YEREVAN. – I believe [acting PM] Nikol Pashinyan has made an arrangement with [Azerbaijani president] Aliyev to return a few more captives and raise his popularity rating in the [snap parliamentary] elections [slated for June 20]. Tatul Petrosyan, former head of the General Department of Supervision of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, told this to a press conference Saturday.

According to him, the actions of the current Armenian regime are based on lies, and now they are trying to extend their power and carry out the orders of their "clients."

As per Petrosyan, Pashinyan's recent remarks show that he has psychological problems; he began to attribute labels—such as “traitor” and “capitulator”—to the second and third presidents of Armenia, although such assessments are addressed to him. "Speaking about the fact that Shushi [town] and Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] were handed over [to the Azerbaijanis] a long time ago, Pashinyan seems to be forgetting his words about starting negotiations from scratch, which led to a deadlock and disaster. In conditions when many Armenians are still in Azerbaijani captivity, he speaks of unblocking communications and peaceful coexistence with the Turks. During his last visit to Armenia, [Russian FM] Lavrov confirmed that there was and there is no pressure or demand on the issue of unblocking; that is, it is Pashinyan's free expression of will," Petrosyan emphasized.

He added that the incumbent Armenian authorities managed to destroy almost the entire state system, except for the courts and the human rights defender.