ARMENIA TO PARTICIPATE IN UPCOMING OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL MEETING WITH NO OPPOSITION MEMBERS

Tert.am
14:26 ~U 05.02.10

During the February 17-21 OSCE Permanent Council meeting, the Armenian
delegation will participate with no opposition members.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) member Lilit
Galstyan and Heritage Party member Larisa Alaverdyan are opposition
members in the replacement, or substitute, delegation; however,
National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan has said that there are
not enough finances to send substitute delegates to the Vienna session.

Turning her attention to this issue, Alaverdyan said today that
generally issues relating to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict are
discussed at the OSCE, and that "in that sphere, she has many years
of experience, and it would be right if the authorities made use of
that experience."

Alaverdyan appealed to delegation members to raise the issue of
Nagorno-Karabakh in her place.

Rule of Law member Khachik Harutyunyan, who is a member of the OSCE
delegation, responding to Alaverdyan’s discontent, said, "If we are
representing the interests of our state, what difference does it make,
ruling authorities or opposition? Is the opposition going to present
[the state’s interests] better than us? Are we against our state’s
interests?"