NA SPEAKER APPRECIATES PARLIAMENT’S ACTIVITIES

news.am
Dec 24 2009
Armenia

Speaker of the RA Parliament Hovik Abrahamyan appreciates its
activities this year. He pointed out that the Parliament enhanced its
efficiency – it has adopted 327 laws this year. Abrahamyan stressed
that the Parliament is now more influential as a political body.

"The Parliament must become a platform for discussing the most burning
issues, and I will do my best for that. I want the criticism voiced
in the streets to be discussed in Parliament," Abrahamyan said. He
stressed that the Parliament now has higher public reputation. This
year the Parliament has received 5,562 letters and answered all of
them. "We have spared no effort to make the Parliament closer to the
people," Abrahamyan said.

He also expressed his satisfaction with the work of Armenian
parliamentary delegations to international agencies. "As regards
the efficiency of activities within international agencies, Armenian
delegations ranked among the top ten," Abrahamyan said. Armenia is
considered a serious state the great powers have to reckon with. All
this is due to President Serzh Sargsyan’s active policy.

Speaking of his own achievements Speaker Abrahamyan pointed out that
all of his trips abroad are most effective. "We signed a memorandum
with the Iranian Parliament, whereas that country’s Parliament had
never signed any document with any country before," Abrahamyan said.

As regards the bills brought before Parliament, Abrahamyan reported
that the Parliament is now considering a bill decriminalizing libel,
and journalists will only be fined in such cases. "I think it is a
very good bill. I do not think that a journalist must bear criminal
responsibility for libel, but he must at least be held financially
responsible," Abrahamyan said. He pointed out that all "reasonable"
proposals by journalists can be considered.

Speaking of his personal life, Abrahamyan said: "I want a boy to
be born into our family next year – a future soldier of the Armenian
army." Speaker Abrahamyan also expressed wish that the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict be settled as soon as possible and a long-lasting peace
established in the region.