Vanetsyan says opposition united in push to oust ruling party

Armenian opposition leader Artur Vanetsyan says the country’s main opposition forces are working in rare unity with the shared goal of removing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party from power.

Vanetsyan, head of the Homeland party and former director of the National Security Service, told Hraparak on Friday that cooperation among opposition groups is crucial ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections.

“I am confident we will succeed, but effective cooperation among the main opposition forces is essential. If everyone prioritizes their personal ambitions, we will gain nothing," he noted.

Vanetsyan stressed that his party’s participation in the elections is not aimed at securing parliament seats but at ending Pashinyan’s rule. “My goal is not to become a deputy or to have a faction in the parliament. I seek the removal of the current government and will do everything possible to achieve that," he stressed.