Tensions flared during a mayoral debate in Gyumri as Ruben Mkhitaryan, candidate from the My Powerful Community party, confronted Civil Contract’s Sarik Minasyan over the government’s stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

"Karabakh was Armenia, and then you gave it away. Nikol Pashinyan recognized it as part of Azerbaijan in Prague," Mkhitaryan said, as reported by Panorama.am .

Responding to this accusation, Minasyan claimed, "Karabakh was such a miserable place that people in Gyumri would scrape together money to keep their children from serving there."

The exchange quickly escalated, prompting the moderators to warn they might cut off the microphones and halt the debate.

Reacting to Minasyan's comment, Mkhitaryan said he would interrupt the speech if Minasyan continued, in his words, "lying."

Local elections in Gyumri are scheduled for March 30.