ArmInfo. We don't want war, but we want to be respected. Former Secretary General of the CSTO, former Chief of the General Staff of Armenia, Colonel-General Yuri Khachaturov stated from the rostrum on France Square in Yerevan.
At the beginning of his speech, the Armenian general spoke about the background of the resignation of first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan on February 3, 1998, when Prime Minister Robert Kocharyan, Minister of Defense Vazgen Sargsyan and Minister of Internal Affairs and National Security Serzh Sargsyan did not support Ter-Petrosyan's proposed plan for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which included the demilitarization of the conflict zone and the return to Azerbaijan of a number of settlements taken during the hostilities of 1992-1994.
"Then they said that people will come to power, whose coming will cause bloodshed, that there would be a war. And what really happened? We lived in peace for 20 years, lived like winners. We were proud of our army and state. There was no war. They said we want war, but we didn't want war. Even now they say we want war, but we don't want war, we want to be respected," he said.
At the same time, Khachaturov expressed bewilderment at the behavior of officials and parliamentarians from the ruling power when they are asked a question about the future of Artsakh. "I don't understand these ministers and the rest officials, they are asked a simple question. Are you in favor of Artsakh being part of Azerbaijan? They say we cannot answer. I understand that they can do nothing to prevent Artsakh from becoming part of Azerbaijan, but at least say that you do not want NKR to be part of Azerbaijan. Can't you do that, aren't you Armenian? "Then who are you?" He asked.
Khachaturov also bowed before the parents of the soldiers who died for the homeland, calling them saints, while urging them not to condemn those who did not come to the square. According to him, each of them experiences the pain of loss in their own way.
Referring to the work of law enforcement officers, the general expressed bewilderment and indignation at the behavior of people in uniform. He shamed all those law enforcement officers who use disproportionate brute force against peaceful demonstrators, especially women.
"When did we get to the point where the police drag women by the hair, kick them in the stomach? Guys, behave more modestly, remember that you are all in the field of view of our citizens," he said, adding that they would not succumb to the provocations of law enforcement officers and will not beat law enforcement officers in response. According to him, the authorities are just waiting for this. "Don't wait, we won't beat you. Viva Armenia, Viva Artsakh, Viva the Armenian people," Khachaturov summed up.
It should be noted that a rally of the opposition Resistance Movement is taking place in France Square. It should also be noted that the Armenian parliament today at 16:00 convened an extraordinary meeting at the request of the "Hayastan" and "I have the honor" opposition factions. On the agenda is the discussion and adoption of a statement on Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. The meeting did not take place due to the lack of a quorum. Only 33 opposition MPs attended the meeting, while 54 MPs were needed for a quorum. The ruling Civil Contract faction announced last week that it would not take part in an extraordinary meeting of the Armenian parliament, initiated by the "Hayastan" and "I have the honor" opposition blocs and scheduled for June 3. The Civil Contract stated that they would not succumb to political blackmail and would not take part in an extraordinary meeting, but would continue to protect the rights of Artsakh and its population at all levels and platforms.