ArmInfo. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met with ambassadors of foreign countries accredited to Armenia. The press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told ArmInfo.
Touching upon the protests held in the republic for more than a week, Nalbandian noted that they are not only guaranteed by law, but also provided properly. "It is clear that the actions of law enforcers these days were not just proportional, but in many cases more than restrained. The commensurate and professional actions of the policemen these days are also the result of many years of cooperation with the OSCE and other international organizations, "the Armenian minister said.
At the same time, he added that, as is emphasized in numerous police statements, rallies and marches were carried out with a lot of violations, and, first of all, the law on Freedom of holding rallies was violated, which jeopardized public order, citizens' safety and their right. Nalbandian stressed that the right of citizens to free movement was violated, there were attempts to enter educational institutions and violate their natural work, and damage was done to private and state property.
The Armenian Foreign Minister also drew the attention of the ambassadors to the statement of the Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, in which he calls for a political dialogue of the demonstrators.
The meeting was also attended by the head of the expert group on legal reforms in Armenia Vardan Poghosyan, who presented the provisions of the law on Freedom of Assembly and pointed out violations committed during the protests.
Several ambassadors stressed that they agreed with the minister that the authorities had taken all measures to properly ensure the right to hold meetings, as well as the proportionate actions of the police, noting the importance of ensuring the peaceful nature of the meetings and political dialogue.
In conclusion, Nalbandian confirmed that respect for fundamental freedoms, strengthening of democratic institutions, freedom of speech and assembly are a valuable and irrevocable achievement of Armenia.