YEREVAN. – It is a very important circumstance for us to ensure the safety of you and the rest. Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan stated this at his press conference Wednesday, when asked why his press conference is taking place at the infamous Harsnaqar restaurant complex in Yerevan.

"When our team was preparing for the press conference, the issue of the venue of the press conference was also discussed in great detail. We were very well aware that some people would have tried to make some speculations, to accuse us of something, to criticize us, but our team preferred the safety of the press conference participants to those criticisms being made," said the third president.

Sargsyan noted that he remembers very well the tragedy that took place at this restaurant years ago [when military doctor Vahe Avetyan was beaten there by the security personnel of the restaurant owner, and he later died in hospital in 2012], which also had political consequences. "There was a public trial that people received strict demands. I believe not all the authorities and the representatives of all the political teams are ready to do that. And the representative of our political team, Ruben Hayrapetyan [who owns this restaurant], renounced his [parliamentary] mandate.

Weddings, birthdays, and baptisms have been taking place at this facility for many years already. The best way to prevent any crime is to solve the crime committed and deserve a deserved punishment. Nothing else has such an impact on reducing the punishment for crime," Serzh Sargsyan concluded.