Ashotyan: West has lost moral right to lecture us

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armen Ashotyan, deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), strongly criticized the extension of detention for Bishop Arshak, calling it “horrific” during a conversation with reporters.

He also declared that Western institutions have lost any moral right to lecture Armenia on any issue, Aysor.am reported.

Touching on domestic political developments, Ashotyan stated that elections are routine calendar events that will happen sooner or later. However, he questioned why key issues such as emerging geopolitical threats around Armenia, the protection of the Apostolic Church from government attacks, and the release of political prisoners are not receiving sufficient attention alongside election preparations.

Commenting on recent remarks by Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, Ashotyan welcomed the concept of a “political ceasefire,” but said the RPA continues to face attacks from Kocharyan’s political camp.

“Kocharyan said he supports a political ceasefire, meaning all attacks should stop and focus should shift solely to Nikol Pashinyan. I agreed with that assessment. Yet literally yesterday, someone from his political camp unfairly attacked the Republican Party for 40 minutes straight,” Ashotyan said.

Former President and RPA leader Serzh Sargsyan recently stated the party has yet to decide on its participation in the 2026 parliamentary elections. He also emphasized the complexity of potential opposition unification.

Parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 2026.