NEWS.am presents Ishkhan Saghatelyan, ARFD General Assembly representative and an MP from the Hayastan faction, speaking during a rally in France Square.
“Dear Compatriots,
I have spoken many times about the achievements we have together as a result of this movement. I declare with full responsibility that from the end of April to this day, you, the citizens gathered here, have become the number one security factor of our country. This is a proud yet painful fact. Before this group of traitors came to power, Armenia’s security was ensured by our Army, our intelligence services, and our diplomacy. Today, however, there is no state. All those structures have been seized by the traitor Nikol and have become his henchmen. But instead there are you. Dignified citizens of Armenia who defend the real interests of Armenia, who tell the world that we own our homeland and are ready to fight for it.
And all those who think our struggle is ineffective, let them see how they speak out about the Resistance movement in Turkey and Azerbaijan, let them see how worried the leaders of the enemy state are about the fate of the Armenian government. This fact alone proves the success of the movement.
Dear fellow Armenians, the accomplishments are obvious; however, I know that many of you had higher expectations than what we achieved.
We have set ourselves the task of removing these powers in a short period of time, which we have not yet been able to achieve. Our main problem remains unresolved. Armenia still rules us, creating ontological dangers for all of us. This is why many of our friends who fight with us on the street are sometimes depressed, angry, but never broken.
But if the struggle drags on, we should not become depressed or frustrated, but rather fix the gaps, address the problems, and move forward. Fighting should become a way of life, our daily routine.
If the battle drags on during the war, and during the battle you also have casualties, losses, why not desert, it does not mean that you should lay down your arms and retreat, in this case you should reorganize, mobilize your forces, prepare for a long fight and go for victory. We are guided by this principle and logic.
They said that in September we would go back to parliament and work with these authorities. Moreover, they do this by brazenly twisting my words. I never said anything like that. This is an absolute and immoral lie.
Once again for those who haven’t understood I must say what we have been saying for the last three months: if the opposition enters parliament it will do so only with its own agenda which our people have set.
That agenda is very clear: the elimination of Nikol, the fight against threats to Armenia and Artsakh, and our initiatives to solve vital issues in Armenia and Artsakh.
The majority group in the National Assembly cannot involve us in their anti-patriotic and anti-national conspiracy by blackmailing us into depriving them of their mandates. CC Backpackers will not see us in the same room with their bogus plans.
To put it more simply and solidly, the Armenian people, unfortunately, have no other platform for the _expression_ of their will than the street than this square. All other institutional platforms where, under other conditions, issues concerning the interests of the Armenian people could be discussed are occupied by a traitor who is a Turkish national. Therefore, our street struggle has no alternative at this time.
Dear compatriots, we have reached a very important juncture. I am not just talking about our Movement. I am also talking about the state, the government of the day, and regional developments in general. At this point, everyone is planning their upcoming activities. Thus, the intelligence services of hostile countries openly declare and discuss how to neutralize our Movement. A group of traitors is thinking about how to retain power. Criminal cases are fabricated, persecution continues, political prisoners remain in custody. I repeat: their only support is the power structures.
I would like to tell you that all the tasks we spoke about from this rostrum are being worked on, all the questions you regularly raise, we have recorded and inventoried them all.
Dear Compatriots, the goals and objectives of the Resistance movement are clear. We must prevent the adoption of new surrender agreements that compel us to make vital concessions, which preclude any agreement without the direct participation of the people; I repeat, Nikol Pashinyan has no mandate to negotiate on behalf of the Armenian people.
Through popular disobedience, we will achieve the ouster of Nikol, whether through his resignation or dismissal. The struggle on these two tracks must run in parallel and complement each other. If we take the road of dismissal (impeachment), two legal requirements must be fulfilled: legal and political grounds for dismissal and the nomination of a candidate for prime minister by the people. The legal and political grounds for dismissing Nikol are clear and fully articulated, and the candidate nominated by the people will be decided together in this publication.
To avoid headlines in the press and unnecessary speculation, I emphasize that we will begin the process of dissolution with parliament when there are sufficient grounds for success. That is, any step and action will not be an end in itself.
Simply put, there are two ways to remove Nikol: resignation or dismissal, to achieve either of which requires a practical manifestation of popular public pressure.
It is the qualitative and quantitative level of the movement that will ultimately determine the effectiveness of our struggle.
The only path to success is the manifestation of popular demand and the practical steps that flow from it. Therefore, we must achieve this with purposeful, well-planned steps and actions,” said Saghatelyan.