Names in spotlight: Peculiarities of Armenia's parliamentary debate Intrigue in the air

While the world was busy discussing the outcomes of U.S. President Donald Trump’s phone conversations—first with Russian President Vladimir Putin and then with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—in Armenia, “internal battles” were raging. It didn’t escalate to fistfights or bottle-throwing, which, considering Armenia’s tradition of political debates, could be seen as progress.

Nevertheless, verbal slaps were exchanged loudly and reciprocally during the government Q&A session. “When are you planning to change Ararat Mirzoyan’s name, or replace Ararat Mirzoyan?” This was the question posed to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan by Gegham Manukyan, a member of parliament from the Armenia faction. And this was far from a mere inquiry into the government's personnel policy.

The author of these lines has often used irony in his articles regarding the name of Armenia’s Foreign Minister, in the context of official statements from Yerevan denying territorial claims against Türkiye, as well as the Armenian leadership's reluctance to amend the country’s constitution, which indeed includes territorial claims against Türkiye and Azerbaijan. The irony was rooted in the fact that Armenia’s Foreign Minister is named after a mountain located in Türkiye. Therefore, the name of Mr. Mirzoyan could be seen as a territorial claim against Türkiye, and it might be more fitting to call him "Ağrı Mountain Mirzoyan." However, I must emphasize that this was the irony of an Azerbaijani journalist.

Interestingly, it turns out that the opposition in the Armenian parliament is also calling for the renaming of Mirzoyan, having long accused the Armenian government of making "concessions" to Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

What can one say here? If Armenian opposition politicians are so openly adopting our ironic remarks, then we might as well provide them with a route to follow, with the final destination being one where respect for the readers and good manners are no longer worth mentioning. However, it seems that Armenian opposition figures have already reached this point and are quite comfortable there.

Meanwhile, the head of Armenia's foreign ministry felt discomfort. "You're very, very cheap," he replied to Gegham Manukyan. It’s clear that Ararat Mirzoyan holds such personal animosity that it might be difficult for him to even digest his words. But his phrase about the cheapness of the Armenian opposition parliamentarian signals that in Armenia, negotiations are taking place to determine the price of each politician. Mirzoyan didn’t specify what price tag is attached to each individual. Nor did he mention what his own price might be in drams or any other currency. Nevertheless, the rhetorical skills of Armenia’s chief diplomat were noted by everyone who heard his response to the opposition.

Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan also made his mark. He turned off the microphone of the opposition deputy, stating: "I suggest you observe the bounds of decency, because I will start providing similar examples."

The air thickened with intrigue. I must admit, I’m not aware of any other figures on Armenia’s political stage who bear the name of a mountain or settlement located in the territory of Türkiye or Azerbaijan. I hope that, in the end, Simonyan will announce the entire list. However, there is already a continuation of this story in the form of a statement from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. No, he didn’t utter the line familiar to everyone from the movie Mimino: "People like you disgrace the republic!" Instead, Pashinyan said the following: "Mr. Manukyan, if I had the authority to change names, I would start with you and your political leaders." Essentially, Pashinyan echoed the threat previously made by Simonyan, once again not naming any specific individuals who could theoretically be renamed as a result of the clash between opposition and government representatives in the Armenian parliament.

I’d like to remind you that the leader of the Armenia faction in the parliament of the same-name country is none other than Armenia's former defense minister, Seyran Ohanyan. What other name Prime Minister Pashinyan might have called him, had he had the chance, remains unclear. Nikol Vovayevich chose not to clarify that. As for Ohanyan, he remained tight-lipped, making what can only be described as a "tactical retreat."

In the end, it’s still uncertain whether the opposing forces will soon start proposing changes to the surnames and patronymics of their rivals. As they say, let’s grab some popcorn and wait for the next episode of this ongoing spectacle.