YEREVAN. – Arman Ghukasyan, Chairman of the For Social Justice party, and Tsovinar Kostanyan, Vice-Chairman of the party, issued a statement informing that the appointment of Styopa Safaryan as Chairman of the Public Council of Armenia compels them to leave the council’s Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

"It is obvious that the government is shifting from a policy of ignoring the Public Council to a policy of completely transforming it," the party's statement reads, in particular. "Most likely, the government intends to see in our country, under the name of civil society, a group of specific NGOs that have not only a pro-Western reputation, but also carry out their projects with the direct financial support and in the interests of the United States and the European Union.

We believe that the head of the Public Council should be a neutral figure that would be acceptable to different segments of Armenian civil society, and not Styopa Safaryan. Involvement in important positions of such people, who are constantly opposed to Armenia's key strategic, strategic and political ally, the Russian Federation, as well against the Eurasian Economic Union integration, could harm the international interests of the Republic of Armenia.

As members of the Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the Public Council, we regret to inform that, after consulting with the members of the For Social Justice party, we have decided to leave the committee.

We are always ready to work for the good of Armenia, but we are not sure that the ongoing processes around the Public Council are in line with those ideas of ours."