YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd newspaper of Armenia writes: According to the information of Zhoghovurd daily, the authorities want to "dissolve" the NA [(National Assembly)] [opposition] "Armenia" Faction in every way. The objective is for the faction MPs who are currently under arrest to resign from their parliamentary mandates and leave politics.

Our sources convey that the authorities are now engaged in "neutralizing" Dr. Armen Charchyan [an MP from the “Armenia” Faction] and removing him from politics. It should be noted that although his health condition is extremely bad, he is being held in custody. Our sources at the authorities convey that they even sent an envoy to hospital these days to Charchyan to persuade him to leave politics.

Our sources convey that it is strange that the envoy was the secretary of the Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] Security Council, Vitaly Balasanyan. The latter urged Charchyan to resign from the parliamentary mandate and practice medicine, in exchange for which the authorities will forget the criminal case filed against him. Charchyan, however, categorically refused.

We have been trying to talk to Vitaly Balasanyan about this matter for three days, but the latter does not answer our phone calls.

We tried to talk also to Armen Charchyan's lawyer, Erik Aleksanyan, about this matter to find out whether Balasanyan visited Charchyan. "I do not have such information, I meet with Mr. Charchyan every day, but he did not pass such information to me. Moreover, knowing Mr. Charchyan, he would not go for any dealings in exchange for something; but I have no other information," the lawyer concluded.