YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Lawmakers and staff of the Parliament of Armenia paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the October 27, 1999 crime.

Lawmakers and representatives of the staff laid flowers at the Memorial in the Parliament’s yard, eternalizing the memory of the October 27 victims.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters that October 27 was the biggest crime in the history of independent Armenia, it was terrorism which claimed the lives of eminent figures of the state, Sparapet Vazgen Sargsyan and Parliament Speaker Karen Demirchyan.

“It was a double pain for us, because we lost the leader of our party, Sparapet Vazgen. The criminals, the ones who carried out that crime are arrested, in other terms I can’t say anything, because I don’t have complete information. The fact is, the criminal Hunanyan along with his accomplices is imprisoned”, Sharmazanov said.

Speaking on the consequences of the October 27 crime, Sharmazanov said the consequences were very serious for the state.

“If they were with us, we would have been a few steps ahead. I oppose when people say there are no irreplaceable people, that individuals don’t have a role. That’s a Soviet-style mentality. Vazgen Sargsyan, and Karen Demirchyan are irreplaceable. Our work today must be maximally moving towards the Armenia which they dreamt about”, he said.

With regret he mentioned that almost a similar event took place in Yerevan 17 years after that terrorism, when an Armenian decided to raise hand against another Armenian. According to him, the main lesson from October 27 must have been the fact that issues are not solved with weapons, in that way.

ANC faction MP Stepan Demirchyan said October 27 is the most painful page of the history of independent Armenia, the consequences of which aren’t overcome yet.  “I am convinced we would live in another Armenia if that horrifying crime wouldn’t have happened”, he said.

Speaker of Parliament Galust Sahakyan – who on October 27, 1999, was in the session hall of the Parliament – said at first everyone thought that someone is making a joke, but few minutes later everything was clear. “This was a very serious crime for our state and nation”, Sahakyan said.

Lawmakers paid tribute to the memory of the October 27 victims with a moment of silence before the Parliamentary session.

Photos by Felix Arustamyan