ARMENIA MUST HARMONIZE ITS LEGISLATION WITH EUROPEAN VALUES: VARDAN OSKANYAN

YEREVAN, May 30. /ARKA/. Armenia must harmonize its legislation with
European values, RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told reporters,
commenting on the Venetian Commission’s statement on the draft
amendments to the RA Constitution. He pointed out that Armenia has
set itself the task of integration and harmonizing its legislation
with European values. “Much has bee done in this direction, but we
all are not at the level where both we and European want us to be,”
Oskanyan said. The Minister reported that during Venetian Commission
representatives’ visit to Armenia on June 2 negotiations will be held,
the country’s peculiarities and prospects for evolutionary development
will be considered. Oskanyan pointed out that he is for the potential
to be used to the maximum.

The Venetian Commission expressed its dissatisfaction with the
draft amendments to the RA Constitution adopted in the first reading
on May 11, 2005. The draft amendments to the Constitution must be
radically revised before being adopted in the second reading, the
Venetian Commission member, representative of Finland Kaarlo Tuori
said. The task group members also stated that if the document does
not fully reflect the Commission’s opinion the constitutional reforms
in Armenia will not bring the country’s closer to European standards
and fail to contribute to further European integration. P.T. -0–