Member of RA parliamentary delegation to PACE is committed not to returning
TO WORK IN PACE UNTIL ARMENIA IMPLEMENTS ITS COMMITMENTS BEFORE EUROPE
ArmInfo
2008-07-07 21:54:00
Raffi Hovannisian, an Armenian MP, the leader of oppositional Heritage,
a member of the Armenian parliamentary delegation to PACE, said
that he has no intention to return to work in PACE in the Armenian
delegation’s structure in the near future.
During the July 7 press-conference at discussion Hayeli club, he said
that he won’t return to the delegation until Armenia meets at least
the lowest level of democracy, which will let him as the republic’s
representative fully protect Armenia’s rights in Europe.
According to him, the domestic political situation in Armenia doesn’t
allow its representatives to work in international structures, and
the lack of democracy affects European states’ attitude to Armenia.
He noted with regret that Armenia is unworthy to be admitted to the
Council of Europe, and expressed his willingness to do his best for
Armenia to protect its own interests. According to Hovannisian, Co-
Rapporteur of PACE Monitoring Commission John Prescott, who qualified
Hovannisian’s refusal to work in the Armenian delegation as frivolous,
is not a judge for him, neither is he for Armenia. "For the co-
rapporteurs Armenia is just a place for a business trip, they don’t
understand properly what is going on here. I said my word and left
the session hall during the discussion of the Azeri resolution as I
think it inadmissible for us", the MP said.
He noted that the adoption of PACE Resolution 1614 on Azerbaijan,
according to which the lack of democracy in Azerbaijan is conditioned
by the territorial conflict, also became the consequence of domestic
problems of Armenia and Europe’s attitude to it. Hovannisian thinks
that the Armenian delegation was trying to make the resolution on
Armenia admissible and couldn’t be engaged in Azeri issues.