New Times opposition party leader Aram Karapetyan has labeled the dialogue between the authorities and the Armenian National Congress (ANC) as “profanation.”

“There are no real results of the dialogue,” he said, adding that the change of power can be the only topic of discussion. “The ANC is pressing for conduction of extraordinary elections to weaken the leadership, however, the authorities do not want to cede positions,” he said.

For his part, member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Hovhannes Sahakyan said the authorities do not think the ANC-suggested format of talks to be acceptable. “The country’s leadership is ready to discuss urgent issues with all political forces,” he said.