If We Had Been Pressured, He Would Have Resigned. Simonyan on Aghazaryan

I have a negative attitude towards Hovik Aghazaryan's refusal of the Prime Minister's request. This was stated by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, during a conversation with reporters in parliament.

Referring to his conversation with Aghazaryan, Simonyan assured that he did not threaten him. "I did not threaten Aghazaryan; if I want to threaten someone, I do it in front of cameras. It was an honest conversation, and an honest conversation is much more complicated among interlocutors; it is about emotional speech, and we talked for quite a long time," he said.

“The Prime Minister publicly addressed him on Public TV, and I do not think it is right to refuse such a request. I am not discussing the reasons; I do not want to enter into that discussion, I have told him that too,” Simonyan added.

“I did not discuss any reasons or questions; I discussed the issue that there is such a request, and that request should be fulfilled. If we had been pressured, he would have resigned. We have fought together for years and have conducted party work in various formats over the years. Regarding pressure or opinion, there will be a board meeting, and during that time I will express my position, I will say the same thing I told him,” he noted.

When asked whether the issue of expulsion from the faction could be raised, he responded, “Mr. Aghazaryan, if he places himself outside the team, and that is expelling himself from the team, he has no way of crossing paths with that team. If you put yourself outside the team, that is the worst thing; Mr. Aghazaryan has already done that. I do not know what decision the board will make, but if that happens, it will simply be a record of the created situation.”

When asked what he would do if he received such an SMS, Simonyan first stated that he does not respond to hypothetical questions, then added, “But if the Prime Minister asks me, I would not oppose that request for a second.”

Referring to Aghazaryan's friend in Moscow, Simonyan said, “The friend in Moscow seems like something out of a Carlson story; I don't think he exists.”