Vilen Gabrielian insulted Koryun Simonian of the Euromedia24.com news service and argued with other reporters as he appeared drunk in public during a local election held in the country’s second largest city on Sunday. Gabrielian demanded that Simonian not publicize a video of their conversation before declaring that he is “the number one star today.” His drunk appearance was also filmed and posted online by several other media outlets in a major embarrassment for Civil Contract.
Gabrielian announced his decision to give up his parliament seat on Tuesday, apologizing to the public for his “inappropriate behavior.”
But speaking to Factor.am on Wednesday, the 41-year-old defended his swear words addressed to Simonian, claiming that he was blackmailed by the reporter.
“When you are told ‘I’ve filmed you in a state of drunkenness and will publicize the video’ what will you say?” he said. “Of course, it’s not good that I swore but I don’t regret doing that.”
Simonian rejected the claim as slanderous, saying that he had a legitimate right to show a drunk Gabrielian roaming streets in downtown Gyumri and violating public order.
While disapproving of their colleague’s behavior, other lawmakers affiliated with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s party said that Gabrielian deserves respect for resigning from the parliament. Parliament speaker Alen Simonian (no relation to the journalist) made a point of posting on social media photographs of him and Gabrielian.
Armenia - Parliament speaker Alen SImonian chairs a session of the National Assembly, November 24, 2022.
Simonian, who is a key member of Pashinian’s entourage, himself is no stranger to controversy. He spat at a Canadian Armenian activist who branded him a “traitor” at a popular dining area of Yerevan in April 2023. He also publicly insulted a Karabakh Armenian detractor last September.
Accordingly, senior Civil Contract members said on Thursday that Gabrielian will not be expelled from the ruling party for the widely publicized misconduct.
“Of course this is out of question,” one of them, Kristine Poghosian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “Vilen is one of the 20 or 30 founding members of our party, and he will definitely stay on”
During Sunday’s incident, Gabrielian also predicted regime change in Armenia in 2026. Armenian opposition representatives have speculated that Pashinian forced him to quit the parliament because of that statement, rather than his drunken behavior.