YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Nikol Pashinyan, Head of the Yelk faction of the Armenian Parliament, the faction’s candidate for the Prime Minister, says over the past month there have been figures both in the leadership and the opposition who behaved as a state figure, Armenpress reports.

During the meeting of Nikol Pashinyan and RPA faction in the Parliament, Vice Speaker of the Parliament Arpine Hovhannisyan asked the PM candidate whether he accepts the fact that during these years the Armenian leadership has taken into account the realities and demonstrated a behavior typical to a state and political figure. In response Nikol Pashinyan said over the past month there have been people both in the leadership and the opposition who behaved themselves like state figures.

“It is also thanks to this that we managed to move the processes so that now we don’t think on how to overcome the heavy consequences, but how to use this opportunity. We are not saying that this is only thanks to the opposition. I accept that during this period there have been people in the leadership who demonstrated a behavior typical to a state figure, and it is thanks to this that we have it”, Pashinyan said.

Arpine Hovhannisyan also asked with what criteria will be determined who are political prisoners and how he imagines the process of their free release. Nikol Pashinyan said certain ideas of decision-making must be used since concrete criteria must exist and institutional solution must be given to the issue.

The PM candidate stated that the only goal of the approach must be the restoration of solidarity.

Arpine Hovhannisyan asked who are going to be the responsible persons for successes or failures of the movement initiated by Pashinyan, the PM candidate said at this stage he personally and his movement are the responsible ones.

The Armenian Parliament will elect a Prime Minister on May 1.

On April 30 the Parliament’s Yelk faction unanimously nominated Nikol Pashinyan’s candidacy for the Prime Minister.

The three other factions – the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Tsarukyan and ARF, announced they will not nominate a candidate.

English –translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan