YEREVAN, 30 MAY, ARMENPRESS. Anti-government protesters are demonstrating outside the #3 government building in downtown Yerevan, which houses several ministries and other government agencies.

The leader of the protests – ARF’s Ishkhan Saghatelyan, the Vice Speaker of Parliament representing the opposition Hayastan faction, said they want to enter the building and inquire from different government agencies on their position regarding the opposition’s draft resolution which is included in the agenda of the June 3 emergency session of parliament.

The June 3 emergency session of parliament will be convened at the initiative of the opposition. However, the ruling Civil Contract party announced that it won’t participate in the session. If Civil Contract doesn’t take part, there will be no quorum and the session won’t be convened.

The opposition’s draft resolution of parliament states, among others, that “Armenia will support the full exercise of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan, there must be reliable land connection between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh: Artsakh will not be an exclave, the delimitation and demarcation must be carried out with the precondition of Azerbaijan withdrawing its troops from sovereign Armenian territory, Armenia is the guarantor of security and the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, the breach of the territorial integrity of Armenia is ruled out as a result of delimitation and demarcation, any agreement in the Armenian-Turkish normalization process that would question the Armenian Genocide is ruled out, and that the unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan and Turkey cannot happen in the logic of a corridor.”

Saghatelyan said that they want two opposition MPs to enter the building and meet with Cabinet members and demand their position on the draft resolution.

Police were not allowing the MPs to enter. Officers said they must inquire whether or not the Cabinet members are ready to receive them.

The MPs argued with the police that they are entitled to freely enter the building.

A scuffle began between demonstrators and police as demonstrators attempted to breach the line.

Saghatelyan called on the crowd of supports to block the building, stating that they will not leave until they have a meeting with the ministers.

Police then reported that 5 demonstrators were detained on suspicion of hooliganism. 

UPDATE:

14:09 - Demonstrators end protest near #3 government building, start marching