Vazgen Manukyan, the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement’s candidate for interim prime minister, believes the coming several days will be decisive in settling the ongoing developments in Armenia. Manukyan's remarks came at the opposition rally underway in Yerevan.
"In 2018, Nikol Pashinyan interfered with the Army affairs under the guise of combatting corruption and destroyed it. The army didn't resist that massacre, while the people applauded. The word 'general' became synonym to a curse, and we witnessed the outcome of this during the war. Now, the second step is being made. The dismissal of the Deputy Chief of Staff, the irritation that sparked in the army is being used against the army. The reason is that the Army is independent," Manukyan said.
he stressed that the Army todays does not accept Nikol Pashinyan. In his words, Pashinyan resorted to a least measure to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff and if fails to remove him, he would be viewed as defeated in the eyes of all law enforcement structures. "This means, no law enforcement will obey to him which is a factual defeat for him. In case Pashinyan manages to remove the Chief of the General Staff through Constitutional Court, the Army should obviously resist. Those days will be the most decisive for Armenia," said Manukyan.
The opposition leader added the future of their struggle is a matter of several days which may have no outcome but Pashinyan's defeat. "We should stand strong, be patient and ready for decisive actions," concluded Manukyan.