YEREVAN. – Past daily of Armenia writes: Sometimes there is an impression that the CC [i.e., the ruling Civil Contract Party] MPs are simply engaged in countering the opposition on every issue—without arguments, without substantive discussion, no matter what the topic is. Moreover, they often do not discriminate in the methods of countering and, as a rule, are guided by the principle "what about you ..."

For example, on May 12, when [MP] Vahe Hakobyan, chairman of the [opposition] Reviving Armenia Party, announced the escalation of the situation and the moving forward of the Azerbaijanis in the Sev Lake area, the chairman of the NA [(National Assembly)] Standing Committee on Defense and Security, Andranik Kocharyan, tried to "blur" the topic. "Let Vahe Hakobyan not spread panic. He should have gotten off the helicopter, pick up the machine gun, go, stand with the boys.” Moreover, later the veracity of Vahe Hakobyan's statement was confirmed by [PM] Nikol Pashinyan himself.

According to Past’s information, Kocharyan was very well aware of what helicopter this is about; finding that out from the armed forces did not present any difficulties for the chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security.

In general, there is an impression that the ruling power members of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security, and in particular the chairman of that committee, instead of dealing with the most complicated issues facing the country, are engaged exclusively in not electing a deputy chairman of the committee, or countering the opposition.