Armenian opposition lawmakers demand clear explanation from the authorities over the newly emerged document related to Artsakh and Syunik Province of Armenia.
"Yesterday a new document concerning Artsakh and Syunik emerged on the Internet, and we demand clear explanation from the authorities over its content,” MP Taron Simonyan from the opposition Bright Armenia Party told a briefing at the National Assembly on Friday.
He said only the text of the document has been published, adding it seems not to bear any signatures.
"If any government member has signed it, it means an anti-national step has been taken, which is also a gross violation of the law,” the lawmaker said, at the same time adding the document is not legally binding.
“According to the Armenian Constitution, in order to be legally binding, such documents must be sent to the Constitutional Court and afterwards be debated at the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the points in the document prove that a concrete action had already been taken by December 18. It is anti-national move that the clauses of the document simply destroy the state policy related to the issue of Artsakh's self-determination, which has been pursued for decades," the MP said.
Simonyan next addressed reports of the alleged removal of the Garegin Nzhdeh statue from Artsakh’s Martuni as demanded by Azerbaijan.
"That statue has not been unveiled yet. I would like to make it clear that this is an issue related to our national identity. No country, except Artsakh and Armenia, has the right to decide on any matter related to our culture. Moreover, the right of nations to self-determination presupposes cultural self-determination. This makes it mandatory that each nation decides for itself what heroes and cultural values it should have. We have no room for compromise in this matter. No nation can trample on our dignity. No country will respect us if we concede any issue related to our national identity," the deputy stated.
