TIGRAN TOROSYAN HINDERED MHER SHAHGELDYAN’S VISIT

Lragir.am
22 June 06

On June 22 Speaker Tigran Torosyan elucidated Mher Shahgeldyan’s
resignation from the post of the head of the Armenian parliamentary
delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Mher Shahgeldyan
told the media that he had had to resign from the post of head of
the Armenian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Tigran
Torosyan says he talked to Mher Shahgeldyan about it and even
proposed him not to stay at the post because little time is left and
it would be better if Mher Shahgeldyan finished the work. But there is
another circumstance in this story, which is outside the scope of any
delegation. Mher Shahgeldyan had told Tigran Torosyan before submitting
his resignation that he had been invited to visit the United States
in the framework of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. On learning this
Tigran Torosyan said they would try their best that his visit took
place. The visit was scheduled on June 19-23. But some days later
Tigran Torosyan learned that a Rose Roth seminar would be held in
Sochi on June 22-24 on the topic "Russia-NATO Security Issues in the
South Caucasus." During this seminar conflicts and namely the Karabakh
issue would be discussed. Tigran Torosyan decided that Mher Shahgeldyan
should visit Sochi instead of the United States. "It was said that they
invited a representative of the government. I saw the letter. Like, for
instance, last September, when we were discussing the Karabakh issue in
Paris in NATO Parliamentary Assembly, they had invited a representative
of the executive of Armenia to present the view of the government. Of
course, it does not mean that it cannot be a member of parliament. On
the contrary, there should be a member of parliament. Therefore,
I said that since these overlap, we must be where a more burning
issue for Armenia is being discussed," says Tigran Torosyan. In fact,
he sent Mher Shahgeldyan to where a representative of the government
had been invited. In other words, the participation of the member of
parliament was not obligatory in the Sochi seminar. There is nothing
we can do but guess why Tigran Torosyan preferred the Sochi seminar
to the American visit of Mher Shahgeldyan. But there is no need to
guess after learning the purpose of the American visit. It was for
preparing the report of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on the role
of NATO in the South Caucasus. Evidently, the program of the American
visit and the seminar in Sochi had almost the same goal. Therefore,
it is interesting to know why Tigran Torosyan thinks that the seminar
in Sochi is more important. Yes, it included the Karabakh issue. But
does Tigran Torosyan really think that the seminar in Sochi would
be more important if even Bucharest proved insignificant? There is
a subtlety, however, that Tigran Torosyan could have omitted, but he
did not keep silent not to appear in a more awkward situation in case
this circumstance becomes known later. Or maybe because there was a
higher-level decision to prevent Mher Shahgeldyan’s visit, and it was
necessary to hint at it as a display of power. The meetings that Mher
Shahgeldyan would have in America mattered. He was supposed to meet
with a number of U.S. officials, such as Mr. Fried, whom we know,
Dan Fried, who has visited Yerevan too, as well as representatives
of different analytic centers, says Tigran Torosyan.

In fact, there is no need to make other suggestions. Official Yerevan
considers Sochi more important, and funny though it may seem, safer.

This makes it clear why Mher Shahgeldyan resigned from the post of the
head of the delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and refused
Torosyan’s proposal to stay. Tigran Torosyan says the question of the
head of the Armenian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
will be solved after the summer session of the OSCE. Most probably,
however, the question of the entire delegation will be solved rather
than that of the head of the delegation. Tigran Torosyan mentions that
the correlation of representatives of the government and the opposition
in the delegation including three members has changed. "The question
is which one of the three members should head the delegation. Either
one of the old members must be named or a new delegation must be set
up and a new head named," says Tigran Torosyans. Bookmakers can offer
betting which option Tigran Torosyan will choose.