"VOCH" COALITION CALLS ON HIGH COURT TO DECLARE PROTOCOLS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Asbarez
Dec 3rd, 2009

YEREVAN (Eurasia.net)-Fourteen Armenian opposition parties, united
under the banner of the "No To Protocols" Campaign, have appealed
to the country’s Constitutional Court seeking a ruling that would
declare Yerevan’s rapprochement agreement with Turkey unconstitutional,
the RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday.

A statement signed by opposition representatives, led by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation and the Heritage Party, argues that the
Armenian-Turkish protocols threaten Armenia’s constitutional order
and runs counter to national interests.

The Armenian National Congress, the large opposition bloc led by
ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosian, did not join the appeal. Earlier in
November, Ter-Petrosian delivered a speech to his supporters saying
he was ready to cooperate with President Serzh Sarkisian.

The "Voch" coalition held a meeting at the Erebouni business center
on Tuesday to discuss future activities and effort. At the conclusion
of the meeting an announcement was issued calling on the National
Assembly to not ratify the protocols with their current wording and
urging all Armenians to oppose the effort by signing a petition being
circulated by the opposing forces.

Meanwhile, the ARF has announced it plans on suing the Armenian
Government over the unconstitutionality of the protocols. The party
hopes the lawsuit will provide the Constitutional Court grounds to
reject the protocols as unconstitutional.

President Sarkisian submitted the protocols, subject to parliamentary
approval both in Armenia and Turkey, to Armenia’s Constitutional Court
on November 29 for a review of their compliance with the Constitution.

The No To Protocols Campaign has also launched an online petition,
which allows Armenians to express their opposition to the protocols
by sending direct web-faxes to members of Armenia’s Parliament. The
petition can be found HERE.