March 3 TV Speech Of Colonel Gegham Petrosian, Head Of Headquarters

MARCH 3 TV SPEECH OF COLONEL GEGHAM PETROSIAN, HEAD OF HEADQUARTERS OF RA POLICE FORCES

Noyan Tapan
March 5, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The text of the March 3 TV speech of
Gegham Petrosian, the Head of the Headquarters of the RA Police Forces,
was provided to Noyan Tapan by the Press Service of the RA Police,
which we present completely.

"On March 1 of this year the RA Police Forces had a problem concerning
the provision of public order of the city of Yerevan. Taking into
consideration the conditions of the created situation, the personnel
armed themselves only with shields and helmets of plastic and rubber
cudgels.

During the day we were conducting our service in different streets of
the capital. However, a problem arose in the evening concerning the
provision of public order on Mashtots avenue. It was important not to
let the slaughterers invade upon busy part of Mashtots avenue. Between
19:30 and 20:00 in the evening, approaching the upper part of
Mashtots avenue, we witnessed a broken bus and barricades. Aiming at
dispersing the slaughterers, the personnel went forward. Approaching
the barricades, they strated to throw stones, iron things, special
pionted "hedgehogs" and fired upon the Armenian soldier, the soldier
of the Armenian army.

Being an officer of the Armenian army, I could not inagine that an
Armenian will fire at an Armenian soldier.

We had rather great number of injured servicemen: we withdrew and
only then they ordered to arm the officers with time weapons.

I was in the war field with some of those people on the other side,
defended the borders of the homeland side by side. I wonder, what
compeled them fire at me, at my colleagues and companions-in-arms?

Today, I call on behalf of the Chief of the RA Police, the commander
and the command of the RA Police Forces not to come out to streets
again and repeat what was done on March 1 night.

I want to warn that the whole personnel of the Police Forces, from
an ordinary soldier up to the commander of the forces, is full of
resolution to give a rough answer to every illegal step."