“The first question that I get asked all the time is, ‘Why didn’t you say anything when Serzh was in charge?’ Two people were speaking when Serzh was in charge- Serzh Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan, and it became clear that one of them was lying, and the other- since he grew out his beard and started a new life- we need to forget about. I am only half-joking,” the former Armenian ambassador to Vatican City, Mikayel Minasyan, said in a video posted to his Facebook page. He continued, “But to be serious, I held two positions when Serzh Sargsyan was the president. I was the deputy head of the President’s Staff, and later the ambassador. Now, let’s be honest, do you know the person who currently holds the first position? Of course not. I’ve never heard them speak. And when I was an ambassador, it was not acceptable for ambassadors to discuss inner political issues. I thought that I need to work and only focus on my responsibilities. I believe that I carried them out well. I spoke very little then, but I spoke out about lots of issues as an ambassador.”
According to Mikayel Minasyan, the other question that he gets asked frequently is, ‘If you’re honest and fair and there is no evidence against you, prove it to us.’ Minasyan emphasized, “There is no fairness and justice in Armenia, and I believe you know that as well. Perhaps you have not come across it yet, but it’s everywhere. Nikol Pashinyan already declared that I’m guilty a long time ago. The people who are carrying out his orders are trained to take me into custody and arrest me without even giving me the opportunity to defend myself. If you were in my place, would you have come? Of course not. I will come because it’s hard for me to live outside of Armenia knowing that my friends and family are facing political persecution in Armenia. Their homes are being searched and they’re being interrogated. But, they know that this is the path I chose, and so they understand me, and I understand them.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
