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MP Tigran Abrahamyan, who represents the opposition Pativ Unem faction, has defended contract servicemen’s move to meet with protesters in Tavush Province and has denounced the authorities for investigating them.

Reports suggested earlier that servicemen from a local military unit joined the protest near the village of Kirants late on Friday. The military police said measures were underway to identify the men wearing military uniforms who met and hugged the protesters to bring them to account. In a video released by the Investigative Committee on Saturday, they denied any involvement in ongoing protests and regretted their visit to the area.

“The current Armenian authorities, who in 2018 touted and encouraged the joining of some soldiers of the peacekeeping brigade to a political march, today say that it is unacceptable,” Abrahamyan posted on Facebook.

“While the 2018 protests were for power and, as it turned out later, the surrender of Artsakh and some territories of Armenia, people are currently literally defending their families and homes.

“Additionally, those seen in footage released on Friday were obviously not on duty at the time. They just warmly greeted people and left. And in 2018, the servicemen who took to the streets did not just greet people, they obviously took part in anti-government protests,” Abrahamyan noted.