On September 12, activists of the ARF Youth Union gathered outside the Government Building, holding posters reading “No to denial” and portraits of Artsakh’s political and military leaders imprisoned in Baku, Sputnik Armenia reports.
Protester Gor Sargsyan said their message was clear: “We are here with demands and messages. Maybe the Turkish envoy is not inside, but the hosts are. When he comes to Armenia, he should also meet the part of the Armenian people that shows the reality. We wanted to meet him, take him to Tsitsernakaberd, to the Genocide Museum, to the families of Armenian captives in Baku, and to Yerablur, to show the real situation in Armenia.”
He added that Turkey’s policy has not changed since the Armenian Genocide and accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of pursuing “Turkish policies” despite once warning of Ankara’s genocidal intentions during the 2020 war.
Meanwhile, in parliament, Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, Armenia’s envoy in the normalization talks, criticized the demonstration: “The protest should have been held two hours earlier, and in front of the Foreign Ministry, not the Government Building, since the meeting took place there. It is typical of the ARF to stage something belated, pointless, and based on false information,” Radar Armenia quoted him.
Rubinyan emphasized that the negotiations are not being kept secret from the public, dismissing the ARF’s accusations.
Earlier that day, Rubinyan personally welcomed Serdar Kılıç at the Margara border crossing, ahead of their sixth round of talks.
