ARF MEMBER CALLS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF INSTITUTIONALIZED NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
Armenpress
Dec 13 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: A senior member of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) commended today an extensive team
of experts for developing a high quality national security strategy
draft paper.
The official, Vahan Hovhanesian, who is also deputy parliament
chairman, said the team had made use of related international
experience and received assurances of competent people from other
countries that it was in line with all accepted criteria.
The deputy parliament speaker was talking to a group of students. He
said, despite the successful work, the document lacks any mechanism
how it should be applied. "The ARF believes that an institutionalized
national security council should be established, which we do not
have. There is a national security council (under the president)
but it is not operational. The executive power solves only short-term
issues and lacks any vision of future. We have to have a special body
to tackle this issue because to put it on the government would not
be sensible," he said.
Presenting the draft strategy to local academics in November Armenian
defense minister Serzh Sarkisian said the document would serve as a
guideline for various caliber government officials to express their
opinions about the issue, but he added the it would not be binding
for political parties and nongovernmental organizations, which "
will be able to have their own opinions on any issue."