"I believe now is the next creation of the salvation of the homeland,”

I have never left Freedom Square, this square is the refuge of the struggle of the Armenian people. The latest stage of the national liberation struggle started from this square 34 years ago. Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party leader and former foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian stated this to Armenian News-NEWS.am Monday at Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan.

"I believe now is the next creation of the salvation of the homeland, and we are present. We have passed the stage of leaving for interviews; everything is already clear. (…). Today our own authorities are attempting to become the attachment, the implementer of that inimical plan. It is time for the Armenian people to get out of the fatalism, the stupor, and we will continue our 34-year struggle," Hovannisian said.

When asked what the way of their respective struggle will be: The change of power? Or forcing the Armenian authorities to refrain from extreme steps, Raffi Hovannisian responded: "It would have been good to persuade our authorities not to take an extreme step. But I believe we went through that rubicon to be able to persuade. These authorities have shown that they do not have the ability to withstand the pressure of the enemy, those post-war vertical slanders, the seizures of the inimical duo, and perhaps also the 'international community' to which [PM] Nikol Pashinyan referred. He is not able to resist [the pressure]. We cannot persuade him.

In this situation, the power must change. If these authorities do not realize that the need for that change is in Armenia's interest, then the Armenian people will have to assemble, find the strength to assemble in this and all the squares, and make that change."

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the "With Honor" Faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, on Sunday announced the start of protests—and with no term or end—at Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan. Sometime thereafter, Nver Kirakosyan and Artur Avagyan, two participants of the 44-day Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in the fall of 2020, announced a hunger strike, and they came to Freedom Square Monday morning.