Opposition MP’s speech sparks heated dispute in parliament

A dispute broke out between ruling and opposition lawmakers in Armenia’s National Assembly following remarks by Edgar Ghazaryan of the Strong Armenia faction.

The parliamentary session was suspended for 20 minutes, and the incident did not escalate into a physical confrontation.

The dispute occurred during debates over the candidacy of Civil Contract MP Sargis Khandanyan for chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations.

During his speech, Ghazaryan referred to Aghajan Janoyan, one of the victims of the 2020 war, and accused the authorities of ‘despicably’ exploiting the deaths of soldiers in a strongly worded statement.

Deputy Speaker Hayk Konjoryan warned Ghazaryan, describing his conduct as inappropriate and arrogant. He said that if such behavior were repeated, Ghazaryan could be removed from the chamber and the parliament building. Some lawmakers subsequently continued the argument in the corridor. Civil Contract MP Taron Chakhoyan said there had been no physical altercation.

After the session resumed, Speaker Ruben Rubinyan criticized Ghazaryan’s remarks and called on Strong Armenia faction leader Narek Karapetyan to address the issue within the faction. Rubinyan said he expected Ghazaryan to apologize for his disrespectful statement.

Karapetyan said that he partly shared the concerns raised by ruling-party lawmakers and that the faction would hold a meeting to discuss further steps.

He described Ghazaryan’s remarks as a violation of the integrity standards agreed upon in parliament.

The Strong Armenia faction is expected to discuss further action regarding Ghazaryan’s conduct at a faction meeting.