Vazgen Manukyan declares Freedom Square opposition's headquarters (video)
YEREVAN, February 12. /ARКА/. A former Armenian prime minister Vazgen Manukyan, nominated by an alliance of more than a dozen opposition parties as their single candidate for the post of interim prime minister, announced today the Freedom Square in central Yerevan the alliance's headquarters.
The alliance held there an "urgent meeting" today 'to determine its further actions in the context of the latest high-profile events: the emergence of information about a "secret document" on Syunik province and a statement by the National Security Service that all media reports about that region must be reconciled with it.
"This Freedom Square is our headquarters, and we will leave this headquarters when Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigns," Manukyan said, promising to be there on a daily basis from 17:00 to 19:00.
'Let's get together and discuss together. It is not necessary to hold a meeting. This is the place where we are people who have one blood, one idea, one heart - we will meet together, give strength to each other. We will act," he said.
Manukyan said that he would ask the Movement for the Salvation of the Motherland to rally hundreds of supporters with their personal cars for visiting Syunik "to meet with our brothers."
Manukyan also called for creating 'committees' in each quarter of the city, in each company, village.
Many Armenians demand that Pashinyan steps down because of a statement he signed November 9 with the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan to stop the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Under the statement, Armenia has returned all seven districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh back to Azerbaijan. The latter also took control of parts of the Karabakh's territory lost by Armenian forces in a war that lasted 44 days.
On December 25, 2020, Nikol Pashinyan said he was ready to step down to pave way for snap elections. But the opposition forces, however, demand that he resign and give his position to an interim prime minister who must prepare the country for early elections.
According to Pashinyan, "the opposition's demand that he resign does not have broad public support."
Earlier this month, Nikol Pashinyan and lawmakers representing his My Step alliance reiterated officially that there was no popular “demand” for the conduct of snap elections. They also said that such elections were rejected by Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia opposition parties represented in the Armenian parliament. -0-
