Avanesyan Urges Opposition: Do Not Exploit Mental Health Issues

The field of mental health, health care centers providing treatment, and citizens receiving treatment should never become a subject of political exploitation, nor a means to gain cheap dividends or political rhetoric. This was stated by Armenia's Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, urging members of the electoral alliance "Strong Armenia" to refrain from exploiting the name of the "Sevan Mental Health" Center for political convenience.

“The healthcare system, and particularly the field of mental health preservation, is intended to serve solely the health of individuals, and it is unacceptable for any political force or figure to exploit this sensitive issue to advance their political agendas. I urge members of the "Strong Armenia" party to refrain from politicizing the name of the "Sevan Mental Health" Center for political purposes. You are tarnishing the field. It is inadmissible,” stated the minister.

Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan was likely referring to a post by Mariana Ghahramanyan, spokesperson for the "Strong Armenia" alliance and a candidate for parliament, in which she claimed that they would sue representatives of the ruling "Civil Contract" party for spreading misinformation about the leader of their alliance, Samvel Karapetyan, as well as the first name on their electoral list, Narek Karapetyan.

It is noteworthy that on May 19, The Insider, a reputable publication, released a comprehensive article regarding Russian interference in Armenia's upcoming parliamentary elections. The article referenced leaked documents indicating that Samvel Karapetyan applied to the relevant Russian authorities in 1999 to obtain a passport for international travel, and his passport file listed the Information Center of the Federal Security Service of Russia as his place of work. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also referenced this publication, stating, “If Samvel Karapetyan is a foreign agent, then the party he created is also an agency network.”

On May 19, a document from the legal entities register of Russia was published on social media, showing that Narek Karapetyan, the first name on the electoral list of the "Strong Armenia" alliance, was a citizen of the Russian Federation at least until 2020. Various representatives of the ruling party, referring to this document, announced that Narek Karapetyan had or has Russian citizenship, and that this information should be verified since someone with citizenship of another country cannot be a candidate for parliament.

On May 20, Mariana Ghahramanyan declared on her Facebook page that their legal team would file lawsuits against all members of the Civil Contract party who disseminated misinformation about Samvel Karapetyan and Narek Karapetyan. She added that all the money that the members of the Civil Contract would be forced to pay as a result of court rulings would be directed to the Sevan Mental Health Center for the renovation of its rooms. She also emphasized: “In a strong Armenia, those with mental disorders will receive quality treatment and free medications instead of positions during the day.”