Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan condemned the scuffle that broke out earlier today in parliament, but charged one of the main participants, Bright Armenia MP Edmon Marukyan, of intentionally badgering the government by using psychological and even physical threats.

"I want to unequivocally emphasize my position, saying that I condemn any form of violence in all its manifestations," Pashinyan said at the parliamentary podium, referring to the earlier scuffle in the parliament which started when Marukyan and MP Sasun Mikayelyan got into a shouting match.

Pashinyan stressed that violence can be not only physical, but also moral and psychological.

"For two years now, the revolutionary team has been subjected to moral and psychological violence. I apologize for the inconvenience, but the female MPs of the political majority are threatened with rape on social networks, their children are threatened with death in the streets, false information about the deputies representing the My Step faction is spread, and all this has one goal, to weaken the trust between the people and the political majority, Pashinyan said.

He then described Marukyan’s actions as a vile provocation designed to goad the government into responding in kind and thus depart from its stated values.  

Pashinyan said that yesterday Edmon Marukyan invited him to his office for coffee, during which Pashinyan voiced his doubts about the MP’s intentions.

"I accepted his invitation. I went down to my former office, where Mr. Marukyan now sits, and I said directly, yes, Mr. Marukyan, we all have grounds to suspect that you and your actions are an integral part of that plan to employ psychological, moral and ultimately physical violence.”

Pashinyan described today’s incident as the greatest defeat of the 2018 Velvet Revolution that brought him to power.