Armenia acting PM rejects Pashinyan’s invitation to negotiate

PanARMENIAN.Net - Acting Armenian prime minister Karen Karapetyan has refused to negotiate with the leader the civil campaign against the authorities, Nikol Pashinyan, as, according to him, one side only cannot dictate the agenda.

Pashinyan’s previous negotiations had also been rejected because his side refused to discuss issues other than what they call the peaceful transition of power.

“Karen Karapetyan remains of the view that the goal of negotiating before the media is not to reach a result,” his spokesman Aram Araratyan said.

“The acting prime minister believes participating in ‘negotiations’ with no probability of finding solutions is hopeless.”

An opposition leader from Yelk bloc and the founder and head of Civil Contract party, Pashinyan leads the campaign against the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

Prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was forced to resign on Monday, and Pashinyan is now seeking the appointment as prime minister by the National Assembly of what he calls “the people’s candidate,” the formation of a temporary government and snap parliamentary elections.

Pashinyan and Karapetyan were scheduled to meet on Wednesday, April 25 but the meeting was canceled. Pashinyan urged demonstrators to resume the rally, with the protesters paralyzing traffic on several major avenues and streets in Yerevan and gathering at the Republic Square again.

On Thursday, the protests will move to Gyumri, Armenia’s second biggest town in the country’s north.

Later on Wednesday, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia declared it is ready to discuss any issue with all the parties.

Pashinyan on Thursday invited Karapetyan to negotiations before the media.