Kostanyan urges MPs not to politicize legal processes

The Armenian parliament’s Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs held today a hearing on the legal processes in connection with the tragic events in Gyumri on January 12, 2015.

Parliamentary deputy Alexander Arzumanyan said at the hearing that Armenian Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan has shouldered the burden of the Gyumri incident-related legal process, but it is not only his business.

“These issues are also related to the heads of National Security Service (NSS) and Foreign Ministry.  It’s a good thing that you have come here, but you should not take upon yourself what others don’t do. Where is the foreign minister? Why doesn’t NSS deal with the issue?” Arzumanyan asked, noting that it is not only Gevorg Kostanyan who should have contacted Russian prosecutor general.

Arzumanyan also stressed that the suspect  – Russian soldier Valery Permyakov also committed a third crime when he tried to cross the Armenian-Turkish border. The deputy said that under the agreements signed in 1992, a person who attempts the cross the state border shall be handed over to Armenian law enforcement agencies.

“There was not a case when the person who violated the state border was handed over to a foreign country’s embassy. An interstate agreement was broken. The Russian border guards were to inform us of the attempt to cross the border.  We ask that a criminal case be filed,” MP said.
In response, Gevorg Kostanyan said that all the state bodies of the republic properly exercise their powers.

“We all perform our functions. I don’t want to speak about powers. Each exercises his powers, but we are responsible together,” G. Kostanyan said. In his words, the issue is not in a political sphere, but an attempt is being made to politicize it.

“The investigation may be political, but the fact is a legal one,” the prosecutor general said.