PACE colleagues clearly express their support to revolution in Armenia: Yelk MP

Head of Yelk faction Lena Nazaryan briefed on the meetings in the sidelines of the PACE session in Strasburg and their outcome.

First Nazaryan reminded the recently issued statement of Yulia Lavochkina, PACE Monitoring Committee co-rapporteur on Armenia, in which she registered that the voter turnout in Yerevan City Council election showed low public trust toward political processes in Armenia and urged the country to respect democratic values.

“Putting aside the fact that in many European countries the same or with little difference voter turnout is being registered at municipal elections it is very strange to give such an assessment to a society which at least during the recent decade has never been so much interested in influencing the political processes in the country with its participation,” she said.

Nazaryan said at the meetings with PACE chairperson Liliane Maury-Pasquier and PACE Secretary General Wojciech Sawicki she stated that the Armenian authorities are interested in PACE’s monitoring in Armenia and expect the co-rapporteurs listen to the arguments of all the parties and not to take into consideration the opinion presented by the Armenian delegation to PACE only which still is represented by the Republican party.

Nazaryan stressed that Liliane Maury-Pasquier said they attentively followed the developments in Armenia and congratulated the country on peaceful transition of power.

“The only concern voiced by the PACE Chairperson and Secretary General referred to the Electoral Code and election term, cooperation with the Venice Commission. At the same time the PACE chairperson particularly stressed that the final decision is for the Armenian government to make,” she said.

Nazaryan also met with the newly appointed co-rapporteur of the Monitoring Group from Slovenia, deputy head of the Human Rights Commissioner office, former chairperson of PACE, members of European Parliament and others.

“During all the meetings I have briefed on the outcome of velvet revolution in Armenia, priorities of the Armenian government, domestic political developments,” she said, adding that the PACE partners have clearly expressed their support to the revolution taken place in Armenia, stressed the necessity of acting in the limits of the Constitution and strict preservation of the laws.

“At the same time there was a general understanding of the necessity of conduction snap parliamentary elections which will allow to solve the existing political crisis in the country,” she said.