You staged a coup, your friends were captured. Hovhannisyan to the opposition

Why isn’t the current government raising the issue of captives held in Baku?

“The Republic of Armenia continues to defend the interests of its citizens who have been captured in all international platforms and legal frameworks and will do everything to ensure their return to Armenia as soon as possible,” said Arthur Hovhannisyan, the secretary of the ruling Civil Contract faction in response to an issue raised by the opposition.

“All those insinuations that your political opponents and rivals are responsible for this, that is why you do not want them to be released, etc., are nonsense, I apologize. I repeat, we are doing everything possible on all platforms to secure the return of our compatriots to Armenia,” Hovhannisyan stated.

In response to why there is no official assessment of the ongoing trial, Hovhannisyan said there is one. “There is an official assessment; statements have been made by officials. I advise the opposition to pay close attention. Statements regarding this procedural process have been made and we continue to fight for the return of our compatriots in daily mode on international platforms. Where are we not raising the issue of prisoners? How can you say we are not raising it? We are raising it, and all the claims of the opposition are fabricated, they are just political statements.”

He continued: “And then the opposition should explain how this happened. Seyran Ohanyan says, ‘You handed over our combat comrades.’ I must repeat, you went and staged a palace coup with your faction, created a situation where your appointed president signed the document on the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh, as a result of which your combat comrades were captured. So who handed over your combat comrades—was it you or us? Therefore, these accusations are unfounded, and I think they are more defensive, so they can shift the blame away from themselves for the mischief they have brought upon the Armenian people of Artsakh.”