ACCORDING TO RA MINISTER OF DEFENCE, ROLE OF ARMY UNDER CONDITIONS OF STATE OF EMERGENCY LIMITED TO PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS OF SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE
Noyan Tapan
March 17, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 15 Mikayel Haroutiunian,
the RA Minister of Defence, had a meeting with Ambassador Sergey
Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office, and Robert Youl, the adviser
for the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights,
in Yerevan. According to the message provided to Noyan Tapan by
the Press Service of the RA Ministry of Defence, the guests aimed
at receiving information about the role preserved for the RA Armed
Forces in the post-election developments proceeding in the country.
Mikayel Haroutiunian stated that according to Point 3 of the RA
President’s decree on the declaration of the State of Emergency,
the provision of the state of emergency has been preserved for the RA
Police and the Ministry of Defence. The Minister mentioned that it is
already 15 days since a state of emergency has been declared in Yerevan
and no violations have been recorded so far. Under the conditions of
the state of emergency, according to Mikayel Haroutiunian, the role
of the army is limited to the protection of buildings of special
siginificance.
In connection with the domestic political developments Sergey Kapinos
stated that the OSCE intends to henceforth as well show a balanced
approach like it has done up to now, quoting the call addressed to the
opposition and the authorities of Armenia by Ilkka Kanerva, the OSCE
Chairman-in-office and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland,
with which it is expected to regulate the relations only through a
political dialogue.