Those who envision Armenia’s future within a “union state” are either agents of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, helping him present himself as a “savior,” or simply people without patriotism, Arman Tatoyan, chairman of the Wings of Unity party, wrote on Facebook.

“And now specifically to Civil Contract and its propagandists: ‘Saviors’ of Armenia’s independence, every day you undermine and simply erode our country’s security while hiding it from us. A few days ago I demonstrated everything with facts.

Are you the guarantors of our sovereignty? Are you the ones expecting positions from others? You hear Aliyev’s statements and do not come out from under the table. Speak up—don’t you have anything to say to Azerbaijan, which is reshaping our borders with your silent permission, or do you also want to enter a union state with Azerbaijan?

Don’t try to drag us into your games.

That is why I say that I will be Armenia’s candidate in the upcoming elections. In my decisions, I will always be guided by Armenia’s interests,” he wrote.

Commenting on a statement by former Secretary of the Artsakh Security Council Vitaly Balasanyan that Armenia should become part of a Union State, Armenian National Assembly Vice Speaker Ruben Rubinyan said that “people like him will see the backs of heads, but they will not see Armenia lose its independence again.”