Even after the [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] war [last year] when [Armenian PM Nikol] Pashinyan started talking about the “era of peace,” we were saying that he was going to start a “flirtation” with Turkey. Artur Khachatryan, a member of the opposition “Armenia” Faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, told this to a press conference Tuesday.

“Turkey’s preconditions [for normalizing relations with Armenia] are known: the acknowledgment of the territorial integrity of Turkey and Azerbaijan; the suspension of work aimed at the [international] recognition of the [Armenian] Genocide. And now they have added the provision of a land route [via Armenia] between Turkey and the Turkic world. From the point of view of the [Armenian] state, the road is not expected to have any positive impact. When we ask the [Armenian] authorities, ‘Have you made any economic assessment [in this regard]?’ They do not answer. They have not even calculated not only the road, but also the Armenian-Turkish trade and economic relations. If Turkish companies invade Armenia, local producers will face a terribly difficult situation—at least in the sector of textiles, primary agriculture,” Khachatryan added.

According to the lawmaker, a broad opposition front is being formed against the Armenian authorities—and in various domains.

“We use all the means available to the parliamentary opposition to inform about Pashinyan’s nation-betraying programs, and offer our alternative programs. Also, we show in the parliament what we would do if we were in power.

We have started the resistance movement, we are mobilizing people on the spot; a vivid proof: the [recent] local elections. Of course, somewhere we have defeat, somewhere—victory. But if we look prior to our running [in these elections], defeat was everywhere. The local elections showed that they [i.e., the Armenian authorities] are losing their [approval] rating. We are ready for broad discussions with our compatriots, too” Artur Khachatryan emphasized.