Members of armed group that seized Patrol-Guard Service building in Yerevan are to give a reply to NSS's proposal before 7 pm

The members of the Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sassoun) group have been thinking over the Armenian National Security Service's (NSS) proposal since yesterday and are to give their reply before 7 pm local time, Alec Yenikomshian, representative of the Founding Parliament opposition movement, told reporters on July 19.  

He said that the negotiations between the Sasna Tsrer group and the law enforcers are being held with his direct participation. "I personally gave the NSS's demand-request to the members of the group and they are willing to reply to it tonight," Yenikomshian said. At the same time, he refused to say what specific demands the NSS has laid down. 

He added that after the preliminary agreements were reached and the group expressed willingness to consider the authorities' proposal, all the people at the Police building were deprived of all types of communication. "If the communication in the building is not restored within 0.5 hour, we will consider that the authorities are unilaterally stopping the talks," Yenikomshian said. To note, after this statement, Yenikomshian said at a briefing with journalists that the relevant structures contacted him and assured that the negotiations are not stopped. 

To recall, on July 17, Artsakh war hero Zhirayr Sefilyan's armed supporters, who are calling themselves "Sasna Tsrer" (The Daredevils of Sassoun), seized the building of the Patrol-Guard Service Regiment in Erebuni district of Yerevan.  They demand releasing Sefilyan, who was arrested on June 20 on suspicion of acquisition and keeping of weapons and ammunition. Deputy Head of the Patrol- Guard Service Regiment, Colonel Artur Vanoyan was killed in the incident.  The armed group is currently holding 4 people as hostages, with Deputy Chief of Armenian Police Vardan Yeghiazaryan and Deputy Chief of Yerevan Police Valery Osipyan among them.