ARF member criticizes ruling party for using PoW wive`s arrival to  Yerevan as a "PR stunt"

ArmInfo. While the ruling party turned the arrival of Linda Euljekjian, the wife of one of the prisoners, Lebanese Armenian Vicken Euljekjian, to Yerevan into a PR stunt, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) quietly managed all aspects of  her arrival in Armenia. Kristine Vardanyan, an MP from the opposition  Armenia faction and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation  (ARF),  made this statement on her Facebook page in response to  footage  from Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport, showing Hayk  Sargsyan, a member of the ruling Civil Contract party, welcoming  Linda Euljekjian with flowers.

 "When you see that even your silent work is being used against you,  you are forced to speak out. Not everything can be turned into PR,  especially the issue of prisoners," Vardanyan wrote in response.

She noted that since the release of four  Armenian PoWs yesterday,  members of the ruling party have been actively seeking "likes" by  capitalizing on the emotions of the former captives and their  relatives. In this regard, the MP decided to announce that the ARF  had handled all matters related to the arrival of Vicken Euljekjian's  wife in Armenia. In particular, Vardanyan noted, the plane ticket was  purchased by ARF supporters in Lebanon. Ishkhan Saghatelyan, an  opposition MP and a representative of the ARF Supreme Body, had  arranged  her stay in Armenia, and an ARF member  had met her at the  airport.

"And, as always, all of this was done quietly, without fuss, since  not everything in the world begins and ends with likes and views on  social media," the MP concluded.

Recall, Linda Euljekjian, the wife of Lebanese Armenian Vicken  Euldjekjian, who was released from Azerbaijani captivity the day  before, arrived in Yerevan this morning from Beirut. Armenian media  outlets circulated video footage from the airport showing Hayk  Sargsyan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction, welcoming her  with flowers at Zvartnots Airport. The MP stated that they had  learned that no one was meeting her at the airport, so he and his  brother decided to do something nice for her.