RAFFI HOVANNISSIAN GIVES REASONS

A1+
07 July, 2008

"The lack of lawfulness and legitimacy in Armenia affects the
country’s foreign policy," Leader of Zharangutiun (Heritage) Party
Raffi Hovannissian and member of the Armenian delegation to the PACE,
told a press conference today.

Today Raffi Hovannissian explained why he had boycotted the PACE
session. He says the Armenian delegation invested all its resource
and potential to make the resolution a little acceptable, meanwhile if
Armenia is a democratic state, our delegation could be more effective
and compete with our neighbours, and would not be measured by the
same scales.

"Armenia’s external ties and the Artash conflict are in a state of
neglect. The sad resolution adopted in the United Nations Organisation
is an anti-historic and illegal document which was put into effect
by international organisations. Each Armenian should worry about the
state of democracy in Armenia."

Mr. Hovannissian is confident that if we had taken a test on democracy
during Kocharian’s office and made the country a legal and democratic
state, we could represent Armenia at the PACE in due order.

The questions are interrelated and we cannot imitate to be democratic
and conceal our shortcomings," he said.

Raffi Hovannissian drew the presentees’ attention to the fact that
the PACE president considers Nagorno-Karabakh as an occupied territory
by the Republic of Armenia while NKR is an Azeri territory. "Firstly,
we must blame ourselves because our non-democratic stance found such
a feedback."

Raffi Hovannisian says when the PACE president is expected to arrive
in Armenia next week and it is worthwhile to ask him on the basis of
which facts he considers Karabakh as an occupied territory.

As of President Serzh Sarkissian’s statements to introduce reforms
in the country, the Zharangutiun leader said, "Words and actions are
uncompliant in Armenia. Only pan-national election will change the
current scene."