16:23, 8 May, 2020
YEREVAN, MAY 8, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he finds the brawl in parliament to be a result of provocation by opposition Bright Armenia (LHK) party, but at the same time he condemned his political force, the My Step faction, for giving in to the provocation.
“I would like to unequivocally emphasize my attitude, by saying that I condemn any occurrence of violence with all its manifestations. I would like to emphasize – violence with all its manifestations, because violence can be not only physical, but also moral, violence can be psychological. And I must very directly emphasize that for already two years the revolutionary team, including this parliamentary majority and this government are consistently and continuously being subjected to moral and psychological violence,” Pashinyan said.
The PM said the goal of these provocations is to subvert and weaken the political majority and subvert the trust between the people and the political majority.
He reminded that on May 7 Bright Armenia leader Edmon Marukyan had invited him to a meeting, and he had accepted it. “And I had directly said that we all have reasons to suspect that you and your activity, all these psychological and moral violence, were eventually an integral part of a plan of launching physical violence”, he said.
Pashinyan said he has re-watched the video from the incident several times and described it as “a disgusting provocation”, but at the same time he condemned it and condemned that his team has given in to it.
“I condemn us, I condemn myself. And today’s happening I find to be our and my own biggest loss that we had after the revolution. But let this not make anyone hopeful. I have lost, lost many times and I have seen the lie’s sneer, but my will is stronger than stone, my spirit doesn’t know surrender,” he said, quoting his own poem.
He said he believes the opposition’s behavior is linked with the law on the Stolen Asset Recovery, and numerous criminal cases.
“Violence has no place in our reality, and this incident must never again be repeated,” he said.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan