Vardan Ghukasian Responds to Pashinyan's Statement about Expelling Him from the Political and Public Sphere

The Mayor of Gyumri, Vardan Ghukasian, has responded to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement made from the National Assembly podium, asserting that he should be "expelled from the political and public sphere."

“I couldn’t help but make a political statement because the Prime Minister of Armenia said, from the number one podium in the National Assembly, that the mayor should be expelled from the public and political sphere. The term ‘Vardanik’ came out of his mouth. To be honest, we were waiting for this; we are expecting more such things. If someone makes a declaration in such a manner about expelling someone from the political and public sphere, you know that colonies fall within the public sphere. We understood the political side, they don’t have the right to speak, but to expel someone from public life, what does that mean? Take that person to the light or take their life away?” he stated.

Ghukasian provided legal consultation regarding the Prime Minister's statement, stating, “Now I am making a statement concerning the legal aspect. To expel from the public sphere means to take someone’s life away. He should provide clarification on what he meant.”

According to Ghukasian, there is a continuous targeting of the “opposition” sector. “Martun Grigoryan and others, I was elected by them. They do it deliberately for me to say something to them, and then create a conflict, just like the events in Parakar,” Ghukasian expressed.

He addressed the incident regarding his service vehicle, categorically labeling the police's statement claiming he violated regulations as an absolute lie. “There was a car stopped at every intersection; when I saw the first car, I said, ‘Guys, they are coming after us,’ and after that, upon seeing the second one, I said, ‘Get ready.’ So, four cars were stopped at every intersection and were coming after us, saying that it was a coincidence. This is definitely not a coincidence; it is an order. Then, the most ridiculous part is that they say the armored car must be brought to the traffic police (ГАИ). What is the reason? Do they want to take the car from us? Well, if they take the car, what does that mean? Are they preparing to shoot for the second time? You did that in 2007, so many people died, and your voices are silent now; you threw lies into the criminal world, this side, that side, made it up from lies, and your script is working out quite well,” he remarked.