Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) chairman—and businessman—Gagik Tsarukyan on Monday responded to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent statements and behavior, and reflected on the public argument between the premier and a person, during which threats and street-level insults were made to the leaders of Armenia’s main opposition forces, including Tsarukyan himself.

When asked by a reporter how he would comment on the PM’s conduct, the PAP leader replied that he was not going to stoop to the same level and respond to insults in the same style.

“Basically, he insults because he has nothing to say, he has no program. He has deceived the people for eight years, from day one. He deceived us also, he deceived me also,” Tsarukyan added, regarding Pashinyan.

According to him, if the incumbent authorities really had a program, they would present it to the public in a calm and reasoned manner, without shouting and insults to opponents.

As per Tsarukyan, he even tries to speak calmly and respectfully with political opponents.

In the PAP leader’s conviction, the main objective of the incumbent authorities is to divert public discussion from real issues and transform it into a field of personal insults and scandals.

Tsarukyan touched also upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and the Armenian authorities’ policy, noting that peace cannot be achieved at the expense of unilateral concessions.

“And yesterday he announced that he still will have to hand over three more regions [to Azerbaijan], and this will continue. But that is not peace. Peace is when there is a document, a signature, a guarantee that the ‘door’ to war is closed,” he said.

The PAP leader noted that he has always been responsible for his words and is still convinced that changes are needed in Armenia.

“Now we must do so together with our people that he [i.e. Pashinyan] goes to rest after [the] June 7 [parliamentary election]. Otherwise, if this situation continues, Armenia will suffer the same fate as Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] suffered,” Tsarukyan added.

According to him, the main task facing Armenia today is to ensure unity, stability, and economic development.

Reflecting on the current election campaign in Armenia, Gagik Tsarukyan once again claimed that it is taking place in a climate of fear and pressure.

At the same time, however, he expressed confidence that the current situation is temporary until June 7.

“After June 7, they [i.e. the incumbent authorities] will leave [power]. And those who are forcing people to do such things today should think about how they will answer later, how they will look people in the eye, how they will work among the people,” concluded Gagik Tsarukyan.