Deputy of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Gevorg Petrosyan has issued a political statement stating that he is leaving the parliamentary faction. The statement reads as follows:

“Frankly, it was very hard for me to make this decision. At the same time, I took into consideration the fact that, in any situation, an official with the primary mandate must respond to the major issues facing the country and people, not care about personal caution. Hesitating to take specific steps is unacceptable for me, and this is due to the fact that I am a member of the faction.

I don’t accept the fact that there is no determination to give political evaluations of the unlawful acts and persecutions in Armenia, and when I filled the gap and called things by their names, this sparked the concern of certain colleagues, but this is inexplicable.

Due to this, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to continue to be a member of the Prosperous Armenia faction anymore. However, taking into consideration the fact that a deputy is trusted by citizens, I will continue to serve as an independent MP. I thank my fellow members of the faction for our cooperation.”