On June 12, half of those who stormed the National Assembly building were not Armenian citizens, says Hovik Agazaryan

In an interview with MediaLab, Hovik Agazaryan, a member of the parliamentary faction "Civil Contract", commented on the impending extraordinary session of the National Assembly initiated by the "Armenia" and "Honorary Title" factions scheduled for June 17 at 18:30. Agazaryan stated that his faction would not participate, labeling the agenda as "fake". He explained, "I do not fully understand the term 'fake agenda', but yes, we will not participate because I would say that it is pointless. Even though the opposition initiated this extraordinary session, they pursued a different goal, they knew that this session wouldn’t take place. Their intention was to show the public that what we are offering is something innocent, just a discussion, let them come and reject it, to gather a few more people to carry out a coup on the 12th. That has been their aim; otherwise, did they not know that this session would not take place?"

When asked if he considers the events of June 12 as an attempted coup, Agazaryan responded, "If you have no qualms, please check my Facebook post from May 27; everything is laid out there. On May 27, I described the scenario and yes, I confirm that it was an attempted coup." He was further questioned as to why this so-called coup attempt did not materialize. He attributed this to the readiness of law enforcement, stating that necessary measures were taken to prevent the opposition from executing their heinous plan, adding, "They are upset with us, but let them be forgiving."

Agazaryan was also confronted with comments from numerous human rights defenders who criticized police actions on June 12 as unprecedented and illegal. He countered, "I do not think anyone would act outside the law; what the police did was undoubtedly within the legal framework and were necessary actions to prevent major bloodshed."

Addressing accusations that the government has brought Armenia back to '37, referring to unprecedented repression against opposition figures, he disagreed and emphasized that everyone is equally protected by the law. He stated, "The opposition knows well what tools it has to defend itself. Thus, it is all so transparent that everyone understands. Therefore, the law enforcement system is obliged to fulfill its constitutional duties to maintain a normal situation in the country. If someone says that they did not intend to enter the parliament, they should show their disobedience, for instance, in Republic Square, do they need to gather near the parliament building? Half of those who stormed the parliament on June 12 and those dissatisfied with the government were not Armenian citizens."

When pressed about who these individuals were, Agazaryan responded, "I won’t say who they were, we all know who they are, but more than half are not citizens of the Republic of Armenia." In response to claims that the opposition fears peaceful protests, he defended the government's actions, stating that if there was something Aghazaryan was guilty of, he would use the political context to present himself as a disobedient political figure to label any legal proceedings against him as persecution. He continued to criticize the rhetoric of labeling people as 'non-Armenians', calling it both insulting and unacceptable.

Lastly, addressing the recent rally organized by Bishop Bagrat at the intersection of Baghramyan and Demirchyan streets, he questioned the intent behind the location choice. "Why does he invite people there? He should invite them to Liberty or Republic Square so that we would hear them. They gather with the aim of exerting pressure, but I am confident he knows that this session will not take place, and also knows that very few people will come to the rally. It would be naïve for anyone to think that this session would take place. The opposition did a very useful thing when the citizens of Armenia did not stand by their side, indicating that while many do not agree with the government’s policies, they do not support such processes either. They must decide when and from whom to take power and to whom to give it. This is a great and significant achievement, and it reflects a high level of democracy in the country. Their main goal is a coup and to seize the parliament building. The language used by the priests does not befit them; the gleam in their eyes as they attacked the police is unacceptable.