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DAVID HAROUTIUNIAN: IF WE HAVE DEVIATIONS FROM EUROPEAN VALUES, WE SHOULD BE READY TO LISTEN TO OUR COLLEAGUES' OPINION
Noyan Tapan
March 21, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Discussions about the RA presidential
elections of February 19 and the activity of the democratic
institutions in Armenia are envisaged at the PACE plenary session
to be convened on April 14-18 in Strasbourg. The latter will be
included in the agenda as an urgent issue and will be discussed on
April 17. As David Haroutiunian, the head of the Armenian delegation
in PACE, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal
Issues, said in his interview to Noyan Tapan and Radio Liberty, in
difference to the report on the elections, the discussion of the issue
connected with post-electoral processes also envisages adoption of the
respective resolution. "PACE is unequivocally a political structure,
and certainly, politics plays an important part in the activity of
each delegation. Nevertheless we suppose that the evaluations will
be as balanced as possible," he predicted.
D. Haroutiunian, who has taken part in the sitting of the Assembly's
Monitoring Commission lately in Paris, said that "strict speeches"
were voiced during the discussions connected with Armenia's home
political situation. Such speeches were also voiced by Azeris, which
is a "natural and familiar style." "They always use such chances in
consideration of the fact that it is also a way to distract attention
from the problems faced by their country," the head of the Armenian
delegation said. He also expressed an opinion that the discussion of
the above mentioned issue at the Commission's sitting "nevertheless,
was rather balanced." "After all we should not consider Council of
Europe as an instrument of intimidation, a court. It is a club we
have joined of our own free will saying that we share the European
values. And if we have deviations, we should be ready to listen to
our colleagues' opinion," D. Haroutiunian said.
He also mentioned that besides him, Avet Adonts, the Chairman of the
NA Standing Committee of European Integration Issues, a member of the
Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) party, and Raffi Hovannisian,
the head of the Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction, have also taken part
in the Commission's sitting. In response to the issue of possible
disagreements among the delegation members, D. Haroutiunian said:
"We can have different evaluations in connection with different
situations, but we have no serious divergence in the respect of
democratic development."
Noyan Tapan
March 21, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Discussions about the RA presidential
elections of February 19 and the activity of the democratic
institutions in Armenia are envisaged at the PACE plenary session
to be convened on April 14-18 in Strasbourg. The latter will be
included in the agenda as an urgent issue and will be discussed on
April 17. As David Haroutiunian, the head of the Armenian delegation
in PACE, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal
Issues, said in his interview to Noyan Tapan and Radio Liberty, in
difference to the report on the elections, the discussion of the issue
connected with post-electoral processes also envisages adoption of the
respective resolution. "PACE is unequivocally a political structure,
and certainly, politics plays an important part in the activity of
each delegation. Nevertheless we suppose that the evaluations will
be as balanced as possible," he predicted.
D. Haroutiunian, who has taken part in the sitting of the Assembly's
Monitoring Commission lately in Paris, said that "strict speeches"
were voiced during the discussions connected with Armenia's home
political situation. Such speeches were also voiced by Azeris, which
is a "natural and familiar style." "They always use such chances in
consideration of the fact that it is also a way to distract attention
from the problems faced by their country," the head of the Armenian
delegation said. He also expressed an opinion that the discussion of
the above mentioned issue at the Commission's sitting "nevertheless,
was rather balanced." "After all we should not consider Council of
Europe as an instrument of intimidation, a court. It is a club we
have joined of our own free will saying that we share the European
values. And if we have deviations, we should be ready to listen to
our colleagues' opinion," D. Haroutiunian said.
He also mentioned that besides him, Avet Adonts, the Chairman of the
NA Standing Committee of European Integration Issues, a member of the
Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) party, and Raffi Hovannisian,
the head of the Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction, have also taken part
in the Commission's sitting. In response to the issue of possible
disagreements among the delegation members, D. Haroutiunian said:
"We can have different evaluations in connection with different
situations, but we have no serious divergence in the respect of
democratic development."