Home / Armenia / ‘Can’t You Stand 1 Hour Without Smoking?’ Karapetyan Reprimands Youth Participants at his Forum

‘Can’t You Stand 1 Hour Without Smoking?’ Karapetyan Reprimands Youth Participants at his Forum

A nine-person “people’s union council” was established by unanimous vote during a forum called by the People’s Party leader Tigran Karapetyan today. The council, chaired by Karapetyan himself, includes Vardan Khachatryan, Ishkhan Tovmasyan, Artak Harutyunyan, Ruzanna Stepanyan, Emanuel Margaryan, Stepan Barkhudaryan, Eduard Barkhudaryan and Arkadi Karapetyan.

As previously reported, Karapetyan organized a forum of “patriotic forces and individual citizens” at the Armenian government building, during which time Heritage Party MP Vardan Khachatryan and member of the now-defunct Karabakh Committee Ashot Manucharyan, addressing participants, spoke of the serious situation in the country.

During the forum, Karapetyan occasionally interrupted the speakers and urged the youth who were walking in and out of the room to “tolerate one hour.”

“Why are you constantly coming in and going out, can’t you tolerate one hour without smoking? Sit in your places,” the party leader said angrily.

During his address to the group, Kareptyan announced the creation of the People’s Union Council and urged all “patriotic forces” to join the council.

“The doors are open; the joining of all patriotic forces is the way out of this situation. We don’t need a chair, table; we want the people to live well. Though many news outlets say that only grandmas and grandpas support us, but see the youth sitting there, they are going to guide us,” he said, referring to the young people who “couldn’t tolerate one hour without smoking.”