The Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions sought immediate hearings in parliament on the situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on Monday after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian admitted, during a Security Council session earlier this day, that Azerbaijani troops had advanced into Armenian territory at one of the eastern sections of the un-demarcated border.
Baku denied its troops had entered Armenian territory as a result of several incidents reported along the borders between the two countries over the weekend.
At the same Security Council session Pashinian announced the replacement of Defense Minister Arshak Karapetian with Suren Papikian, a political figure who prior to that served as deputy prime minister in the Pashinian government.
Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian, however, did not meet the opposition’s request late on Monday.
In his remarks during the opening of today’s session Hayastan faction leader Seyran Ohanian said: “As a sign of protest the Hayastan faction will not take part in the workings of the regular session.”
Hayk Mamijanian, secretary of the Pativ Unem faction, said that his faction could not discuss any less pressing issues in the current conditions.
“The opposition factions had demanded a special meeting to get answers from the government about what is happening at the borders of our homeland. That process was foiled by the ruling majority. Instead, today we see on the agenda of the National Assembly an issue of [the utilization] of mercury,” he said.
Mamikanian stressed that members of the Pativ Unem faction will return to the chamber of plenary sessions “when issues facing our country are discussed in the order of their importance and priority in terms of threats to our security.”
Members of the two oppositions factions then left the chamber, while the session, which also has the 2022 state budget on its agenda, continued with the participation of only representatives of the pro-governing Civil Contract party’s faction.
Civil Contract holds 71 seats in the 107-member National Assembly and is in a position to ensure a quorum and adopt laws without the opposition factions.