SAMVEL NIKOYAN DOES NOT TAKE THE REPORT SERIOUSLY
Diana Markosyan

/samvel-nikoyan
May 19, 2010

A1+ interviewed Samvel Nikoyan, deputy speaker of the Armenian
parliament and chairman of the parliamentary commission looking into
the events of March 1, 2008.

In their report Andranik Kocahryan and Seda Safaryan, members of the RA
disbanded fact-finding group investigating the events of March 1, 2008,
say the authorities involved armed forces in the post-election unrest
which is a rough breach of the country’s Constitution. The group’s
members say they sent you facts but you failed to pay attention to
them, moreover, you "deliberately ignored the facts."

What is your opinion on this?

I see no need and desire to comment on their accusation as I do not
take it seriously. Such accusations can frequently be heard.

Aren’t you, as a NA deputy speaker, concerned over the fact that army
was involved in inner-political issues?

I heard about it for the first time. Do you mean to say that army
was involved in the events? Where did you learn about it?

The information was provided by the fact-finding group in its report.

The members say they have video evidence proving that heavy military
was ordered into the capital during the deadly clashes.

It is not surprising. One day they can say that people from Mars were
at Liberty Square on March 1. As I have said, they can make reports
every six months "revealing" new facts on the occurrences. What’s
the use of commenting them?

The report accuses you of idleness that is why I asked you to comment
on it.

The report was a result of political activity. They are oppositionists
and are free to write whatever they want. Similarly, you are free in
your actions. I find it useless to comment on the report.

But does it mean that you want to conceal the army’s involvement in
the events?

I already said what I wanted to say. Tomorrow someone else may turn
up and make a report instead of Andranik Kocahryan and Seda Safaryan.

Am I supposed to study their findings and comment on them every time
a report is presented? I just want to say that the parliamentary
interim commission stopped its activity on September 15