NA SPEAKER DOESN’T COMMENT ON CLAPTRAP
LILIT POGHOSYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on July 19, 2008
Armenia

NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan convened a press conference yesterday to sum
up the Parliaments’ activity of the last year.

In response to the questions regarding the 100 days of the President
Tigran Torosyan recorded: `100 days is not the right period of time to
expect radical changes. In this respect we must estimate the
prerequisites that have been created in that period of time. This is
the classical approach towards `the President’s 100 days’, which is
used everywhere. Unfortunately in our country the President’s 100 days
started from the ill-fated March 1 developments, and this factor of
course created serious tension in the country.

At present, according to the speaker `we have managed to mitigate this
tension, but we still need to make efforts to completely annihilate
it’. Anyhow the `government and the parliament have worked regularly,
and this factor should also be observed in the outline of the
`President’s 100 days’.

`How does the NA Speaker estimate the fact that the three MPs, that
have been deprived of the right to immunity and are detained at the
moment, state that there are no `satisfactory proofs’ to ground their
crime?’

`I would love to see their case over.20I would love to see my colleagues
justified. But as the General Prosecutor assured me several times,
there are serious bases that give grounds not to change the
precautionary measure. They will be soon charged and it won’t take much
time.’

`There are rumors, and it has even been published in the press that
very soon the Republican Party will replace NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan
by Hovik Abrahamyan, what can you say in this regard?’

`I would like to touch upon that issue over again. But I would like to
stress one thing. Surely I have information about the latest
publications in the press. We have been working together for the last 9
years and you are well aware of my working style. I know how these
articles are ordered, how they are prepared, but I never comment on
falsehood, gossip and fabrications,’ NA Speaker said.

`After all people have seen my working style and my capabilities and
they know what goals I pursue in my work. That is why these rumors are
senseless expenses. I don’t think they will achieve their end.’

`And what will be the counter-action of RPA vice-Chairman in case these
rumors come true?’

In response to this question NA Speaker said: `I never predict, in case
the party has something to say they will say, at the moment
commentaries are senseless.’

`In response to the statement adopted20by the National Assembly to be
more active in the policy regarding the settlement of Karabakh
conflict, during the last PACE session Azerbaijan made anti-Armenian
formulations in their resolution on democratic institutions. Doesn’t
this testify to the fact that in this term nothing has been changed in
our foreign policy and parliamentary delegation?’

In response to this question Tigran Torosyan said: `I don’t think that
Azerbaijani delegation made a favorable statement for themselves. I can
even prove this by the fact that during the previous 4 years, in
Strasburg, Azerbaijani delegation didn’t manage to make any favorable
changes for themselves. But unfortunately this time they managed.
However I don’t think we should panic.’