Criticism of the members of the Armenian parliament against Russia and the protesting priest

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, citing Armenian media, Gagik Armenian parliamentarian Melkunyan from the governing party “Civil Pact” led by Nikol Pashinyan said about the recent protest movement of Reverend Galstanyan against the Prime Minister of Armenia: The anti-government protests of 2018 were a nationwide movement, so it cannot be equated with the current or previous movements. At that time, no one thought that the government would change. Before that, protests were held in 2003, 2008 and 2015. Nothing could be done then. In 2018, a nationwide movement began. This means that more than 200,000 people participated in the demonstration. If other cities are also taken into account, the number of protesters was more than 500,000.

Melkonian stated that in the current movement “they are blocking the path of vehicles going to the hospital” and said: “For me It doesn’t really matter who is the prime ministerial candidate of the “Tavosh Bekhi Mehen” movement. The most important thing is what is happening in the country.

This member of parliament emphasized: If they do not nominate Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian from the Armenian Church, they can nominate another candidate. This is not important. The most important thing is that everything happens within the framework of the law. They should hope for the 2026 elections and try so that the number of their supporters does not decrease.

Melkonian claimed: The number of protesters is decreasing. But since the leader of the “For the Fatherland” movement announced his candidacy for the post of prime minister, he almost considers himself the head of the government and gives instructions.

100,000 people came to the demonstration on May 26.

Melkunyan noted that the change of power in Armenia is primarily necessary for Russia, because Moscow wants Armenia to always remain subordinate. . We no longer ask them for permission to establish relations with which countries, and this is to their detriment. After all, we always asked them for permission or they gave us advice.

Maria Karapetyan, another representative of the ruling party of Armenia, criticized the opposition in a conversation with journalists and said: “The opposition has been for four years.” He turns the steering wheel. As an ultimatum, he gives us the last chance to resign.

It should be noted that Reverend Bagrat Galstanyan called for Pashinyan’s resignation at a rally held on May 26 and said that he is the last chance.

Maria Karapetyan said: The previous moves were not decisive enough. But they threatened more severely than now and said that if we don’t accept the “solutions” they propose, it will be bad for us. Didn’t they negotiate?” He said: He is a fascist. What should we discuss with a fascist?

At the beginning of May, the archbishop of Tavush region joined the group of local residents protesting the transfer of four border villages to Azerbaijan.

The Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Church announced on May 7 that it officially supports the Bagrat Galstanyan movement, which marched on Yerevan and demanded the resignation of the Armenian prime minister from the Tavush border region.

The main opposition parties of Armenia also announced their support for the movement of the archbishop.

The representatives of the “Hayastan” faction, headed by the former president Robert Kocharian, announced that they are preparing for the impeachment process of Nikol. Pashinyan.

However, the opposition does not have enough authority in the parliament to do so.

Galstanyan admitted that every two days Once, he met Catholicos II Gargin, head of the Armenian Church, and talked with him about the situation.

Gargin and other clergymen of the Armenian Church were among the opponents who demanded the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan and his government immediately after 2020 war, they supported.

Although Galstanyan initially said that his goal was not to gain power, but to prevent the surrender of Armenian lands to the Republic of Azerbaijan, but in subsequent actions, he rarely talked about Determining the borders spoke and called for a change of governance in Armenia.

It should be said that in the early 1990s, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict caused a conflict between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts were occupied.

As a result of the 44-day war in 2020, Baku took control of those 7 districts and part of Karabakh, and a peacekeeping force Russia deployed in the region.

Baku announced “local anti-terrorist operations” in Karabakh on September 19-20, 2023. Yerevan called the move “ethnic cleansing” and “aggression”.

On September 20, 2023, Karabakh separatists said they had agreed to Baku’s terms. Later, the migration of the Armenian population from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia began.

On September 28, 2023, the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh announced that it would cease its activities. Then many leaders of this separatist republic were arrested and brought to Baku. Protests in Armenia