Opposition MP accuses Public TV of promoting propaganda for Civil  Contract campaign

ArmInfo.  Mesrop Manukyan, a member of the "Armenia" parliamentary faction, refuted the claim by  Public Television of Armenia presenter Tatev Danielyan that he  allegedly arrived at the home of his ally Levon Kocharyan before the  National Security Service (NSS) arrived. He emphasized that Public  Television is obligated to serve the public interest and not become  part of the cheap propaganda for the "Civil Contract."

Earlier, during a debate with MP Gegham Manukyan on Channel One,  Danielyan asked, "How is it that Mesrop Manukyan was in front of  Levon Kocharyan's home at seven in the morning, before law  enforcement arrived?"

Manukyan noted that he arrived at Kocharyan's house not at seven in  the morning, but at eight in the morning, and quickly reached his  residence, as he lives near Kocharyan and can walk there in about  seven minutes.

"First of all, when I went to Levon's house, it wasn't seven in the  morning. It was eight in the morning.  How did this happen? I can  show how close Levon's house is to my house," the MP said in a  statement published on Facebook. He also demonstrated the distance  from his apartment to Levon Kocharyan's house, adding that it takes  seven minutes to walk to Levon Kocharyan's house at a normal pace.

According to the MP, when he arrived at Kocharyan's house, NSS  officers were already there. "When I was at Levon Kocharyan's house,  some NSS officers were already inside. Another unit, with the Alpha  squad, were standing in front of the house with badges on their  chests. There were about 10 of them. The NSS officers recorded my  appearance on video. You usually cooperate with editing. You can  contact the NSS, and the NSS will provide you with this video  footage, which shows Mesrop Manukyan arriving, and at that moment,  the NSS were already there: some at the house, and some at the door,"  he added.

Manukyan also called on the media to contact him directly if they are  concerned about his actions or statements. "When you mention my name  and try to refute me or refer to me, the shortest way is to call and  invite me and ask me directly. And I will give a direct answer to the  question of how I learned about this," Manukyan said, adding that  Levon Kocharyan announced in the faction's general chat that morning  that their home had been searched.

"After the arrest of Robert Kocharyan (the second president of the  Republic of Armenia - ed.), I am becoming convinced that Armenia is  being prepared for great trials and tragedies... This is not about  corruption and justice," he concluded.