Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan called on opposition MPs to refrain from personal insults when speaking about one another and government officials.

Simonyan’s call followed today’s shouting match between opposition and ruling party MPs that disrupted the parliament for twenty minutes.

"I suggest, respecting the citizens of Armenia and given that we have exhausted their patience today, to end this rhetoric. Consider this my hand that I am extending to you," Simonyan said, addressing the opposition.

Today’s shouting match broke out when opposition MPs argued that calling a government official a “capitulant” and “land giver” is a political evaluation and not slander.