A Tribunal Council Should Be Established Including Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan: Arshak Karapetyan

Leader of the "Pan-Armenian Front" party and movement, former Minister of Defense of Armenia, Major General Arshak Karapetyan has made a statement regarding the current political crisis.

“Brothers and sisters, dear Armenians, the authorities of Armenia have led the country into a political deadlock as a result of a series of incompetent actions. The ignorant actions of the Republic's government, tantamount to treason of national interests, have sparked justified outrage not only among the people of Tavush but throughout our entire nation, which is significantly supported by the Armenian Apostolic Church and many social-political forces in our country.

The acts of civil disobedience that have begun across Armenia and their scale demonstrate that the authorities, led by the Prime Minister, are no longer capable of governing the country, and the people no longer wish to tolerate the current situation and national humiliation. In this climate, the only solution is the voluntary resignation of the entire government cabinet.

The authorities and the new leader, who enjoys a high level of public trust and has adequate experience in state administration, must assume full responsibility in front of the people of Armenia. This leader must be capable of defending the interests of Armenia, its territorial integrity, and safety, as well as restore the level of cooperation with our traditional, time-tested partner, the Russian Federation, that was lost during Nikol Pashinyan's rule. This is also required by Armenia's constitution in the case of the impeachment of the head of government.

Armenia needs a leader who is prepared today to offer the people a clear and transparent plan of action to pull the country out of the current situation. But we know well that people like Pashinyan will cling to their seats until the last Armenian.

Currently proposed impeachment, new elections, and other options do not allow for overcoming the crisis; rather, they only deepen systemic contradictions, leading to an internal political and economic crisis. The main reason is that there is no unity and consensus among the opposition circles in the country, which is effectively and successfully exploited by the authorities to maintain their powers. Not only the real opposition forces but also all those who disagree with the anti-Armenian regime’s politics and actions must, against the administrative and coercive resources of the current cabinet, choose a single unified leader and trust them to defend the interests of the Armenian people.

The "Pan-Armenian Front" party and movement propose utilizing our initiated mechanism of the "Public Tribunal of National Pride" as a platform for the election of a new representative of the Armenian people. The first step should be the establishment of the Tribunal Council, with the broad engagement of all oppositional political, social, youth, and local organizations.

I propose that today we include Bagrat Galstanyan, a servant of the Armenian Apostolic Church who enjoys the respect and favor of the Armenian people, in this council. We expect his agreement, as well as proposals from all factions of the National Assembly and other organizations regarding their representatives in the council.

The decision of the Tribunal Council regarding a unified candidate must be final and unconditionally supported by all of society that demands change in Armenia and disagrees with the lawlessness perpetrated by the authorities led by Pashinyan.

Brothers and sisters, dear Armenians. We have no other way forward today. We stand at the crossroads: will there be an Armenia, or not? And we must make our only correct choice. Together we can preserve our beloved country and pass it on to our children in prosperity.