YEREVAN. – The Armenian authorities need to try to negotiate with and exhaust the participants in the armed attack to the police station capital city Yerevan.

Caucasus Institute Director, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan, said the abovementioned at a press conference on Tuesday.

In his words, the halls of power have to try to resolve this matter without bloodshed; but if there is no other way, they need to go on the offensive.

“We are dealing with people’s thinking that great problems can be solved the easy way,” noted Iskandaryan. “This thinking is typical of post-Soviet societies; people may think so. There will always be ten, twenty or thirty people who will believe in it.”

The analyst added that this armed attack was not by chance, and that it had a background. As per Alexander Iskandaryan, ultra radicalism is not a new phenomenon for Armenia.

A group of armed men stormed into a Yerevan police regiment, on early morning on July 17, and took several police officers hostage. Deputy regiment commander Artur Vanoyan was killed, and four other police officers plus one of the attackers were wounded during the ensuing gunfire exchange. 

Negotiations are still underway to release all hostages and end the armed resistance.

The gunmen demand the release of Jirair Sefilian, an imprisoned radical opposition activist.