YEREVAN. – My Step is ready to sign a memorandum with the Bright Armenia faction without any preconditions. Ruben Rubinyan, chair of Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and a member of the majority My Step faction of the National Assembly (NA), stated this to reporters in parliament, commenting on the proposal by Edmon Marukyan, chairman of the opposition Bright Armenia Party and head of its parliamentary faction.

Earlier, Marukyan suggested to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to withdraw his draft decree on Onik Gasparyan’s dismissal as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Instead, Marukyan agreed to sign a memorandum stating that Pashinyan would not run after his resignation.

"It is an illogical and unacceptable precondition. It turns out that the head of the General Staff and his deputy become a political factor, and their appointment or dismissal becomes part of a political arrangement. It is unacceptable from the point of view of democracy and the Constitution," Rubinyan assured.

According to him, it would be more logical if Marukyan said that he was ready to sign—without preconditions—a memorandum on holding snap parliamentary elections. "The government has already stated how it sees the way out of the current situation: The President signs the decision to dismiss Onik Gasparyan, or Gasparyan himself submits a petition for dismissal, after which we start consultations with political forces—including on the holding of early parliamentary elections," explained the MP of the ruling bloc.