ROBERT KOCHARIAN: IT DEPENDS ON COMPETENCE AND HONESTY OF JUDGES WHETHER IDEOLOGY OF JUDICIAL REFORS WILL BE DISCREDITED OR NOT

Noyan Tapan
Nov 30, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian president Robert
Kocharian met with newly-appointed judges and chairmen of courts in
connection with the formation of the new judicial system.

He said that the last stage of the organizational part of court
and legal reforms has approached, which made it necessary to
hold a meeting. "There are many reforms, and it is important that
judges understand their meaning correctly and become the bearers
of the ideology of these reforms. In fact, today we already have
the Constitution and the appropriate legislation for creation of an
independent judicial system, and we must also stipulate it in practice
by our work. Considerable work has been done in the past two years.

It would not be correct to say that everything is perfect. It is
natural that some shortcomings will be revealed and corrected in
the next one-two years, but I am sure that the ideology of these
reforms is correct, and it depends on our work and the competence and
honesty of judges whether this ideology will be discredited or not,"
the president said.

According to him, the constitutional amendments allowed to implement
the second stage of court and legal reforms aimed at ensuring the
independence of the judicial system, which is also important in terms
of strengthening democracy. "There can be no democracy without a fully
functioning and independent judicial system," he stated, adding that
it may seem strange but constitutional changes are boycotted by those
who speak most frequently about democratization.

In the words of R. Kocharian, the process of reforms will show when
and how they should continue, and in case of success, the police will
be reformed next, after which other structures will undergo reform.

The president stressed that great attention will be paid to these
reforms, and in order to ensure a natural process, the chairman of
the Cassation Court should respond quickly to all arising problems.

Robert Kocharian congratulated the newly appointed judges and said that
he has great expectation that they will strengthen the implemented
reforms and encourage their continuity by their honest, conscientios
and competent work.