Samvel Gevorgyan, a member of the Karabakh committee also doesn’t remember the incident regarding Aram Manukyan and Vano Siradeghyan Suren Sirunyan, the former chief of Vano Siradeghyan’s security, has told. Today, he said during a conversation with www.aravot.am, “I don’t remember such an incident, because I myself voted against. I can speak to Aram too, but I don’t remember such an incident, it couldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen that Aram approached Vano and said such a thing, no one of us voted in favor. Everyone was against.”
Let us remind that it is about the incident, when, according to Mr. Sirunyan, the Attorney General made a motion in the National Assembly for the first time to arrest Vano Siradeghyan and Aram Manukyan, the then Deputy Minister of Culture, approached Vano Siradeghyan and asked him that he either didn’t participate in the vote or voted in favor, because otherwise, he would lose his office of a deputy minister.
In response to our question why would Suren Sirunyan make up stories after so many years, Samvel Gevorgyan said, “He… his attitude, you know, is not honest. If falsification underlies something, he was Vano’s, so to say, most trusted man. It is the saddest thing. If Vano said something, if he said a word, he would go and do it immediately. How can he say such things now? Today, I, frankly speaking, watched it partially (he means Sirunyan’s press conference – H. J.), I haven’t managed to watch it, I am so angry. No, I am rather sad about the man, the character of the man. He is not that character, what can I say, it is very bad, you know.”
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In response to our question whether he thought that this had anything to do with the government, he said, “Solely. The signature collecting that is spread on the internet is connected with that. They should necessarily make them and people like them speak.”
As for voting in favor of Vano Siradeghyan’s arrest, Samvel Gevorgyan assured, “There couldn’t be such a thing; they are all honest guys. At the time, when they gave up power, they were not connected by either money, or bribes, or fear, or anything, we gave up power after Levon. One shouldn’t discredit people now.”
Suren Sirunyan said during a conversation with us that Aram Manukyan was also against Vano Siradeghyan’s becoming the Pan-Armenian National Movement (PANM) leader for the first time. Regarding this, Samvel Gevorgyan didn’t remember any such thing either. Instead, he remembered that he had voted against once, “When Vano was not in Armenia, let me say that, I remember that I voted against. When he was not in Armenia, I thought there was no need. If he is not around, let him remain a member of the executive committee, but we need an active leader around. So, I said a logical political thing, but it was when he was not in Armenia. When Vano called Ararat Zurabyan at a certain point in time, I don’t know why, I said ‘give it to me, I’ll explain to Vano why I am going to do that.’ At the end of the day, we were friends with Vano. Ararat Zurabyan didn’t give the phone to me, then we had a vote, I voted against and left. However, Aram Manukyan didn’t vote against.”
In response to our question how probable, in his opinion, Vano Siradeghyan’s return was, Mr. Gevorgyan said, “There are so few honest people left in Armenia these days, if Vano Siradeghyan comes back – certainly, these guys will not let him come back – he, at least, has a positive image, anyway and he can play the role of a consolidator. Not for a specific party, but generally. Armenia is in need of serious rescue measures now. We have lost the statehood; we have given up everything – all internal resources, factories, air, water. The people are drowsy, they are asleep. Suddenly, Vano comes back, which is a fresh current, I mean from the political point of view, and there might be a consolidation, it may be quick and more efficient.”
As for Yerjanik Abgaryan’s observation that this was a game played by the government to discredit the Congress, Samvel Gevorgyan said, “It may be. The government creates any kind of impression – it is possible too. As for whom the government scares, perhaps, they scare oligarchs or criminal elements, because Vano purged Armenia of criminal elements at the time. In that sense, it is possible that they do whatever it takes, since there are internal fights going on between oligarchs and criminal elements.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
