Political change requires unity, opposition MP says

MP Hayk Mamijanyan, head of the opposition Pativ Unem faction, criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government for its handling of national security and economic issues, arguing that only opposition unity can bring about change.

 

Addressing the parliament on Thursday, Mamijanyan pointed to questionable financial practices, such as banks issuing long-term loans to pensioners, and accused the authorities of ignoring repeated warnings over the past seven years. He said the opposition had urged the government to better handle the 2020 war, delay the implementation of the November 9 ceasefire terms and resist concessions such as Aghavno's handover to Azerbaijan to avoid Artsakh’s blockade.

 

“We urged them not to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, otherwise it would be depopulated. They didn’t listen,” he stressed.

 

Turning to the Washington talks, Mamijanyan noted that Armenia has committed to electronic border checkpoints and detailed transit rules. “But does Azerbaijan accept the same conditions? We haven’t heard an answer from anyone,” he said, adding that claims of reciprocity were misleading.

 

Mamijanyan announced that later this month the RPA’s parliamentary group will hold hearings focused on concrete solutions. “The aim is not just to register what Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party have done, but to clarify the way forward,” he said. “To stop future catastrophes, we must act quickly. It requires the consolidation of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition forces.”

 

He emphasized that the only viable solution is a no-confidence vote in the prime minister. “At those hearings we will either discuss the mechanism of impeachment or hear new proposals,” he said.

 

“Of course, one can always complain about the darkness. But it is always more effective to light a candle," Mamijanyan concluded.