Pashinyan says Armenia should take measures against opposition activity

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that opposition forces elected to parliament on June 7 were formed through illegal actions and should be deprived of the ability to continue political activity.

“The parliamentary opposition forming in the ninth convocation of parliament is a political entity created as a result of absolutely illegal actions, and the legitimate right of the Republic of Armenia is to deprive these groups of the opportunity for further political activity. The Republic of Armenia must take measures,” he said in parliament.

Pashinyan added that cases of what he described as “external interference in support of a criminal-oligarchic system in Armenia” had been recorded, claiming such interference could have posed a threat to national security, including “existential risks.”

“Today these risks have been overcome. Nothing now prevents us from focusing on eradicating the criminal oligarchy. This process has begun and will not stop,” he noted.

Earlier, Pashinyan also stressed that his party’s upcoming agenda would include confiscating property belonging to leaders of three opposition forces, including businessman Samvel Karapetyan, former President Robert Kocharyan, and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, adding that “they should go hungry so they don’t even think about distributing pre-election bribes.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada