I’m Not Saying You’re a Clown or an Ape: Deputy Mayor Suren Grigoryan to Hayk Marutyan

Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Suren Grigoryan wrote on his social media page: "Hayk Marutyan announced that he will participate in the parliamentary elections in 2026. That’s good; it’s his right. But I also have the right to ask him questions, right? Or not? After all, he is, in the end, the founder of the Social-Democratic Party, and in democratic countries, it’s normal for politicians to publicly ask each other questions.

Anyway, being almost certain that my questions will remain unanswered, I decided to address them anyway. But first, let me say a few things to ensure that the frequently used tactic of avoiding direct answers to questions is either not applied or, if applied, is obvious to everyone:

• Mr. Marutyan, I am not saying that you are a clown or an ape. You are a professional actor, and I hope it’s a lawful living that you earn from your profession—of course, provided that you also pay all taxes stipulated by law.
• Mr. Marutyan, I am not claiming that you are a spy. I have a conviction that you are connected with pro-Russian circles, but it is possible that I could be mistaken.

So what am I saying or, more accurately, asking?

Question 1: Since it is evident from your officially published declarations that after the 2020 war you sold your property units in Armenia (4 units) for a total of approximately 590,000,000 AMD (once again, if the property was acquired solely with money earned from honest labor, then that’s good), and as a result, all of your and your family’s property capital (about 30 real estate units) is abroad (or at least it was at that time), can I assume that Armenia is not your main center of interest, or it wasn't at that time? Can I think that a person who occupies himself with moving his capital during a difficult time for the country is not the best candidate to govern the capital and, moreover, the entire country?

Question 2: Considering that your children are exclusively citizens of the Czech Republic (were), especially in connection with the facts mentioned in Question 1, isn't it reasonable to assume that we have another fact that indicates your and your family’s future is not tied to the Republic of Armenia? By the way, for the sake of honesty, let me note that if you were not aspiring for high positions such as that of the Prime Minister of Armenia or the Mayor of Yerevan, perhaps it wouldn’t be significant. But all this becomes very important given such aspirations.

Question 3: Given that you have repeatedly spoken about democracy and accused the PP of betraying democratic values, I have yet another question. Where were you during the February 2021 events? If needed, let me remind you: at that time, at least some senior officials of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia had demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation, in violation of the constitutional and democratic prohibition against military personnel interfering in political matters. Military coups, their attempts, or any similar phenomena are at opposite poles from democracy. During those days, as the Mayor of Yerevan, a person holding a high political office, did you speak publicly? By the way, pay attention: I’m not saying whether you supported the PP or not; I'm asking if you condemned the phenomenon. I don’t remember. Maybe I missed something. Given this context, can I have a slight doubt that democracy is indeed as high a value for you as you claim, or if it is a value, that you fear to defend it in uncertain and dangerous situations?

Question 4: Since you have already traveled with two political teams since 2018 (the Civil Contract and the National Progress), and have severed relations, is my fear healthy that you lack the ability to organize team work and reach healthy compromises with people? Again, let me emphasize—I’m absolutely not interested in how these abilities or their absence are manifested during your professional activities, as all this, in large part, does not affect the interests of the country. But when you want to become Prime Minister, that starts to become interesting.

P.S. There is much talk about how our citizens deserve civilized debate rather than mutual insults. I have sincerely tried to express myself as correctly as possible, not to insult, and thus I force myself to hope that I will receive a similar response to the questions I raised.

P.S.2 That’s all for now," wrote Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Suren Grigoryan.