Yuri Khachaturov: We do not want war, but we want to be respected

ArmInfo. We don't want war, but we want to be respected. Former Secretary General of the CSTO, former Chief of the General Staff of Armenia, Colonel-General Yuri  Khachaturov stated from the rostrum on France Square in Yerevan.

At the beginning of his speech, the Armenian general spoke about the  background of the resignation of first President of Armenia Levon  Ter-Petrosyan on February 3, 1998, when Prime Minister Robert  Kocharyan, Minister of Defense Vazgen Sargsyan and Minister of  Internal Affairs and National Security Serzh Sargsyan did not support  Ter-Petrosyan's proposed plan for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict, which included the demilitarization of the conflict zone  and the return to Azerbaijan of a number of settlements taken during  the hostilities of 1992-1994.

"Then they said that people will come to power, whose coming will  cause bloodshed, that there would be a war. And what really happened?  We lived in peace for 20 years, lived like winners. We were proud of  our army and state. There was no war. They said we want war, but we  didn't want war. Even now they say we want war, but we don't want  war, we want to be respected," he said.

At the same time, Khachaturov expressed bewilderment at the behavior  of officials and parliamentarians from the ruling power when they are  asked a question about the future of Artsakh. "I don't understand  these ministers and the rest officials, they are asked a simple  question. Are you in favor of Artsakh being part of Azerbaijan? They  say we cannot answer. I understand that they can do nothing to  prevent Artsakh from becoming part of Azerbaijan, but at least say  that you do not want NKR to be part of Azerbaijan. Can't you do that,  aren't you Armenian? "Then who are you?" He asked.

Khachaturov also bowed before the parents of the soldiers who died  for the homeland, calling them saints, while urging them not to  condemn those who did not come to the square. According to him, each  of them experiences the pain of loss in their own way.

Referring to the work of law enforcement officers, the general  expressed bewilderment and indignation at the behavior of people in  uniform. He shamed all those law enforcement officers who use  disproportionate brute force against peaceful demonstrators,  especially women.

"When did we get to the point where the police drag women by the  hair, kick them in the stomach? Guys, behave more modestly, remember  that you are all in the field of view of our citizens," he said,  adding that they would not succumb to the provocations of law  enforcement officers and will not beat law enforcement officers in  response. According to him, the authorities are just waiting for  this.  "Don't wait, we won't beat you. Viva Armenia, Viva Artsakh,  Viva the Armenian people," Khachaturov summed up.

It should be noted that a rally of the opposition Resistance Movement  is taking place in France Square.  It should also be noted that the  Armenian parliament today at 16:00 convened an extraordinary meeting  at the request of the "Hayastan" and "I have the honor" opposition  factions. On the agenda is the discussion and adoption of a statement  on Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. The meeting  did not take place due to the lack of a quorum. Only 33 opposition  MPs attended the meeting, while 54 MPs  were needed for a quorum.   The ruling Civil Contract faction announced last week that it would  not take part in an extraordinary meeting of the Armenian parliament,  initiated by the "Hayastan" and "I have the honor" opposition blocs  and scheduled for June 3. The Civil Contract stated that they would  not succumb to political blackmail and would not take part in an  extraordinary meeting, but would continue to protect the rights of  Artsakh and its population at all levels and platforms.