Four representatives of the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, including Vazgen Manukyan, member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun political party Artsvik Minasyan, leader of Homeland Party Artur Vanetsyan and member of the Republican Party of Armenia Vahram Baghdasaryan, had a meeting with President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and exited the presidential residence a little while ago.

Vanetsyan told reporters the following: “We shared our views and asked the President of Armenia to resolve this abnormal and extraordinary situation in our country within the scope of his powers as guarantor of the Constitution. All the sides recorded the fact that our state interest comes first and that everyone will be guided by the advancement of the state interest. The President will express his views after the meetings.

The President informed us that he will meet with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan and the leadership of the General Staff and will ask them the reasons for the statement made by the General Staff. There is consensus that Armenia is actually in a very abnormal and extremely difficult situation and faces the risk of losing statehood.”

Vanetsyan added that the opposition suggests that the President doesn’t sign the petition to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and returns the petition to the government with objections, and if the government sends the same petition to the President, the latter is entitled to send it to the Constitutional Court to challenge the constitutionality of the petition.