Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan says he is convinced that Armenia has made dynamic progress in terms of democracy during the past years.

“My main emphasis after the meetings with the president, the prime minister, the human rights defender, is that we have made dynamic progress in terms of democracy in the past years. We do not have the right to make backwards steps,” the Speaker told reporters. He added that democracy should now be strengthened even more.

Speaking about the parliamentary Q&A with Cabinet members on September 12, Babloyan said that the Prime Minister was given extra time on the floor in order for his speech to be completed in parliament, and not in the rally. “This is a more accurate approach. We must discuss serious issues, raise questions and get answers in the body where the political forces are represented,” he said.

During the September 12 parliamentary Q&A, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was given additional time to speak. He spoke about the circumstances which led to the release on bail of Yuri Khachaturov, the CSTO Secretary General who is charged amid the ongoing investigation into the March 1 case.