As www.aravot.am has already informed, according to the official statement released by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, “On January 31, at 11:32 p.m., we were informed that inside the building at 9 Tpagrichner Street, Paruyr Hayrikyan, a candidate for president, was shot.” Paruyr Hayrikyan was taken to St. Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center with a firearm injury. Paruyr Hayrikyan will undergo a surgery before noon.
Who could benefit from and what could cause the assassination attempt on P. Hayrikyan, candidate for president? During a conversation with www.aravot.am, political scientists stated that the incident could be arranged by not only internal, but also external forces.
Political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan went into detail: “I will avoid making assumptions, while the circle of suspects is big, from arguments on a personal level to external interference. Candidates for president enjoy a special status, and everyone could take that step to impede or slow down certain processes. It is obvious that the crime, regardless of its motives, was not only against Hayrikyan, but also against the whole Armenian society and statehood. Surely there are political overtones. I think that this was done by people who were interested in changing the situation in the country through shocks.”
Ruben Mehrabyan, an expert of the Center for Political and International Studies, noted: “This is a very serious blow, or an attempt to strike a blow against the whole Armenian statehood. This was a shot at the Armenian statehood. Paruyr Hayrikyan is not the issue here. Unfortunately, it happened to Hayrikyan. That shot wasn’t fired at Hayrikyan; it was fired at the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian statehood. It was in the interest of all those who want to prevent Armenia, which is at the crossroads, from choosing the unavoidable path that is in its interest. We can say that the plans of these dark forces failed this time. Let us hope that the law-enforcement bodies of our country will be at their best and will solve this cunning deed. The investigation launched by the National Security Service makes one hope that there is the perception that what has happened has serious political motives. This is not ordinary hooliganism, this is not an ordinary crime; this was something that was against our national security. Yes, we know many external forces that would benefit, if the Republic of Armenia deviated from the course that is in its interest and is based on our very statehood.”
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Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
