The National Assembly of Armenia has already held three special sessions devoted to the coronavirus situation, government officials have answered questions related to the situation during several question-and-answer sessions in parliament, and the government holds discussions on a regular basis. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated during a briefing held after the session of the Commandant’s Office today, touching upon the comment that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun politicalparty has recommended convening a special parliamentary session to find solutions and hold all officials having failed in the battle to combat the coronavirus liable, starting from the Prime Minister.

In this regard, Pashinyan said the following: “I would like to state the fact that, to a great extent, nothing has changed for the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun political party because its members were talking with the same rhetoric and demanding the government’s resignation in the summer of 2018 when the cabinet had just been formed.

One gets the impression that there is not only a coronavirus spreading in Armenia, but also a ‘political coronavirus’ which, unlike the regular coronavirus, will lead such political forces and individuals to perdition. This is my conviction.

Nowadays, in the context of the coronavirus, it is accepted to speak with war rhetoric, but I don’t agree with this. However, even if we go with this logic, today there are forces and circles that are advancing this rhetoric, saying that a commander or the command has to leave, if it fails during a war. If we speak with the logic of war and people want to view the government’s actions within the logic of war, we can ask ourselves what happens to people who spread panic and misinformation and speak against the commander during war. Those people are sentenced in accordance with the military situation or war. However, the government isn’t leading such a policy because Armenia is a democratic country and believes democracy is important during the coronavirus pandemic because certain circles show their essence, and I have no doubt that they will no longer be a part of Armenia’s politics.”