Western institutions have lost the moral right to lecture us – Ashotyan

Armen Ashotyan, Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia, said that while elections are inevitable political milestones, other critical issues are being overlooked.

“I have said many times that elections are political events on the calendar that will take place sooner or later. However, while preparations are underway, it is puzzling that issues such as protecting the Apostolic Church from government pressure, ensuring the freedom of political prisoners, and addressing the geopolitical challenges surrounding Armenia are not currently part of the political agenda,” Ashotyan told reporters.

Ashotyan also commented on the recent press conference held by Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan.

“Kocharyan said he supported a political ceasefire, meaning that opposition forces should stop targeting each other and focus exclusively on Nikol Pashinyan. I accepted that assessment. However, just yesterday, a representative of the second president’s political camp unfairly criticized the Republican Party for 40 minutes,” he stated.

Referring to the extension of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan’s detention, Ashotyan described the development as appalling.

“Western institutions have lost the moral right to lecture us on any issue,” he added.