MP blames opposition for blocking peace opportunities

PanARMENIAN.Net - During the September 12 session of the National Assembly, Artur Hovhannisyan, secretary of the Civil Contract faction, defended the government’s policies against opposition criticism, stressing that Armenia’s course will remain balanced and aimed at normalizing relations with all neighbors in the name of sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace, and welfare, 1lurer.am reports.

Responding to a speech by opposition MP Garnik Danielyan, Hovhannisyan said the opposition’s statements contradict each other:

“You say ‘return.’ What exactly is your proposal? It is terrible that you were the ones who did not allow the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to negotiate with Azerbaijani representatives, so that they could not just return, but remain. Remain on their land, avoid this hellish ordeal. You speak of self-determination, but you closed the door to any possible arrangement for the people of Karabakh. Why don’t you admit to them that you prevented them from negotiating for their rights?”

He further accused the opposition of being responsible for the dissolution of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh following what he called an internal “palace coup.”

“Be ashamed before the people of Karabakh. They deserve an answer from you,” he said.

Hovhannisyan also rejected claims that the peace treaty text contained harmful provisions:

“All possible lies were spread about the peace agreement. The text is published, and nothing in it matches your fabrications. You must apologize for spreading lies,” he told the opposition MPs.

On August 8 at the White House, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration. On the same day, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in the presence of the leaders, preliminarily signed the “Agreement on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”