Araik Harutyunyan's Sit-in Causes Panic, Says Metakse Hakobyan

In the current difficult situation in Artsakh, it is incomprehensible to me that the President of Artsakh, Araik Harutyunyan, has decided to stage a sit-in. This was noted in an interview with NEWS.am by Metakse Hakobyan, a member of the Artsakh National Assembly from the ‘Justice’ faction.

“For three years, we have clearly told him what needs to be done. We have persuaded him, urged him, sometimes we have been harsh, and at other times we have gently explained the situation we are in. The president of the Republic of Artsakh is not a politician; his main actions have been either based on logic or rooted in emotional responses. We are now facing the same circumstances; morally, he should have resigned, which he did not do. Now we have reached a point where he is again acting in an emotional manner; perhaps he is doing this intentionally. Nevertheless, he had no right to take such a step in this difficult situation. He is showing the world that he is destroying the institution of the presidency and Artsakh, while we have demanded his resignation. He said that we would all end up under the rubble of statehood, but he is undermining our statehood. This would be understandable if he were an ordinary person and not the president of the country,” said Metakse Hakobyan.

According to her, Araik Harutyunyan has not fulfilled any of the responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh. “There is the Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh which clearly outlines the duties of the president. For three years, he has not implemented even one of the duties specified by the Constitution, and now he is failing. Since yesterday, I have not met anyone who would perceive this positively. Moreover, his actions have caused panic among the people. They understand that the president is no longer fulfilling his presidential responsibilities, which causes anxiety among the people. He has been incapable ever since he was elected; if he were not incapable, we would not have found ourselves in the situation we did on September 27, 2020, especially not on November 9. If he had political will, he would at least announce one day that he opposes the policy pursued by the Armenian authorities. His actions should have been entirely different in this situation,” she concluded.