YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRES. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan, the new spokesman of Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, has commented on PM Sargsyan’s expression on “not learning a lesson from March 1” at today’s meeting with opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan.

PM Sargsyan and the opposition leader met very briefly today in the morning amid the ongoing protests.

Local media asked the PM’s spokesman to clarify the expression, what the PM meant by it and whether it was a threat.

“On the contrary. We regret that once again an attempt is being made to divide the society into black and white. We have a bitter experience of creating dividing lines in person of the 2008 post-election development, which required great efforts from the society and authorities for overcoming. These are the lessons which the authorities and the majority of the society have learnt from history, which now should be avoided at any cost. The President of the country went to the square yesterday for refraining Mr. Pashinyan from taking that wrong path for a second time, and for this reason the Prime Minister has made such a call today. The Prime Minister remains open for holding true dialogue and efforts in this direction are ongoing. False interpretations are inappropriate”, Nikoghosyan told News.am.

March 1 is a colloquial term referring to the 2008 post electoral developments in Armenia, when mass protests turned violent and claimed 10 lives.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan