An Armenian opposition MP on Thursday denounced the pro-government majority in the parliament for rejecting two key opposition initiatives.
One of them was a bill calling for criminalization of all statements questioning Armenia’s territorial integrity. The second measure proposed the parliament to adopt a statement condemning the ongoing Azerbaijani and Turkish aggression against Armenians.
"As you know, we demanded an urgent sitting; closed discussions took place, where, unfortunately, this initiative was also voted down. In the statement, we wanted to record Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia and Artsakh and draw the international community's attention to the steps taken against the two Armenian states," Deputy National Assembly Speaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan, an MP from the main opposition Hayastan faction told a briefing.
The lawmaker also highlighted that the ruling Civil Contract faction MPs had earlier rejected an opposition request to set up a parliamentary standing committee on Artsakh issues, arguing that an inter-parliamentary committee was dealing with the matter.
“The inter-parliamentary committee has held no meetings for eight months now," the opposition MP stressed. He also recalled that the ruling team turned down a draft resolution condemning the anti-Armenian provisions of the Shushi Declaration signed between Turkey and Azerbaijan.
“All this gives the Hayastan faction MPs grounds to assume that the incumbent Armenian authorities are trying to completely wash their hands of the Artsakh issue, renouncing their responsibilities as the guarantor of Artsakh's sovereignty and security,” Saghatelyan said.
"In this sense, we have deep concerns," he noted.