"BASES OF A STATEHOOD NEED MORE SERIOUS AND STRICTER LEGISLATIVE PROTECTION", ARMENIAN PRESIDENT STATED

Mediamax
March 20, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian President Robert Kocharian stated today
that the events of March 1-2 in Yerevan showed that "the bases of
our statehood need more serious and stricter legislative protection".

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a news conference in Yerevan today,
Robert Kocharian stated that this became one of the most important
lessons of the mass unrest.

"Democracy needs to be protected from the tyranny of the crowd. In
recent years we carried out many reforms in various spheres; however
the latest events showed that the protection of the bases of our
statehood is not registered in the laws the way it should be. For
example, in the process of the rallies, the representatives of radical
opposition publicly called on employees of law-enforcement bodies and
Armed Forces to renounce service. In Germany, criminal punishment for
the term of up to 5 years is provided for such urges", the Armenian
President stated.

Robert Kocharian stated that at present the specialists are studying
European experience, and he intends to initiate toughening of
legislation to improve the protection of bases of statehood and to
prevent public propaganda of violence.

"This does by no means mean that these steps will be taken up in
prejudice of democracy. On the contrary, these steps will allow
protecting democracy from political adventurism", the Armenian
President stressed.

Among other lessons, Robert Kocharian named the inadmissibility of
involving non-governmental organizations into illegal processes. The
Armenian President noted that practically all members of public
organization of veteran-volunteers "Spirit Testing" and a certain
part of the members of public organization of veteran-volunteers
"Yerkrapah" participated in the unrest.

"The prospect of repetition of such a situation should be definitely
ruled out. Not a single organization should consider itself a
"Joker", otherwise it will turn into serious problems for the Armenian
statehood", the Armenian President stated.