Following one minute of silence today in the Armenian parliament in memory of those who died 32 years ago this day in the Spitak earthquake, Bright Armenia faction head Edmon Marukyan took the podium and reiterated his party’s demand that Nikol Pashinyan must resign as the country’s prime minister.

Marukyan called on the parliament to lead the process to elect a new prime minister who will lead a transitional government of technocrats and experts.

The Bright Armenia Party has not joined the Homeland Salvation movement forged by sixteen other political parties, both in and out of the parliament, who are also calling for Pashinyan’s resignation.

Marukyan stressed the need to ensure maintain a high level of Armenian-Russian relations, saying that there had been a rift in those relations recently, and the need to negotiate those points left unclarified in the November 9 truce.

He said most TV stations in Armenia are deliberately not covering the position and statements of the Bright Armenia Party and thus the public is not aware of the provisions of the exit strategy he has published.

Marukyan said that he is open to cooperate with the forces who hold similar views.