armenpress.am: Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, assures that there is a certain tactic in the negotiation process over the Artsakh issue, adding that with its behavior the opposition cannot force the leadership to deviate from that plans.

When asked to comment what the leadership is discussing behind closed doors regarding the ongoing campaigns of the opposition, Arayik Harutyunyan said what is behind closed doors is also behind open doors, the government is taking into consideration the realities. He said the government is public in its actions, statements in the Parliament, during the Cabinet meetings, interviews and contacts with the press.

Commenting on the opposition’s actions when they are protesting outside different ministries and demand assurances from the representatives of the authorities that Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan, Harutyunyan said: “If opposition is partnering, it will get partnering answers. If opposition presents some demands and goes beyond morality, civilization, of course, the leadership must respond to it from above, but if opposition continues acting in the same way, it will just be rejected. Look at how that opposition was behaving when they infiltrated in the Foreign Ministry building, how it was behaving with the people who are negotiating for the Artsakh issue, with the Foreign Ministry which implements the government’s action plan which clearly outlines also the settlement of the Artsakh issue, with the deputy foreign minister who is going to negotiate”.

According to Harutyunyan, the opposition is a weak opposition, and its influence is also weak, but nevertheless, it creates problems in the foreign policy field for the activity of these persons.

“The leadership makes statements and confirmations when it is necessary. There is a negotiation process, and there is a certain tactic in that negotiation process. And it is not the opposition that should force the government and the leadership to deviate from those plans”, he said, adding: “I want everyone to help the leadership which last year received the vote of the majority of our people. Everyone must respect that vote, not the government and the leadership, but that vote. Our people gave these answers about a year ago, and now trying to deviate some agendas out of despair, sorry, but the current leadership of Armenia is not going to deviate from its strategy and tactic under the influence of a small group”, he said.