"Civil Contract" rejected draft statement on delimitation and  demarcation of border; Opposition announced convening of  extraordinary meeting on this issue

ArmInfo.The ruling "Civil Contract" faction on December 7 refused to include a statement proposed by the opposition on delimitation and demarcation of the  border in the agenda of the plenary session. According to head of the  "Hayastan" opposition faction, former Minister of Defense of Armenia  Seyran Ohanyan, the country's authorities are doing everything to  avoid public discussion of such a sensitive issue, as a result, the  public will learn about the agreements after the fact.

Ohanyan stressed that the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression, the  occupation of the territories of Artsakh, the invasion of the  sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia by Azerbaijan,  unilateral delimitation and demarcation operations, the loss of the  sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh are a serious threat to the  self-determination and existence of Artsakh. "It is obvious that,  just like after the war, the government, having all the state tools  of the situation, the activities of its own team, today also does not  want to address such a sensitive topic, doing everything possible to  organize a closed discussion," Ohanyan said.

According to the leader of the faction, the government, contrary to  its promise to be accountable to the people, in every possible way  avoids publicity of what is "happening behind the backs of the  people." After the defeat, the winning side, Ohanyan stressed,  increases external pressure on the defeated side. "We see this in  Aliyev's statements on the Zangezur Corridor," he said.

Precisely in order to avoid such pressure or shady agreements that  run counter to the interests of the people and the state, according  to Ohanyan, the advantages of parliamentary control should be used.  The government itself should use the tools of the opposition forces  to prevent such phenomena, he said.

According to the former head of the Defense Ministry, the opposition  demands an assessment of the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression by the  draft statement, and fulfill all agreements in accordance with the  legislative procedures in force in Armenia. "We demand the  restoration of the army, strengthening the borders, improving  relations with strategic partners," he said.

In response, MP from the ruling Civil Contract faction Maria  Karapetyan first reminded that the commission gave a negative opinion  after the discussion, then stated that the agenda of delimitation and  demarcation is not related to the Karabakh conflict. Leader of the  "Civil Contract" faction, Hayk Konjoryan, in turn, stated that the  document also contains statements with an internal political content,  approaches that are part of the opposition's political narrative and  are unacceptable for the Civil Contract.  According to him, the  opposition also understands this, and these approaches were included  in the draft statement precisely with the aim of achieving internal  political speculations.

After the voting,  representative of the "Hayastan" faction Artsvik  Minasyan said that they would finalize the draft statement and on  December 14 at 12:00 they would initiate an extraordinary meeting on  the same issue.

It should be reminded that the ruling Civil Contract faction on  October 27 did not take part in the voting on the draft statement of  the National Assembly on the situation around the Republic of Armenia  and Artsakh, because of the internal political assessments in the  document, thereby failing it. As rapporteur of the draft statement,  Tigran Abrahamyan, Mp of the "I Have Honor" faction stated,  in the  document drawn up, including, as a result of a closed discussion, the  National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia condemns the large-scale  armed aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan and Turkey against Artsakh  on September 27, 2020 with the involvement of mercenaries and  terrorists; gross violations of international law in relation to  prisoners and hostages held by Baku, including after the cessation of  hostilities; the seizure of the territories of the Republic of  Artsakh by Azerbaijan; acts recognized as war crimes; invasion of the  sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, prolonged use of  force or the threat of its use. Armenian parliamentarians in the  document also condemn the incessant rhetoric of hatred of the  Armenian military-political authorities of Azerbaijan, the  presentation of one-sided and distorted information to the  international community from Baku. This policy, as noted in the  statement, is accompanied by claims on the territory of Armenia and  Artsakh.

State borders, as stated in the document, are determined on the basis  of international law, on the basis of the UN Vienna Convention,  according to which, among other things, any agreement on borders with  the use or threat of use of force is invalid. The Mps of the RA  parliament believe that the main condition for establishing peace in  the region is the guaranteed realization of the right to  self-determination of the people of Artsakh in their historical  homeland, as well as the de-occupation of the occupied territories of  Artsakh - in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.

The parliamentarians urge to be guided by the RA Constitution,  according to which the issues related to the change of the territory  of the Republic of Armenia are resolved exclusively through a  referendum. It is unacceptable for the RA to sign any document  implying the inclusion of the Republic of Artsakh in Azerbaijan, the  statement says.

The statement also calls on the Armenian government to refrain from  any negotiations, written or oral agreements that violate the  requirements of the RA Constitution and the will of the Armenian  people, expressed in the Declaration of Independence, to provide the  National Assembly with reliable parliamentary information and ensure  maximum publicity in matters of reforms in the country's Armed Forces  and concerning the safety of the RA.