' In response, Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan pointed out that Kocharyan is proficient in Armenian and should understand that the head of the government is the Prime Minister.

After the argument subsided, Prime Minister Pashinyan inquired, 'I want to understand, did the opposition or a specific individual feel offended by the word “head,” or by the word “boy”? If he is not the head's boy, then let him announce that he is not the head's boy; what exactly is the problem?'

'Last time, I advised the little boy at the head: keep yourself proper; otherwise, you know what will happen.'

Levon Kocharyan responded from his seat, shouting.

Following the Prime Minister's answer, Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan responded, 'Mr. Kocharyan, I am now issuing you a warning. If similar behavior occurs again, I will remove you from the hall. This is in the best-case scenario. In the worst-case scenario, I will not remove you from the hall, and we will deal with this issue in another way.'