Samvel Karapetyan accuses OSCE of supporting Government`s stance  against the church

ArmInfo. Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the "Strong Armenia" party, has accused the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) of  allegedly supporting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's administration  in its efforts to undermine the Church and the political opposition  over the past year.

Speaking to journalists, Karapetyan characterized the government's  current methods as a sign of internal political instability. He  claimed that authorities are using misleading audio recordings and  false allegations of voter bribery to deflect public attention from  their own misuse of state funds and influence.

Karapetyan reiteratedthat the Constitutional Court found no basis for  the bribery charges leveled against his party, arguing that these  accusations are part of a smear campaign designed to distract from  the government's own electoral violations.  The party leader also  reported that the opposition candidate for the position of Vice  Speaker of the Armenian Parliament would soon be discussed.   According to the leader of the opposition, Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan's failures will only worsen with each passing day, as he  loses touch with reality. "I've already said there will be a trigger  that the opposition will exploit. We expect fateful mistakes from the  authorities, and on that day, the opposition, including Tsarukyan,  will have their say," noted Samvel Karapetyan. The opposition leader  assured that it's impossible to threaten him and Robert Kocharyan  with prison, so the authorities must consider something new if they  are planning anything against them. 

Addressing the withdrawal of 106 candidates from his electoral bloc,  Karapetyan described this as a "tactical move" aimed at protecting  his associates from government-led repressions. He emphasized that  these individuals remain loyal to the party and are not unreliable. 

In response to remarks made by Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan,  Karapetyan stated that his family members have contributed  significantly to the country and the army, and added that his sons  and nephews did not serve in the military due to "legitimate  reasons."  Karapetyan emphasized that his sons and nephews have done  hundreds of thousands of times more for the army than Papikyan would  have done in 5,000 years, had he lived that long. "Therefore, let  Papikyan think about himself.  My sons and nephews didn't serve in  the army for good reasons," he concluded.