According to Hrayr Tovmasyan, the Standing Committees on European Integration and Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs will most likely be downsized. He also pointed out that on the day the new parliament held its first session, the Government would resign in compliance with the Constitution.
With regard to this issue, politik.am asked human rights activist Artur Sakunts to interpret this statement. He says that he qualifies making such a statement by the Chief of NA Staff before the first session of NA as usurpation of NA’s powers as according to the said statement, the decisions to be made belong to NA as its exclusive jurisdiction rather than to the Chief of NA Staff. On the other hand, the human rights activist says that the statement suggests that a political decision has already been taken which means that it is the personal decision of either Serzh Sargsyan, or the Republican Party.
The human rights activist voices serious concern on the possibility that the 2 committees may have no place in the new parliament. The human rights activist clarifies that Armenia has already initialed the Treaty with EU and will sign it this year and if it has already been decided that the Standing Committee on European Integration will function no longer, it means that the solid majority has already changed its position on partnership with the European institutions and does not give them any priority.
The human rights defender once again stresses that such decision is a political one and also mentions that reduction of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs means a step backwards in human rights and also a step backwards in all the commitments undertaken by Armenia.
Our interlocutor says that he considers the latter developments to be the logical consequence of the former ones, given the current atmosphere in Armenia. Artur Sakunts also notes that the new parliament in fact affirmed its loyalty to the Eurasian integration, which is a step backwards from both our Constitution, and commitments.
Our interlocutor attributes the full responsibility for such decisions to ruling Republican Party considering that such decisions will result in Armenia’s heavier colonial dependence on Russia, the country will enter even deeper into the Eurasian standstill and Armenia will become more isolated with even less development opportunities and toolkits.
Armenia to become more dependent on Russia
24 April 2017
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As already known, Constitution Expert Hrayr Tovmasyan, Chief of Staff of RA NA, stated that the new parliament would start its work on April 27 unless the ANC (Armenian National Congress)-APP (Armenian People’s Party) Bloc appealed the election results before the Constitutional Court.
