OSCE PA OBSERVATION DELEGATION TO BE HEADED BY PA VICE-CHAIRMAN AT RA PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 05 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. OSCE attaches importance to
participation of its observers in forthcoming RA NA elections. OSCE PA
Chairman Goran Lennmarker said this at the February 5 meeting with RA
NA Speaker Tigran Torosian informing him that the observation mission
will be headed by the Assembly Vice-Chairman.

RA NA Speaker Tigran Torosian briefly presented political life in
Armenia touching upon the work done after the constitutional reform,
as a result of which 27 out of 51 laws outlined by the government
have been already adopted and the number of adopted laws will
reach 30-35 until the end of the powers of parliament of current
convocation. NA Speaker attached importance to the fact that RA
Constitution already corresponds to the European standards mentioning
that starting 2006 July 1 RA citizens also received the possibility to
apply to RA Constitutional Court. In his words, another reforms were
also implemented as a result of the amendments, for instance, in the
spheres of local self-government, justice, and amendments in political
system will come into force after the forthcoming parliamentary
elections. T.Torosian especially attached importance to holding the
parliamentary elections in correspondence with the European standards,
as they are of exclusive importance for country’s further progress.

As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA NA Public Relations Department,
G.Lennmarker expressed gratitude for RA NA delegation’s active work
in OSCE PA and expressed the hope that the delegation will also
make a great contribution to future discussion of energy security
issues. Lennmarker expressed an opinion that European integration to
some extent is a technical matter, the most important is the system of
values, which must be acceptable for all countries. He also attached
importance to extension of parliamentary cooperation in South Caucasian
countries mentioning that cooperation in some spheres (seismic control,
exploitation of water and mining resources) should be strengthened
through establishment of parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue.

Touching upon South Caucasian countries’ parliamentary cooperation, NA
Speaker reminded that meetings of Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani
parliamentarians started in 2001 on the initiative of Links British
organization. Later these meetings turned into South Caucasian
Parliamentary Initiative and ten deputies from each parliament hold
plenary sittings twice a year, including presidency sittings (three
deputies from each country). Nevertheless, Azerbaijani deputies are
constrained by the official position of Azerbaijani authorities,
according to which no cooperation with Armenia is real until the
Nagorno Karabakh issue is solved. Besides, propaganda of hatred
and war, spreading of slanders relating to Armenia continues in
Azerbaijan. In T.Torosian’s words, as long as such policy continues in
Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh settlement is not really possible. He said
that we cannot speak about necessity of European integration meanwhile
renouncing regional cooperation. NA Speaker highly estimated OSCE
Minsk Group’s work mentioning that a good resolution that can be the
basis of problem’s settlement has been found: this is confrontation of
two out of ten principles of OSCE Helsinki Act. T.Torosian said that
Armenia is ready for cooperation, but it expects loyalty to European
values in all countries and considers that the Nagorno Karabakh issue
is very delicate and the European structures should not sacrifice
their principles for some purposes.

OSCE PA Chairman Goran Lennmarker also expressed readiness and
confidence for deepening cooperation.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress