PACE MONITORING COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVES ASSESS POLITICAL SITUATION IN ARMENIA

RIA Novosti, Russia
June 11 2004

EREVAN, June 11 (RIA Novosti) – Co-reporter of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe monitoring commission Ezhi Yaskernya
and the commission’s secretary David Chupina began to assess Armenia’s
political situation.

The Armenian parliament public relations department told RIA Novosti
that on Friday the monitoring commission members met chairman of
Armenia’s Constitutional Court Gagik Arutyunyan, head of Erevan-based
OSCE office Vladimir Pryakhin, ambassadors of the European Council
member-states, representatives of international organizations,
national minorities and mass media.

Scheduled for Saturday in the National Assembly are the meetings with
speaker Arthur Bagdasaryan, vice-speaker Tigran Torosyan, members of
the Armenian PACE delegation, heads of the standing parliamentary
committees for external relations, state and legal issues, defense
and national security, leaders of the parliamentary factions.

On Monday the commission members will meet Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan, Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan, Minister of Justice
David Arutyunyan, Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, Defense Minister
Serge Sarkisyan, Attorney General Agvan Ovsepyan, Police Chief Aik
Arutyunyan, Central Election Committee Chairman Gevorg Azaryan,
members of the central broadcasting commission.

Mr. Yaskernya said earlier that “the PACE would be informed of the
internal political situation in Armenia and of the steps taken by
the Armenian government towards implementation of the PACE resolution”.

On April 28, the PACE adopted a resolution prescribing Armenia to
settle the internal political situation prior to September this year,
otherwise the Assembly reserved the right to review the Armenian
parliamentary delegation credentials.
From: Baghdasarian