“Edward Nalbandyan is only a &‘cog’ in Serzh Sargsyan’s political machine,” Alexander Arzumanyan, the former Foreign Minister, Armenian National Congress member, told the journalists commenting on Foreign Minister’s resignation demands. “It is a totalitarian regime and the decisions in it are made accordingly by one individual or his surrounding comprising different rank officials,” politician stated.

“In this case Nalbandyan’s resignation does not make significant difference. This is the reason that ANC indicates Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation as the only possible way out. The President’s resignation can make a considerable breakthrough in the negotiations and alter the mistakes of recent 1,5 years. In this respect those demanding Nalbandyan’s resignation should be more persistent and insist on concrete actions on those responsible,” Arzumanyan said.

As to the question what he means by saying “a cog”, Arzumanyan stated: “Cog is a Soviet tiem expression. There is a machine consisting of some &‘screws’ that cannot make any change in that mechanism. Even if one of the screws is replaced by another, the machine keeps operating.” As to whether he was a “cog” when he fulfilled his duties, Arzumanyan responded he did not work under totalitarian regime, there was an opportunity to make joint decisions and possibility to agree or disagree with them.