No foreign actors ever involved in Armenia`s democratic development

ArmInfo. Sona Ghazaryan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from the ruling Civil Contract faction, disagrees with the justifications of  both the opposition and the civil initiative on the draft law "On the  beginning of the process of Armenia's accession to the European  Union".

According to Sona Ghazaryan, the law is necessary, the question is  only in the justifications presented by the members of the civil  initiative. She disagreed with the statements of the opposition  representatives, who are forming false ideas in society about the  dangers of the presented document to the security of the state.  In  particular, she pointed to the justification that the process of  joining the EU will strengthen the democratic foundations of the  Armenian state. "Meanwhile, since 2018, Armenia has chosen a  democratic path of development, and there have not been and are not  any foreign actors in this process, it was our internal decision. The  country's authorities are doing everything to make democratic  principles irreversible in the country by implementing institutional  decisions," said the MP from the ruling party.

She also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the  justification for the draft resolution points to the need to join the  family of civilized humanity. "Armenia is a civilized state. With our  entire history and experience, we have proven that we are a civilized  nation not because we want to become a member of the EU, but because  we are such with a rich heritage," said the MP.

In turn, opposition MP Taguhi Tovmasyan noted that countries applying  for EU membership must meet the criteria in force in this  organization. In particular, she pointed to Article 2 of the EU  Charter, which specifies the need to maintain solidarity, justice and  harmony, calling on her colleagues to compare these values with the  situation in Armenia. She recalled the Prime Minister's statements  made during the election campaign that "the hammer of the people will  fall on the empty heads of all of you." She also pointed to the  threats of the Secretary of the ruling Civil Contract faction Artur  Hovhannisyan against the candidate for Ombudsman of the Republic of  Armenia Edgar Ghazaryan, promising to cut off his tongue and ears,  for which he has not yet been punished. And this, as Tovmasyan  recalled, is happening against the backdrop of the verdict passed on  a history teacher who insulted the Prime Minister of the Republic of  Armenia. In contrast to the EU value of tolerance, the Speaker of the  National Assembly Alen Simonyan filed over 30 lawsuits against media  representatives, spitting in the direction of the citizen who called  the Speaker of the National Assembly a traitor. Moreover, the Speaker  ordered the security forces to remove opposition deputies from the  meeting room. "Are you going to the EU with these values? Having  completely destroyed the entire judicial and legal system, you still  cannot elect the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee," the  oppositionist noted.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia has been discussing  the draft law "On the beginning of the process of Armenia's accession  to the European Union" since February 11. The day before, while  presenting the document, former RA Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan,  on behalf of a civil initiative that collected over 50 thousand  citizens' signatures for the adoption of the bill, outlined the goals  of the bill.  According to him, the document is a confirmation of the  will and determination of the country's people, its current  authorities to join the EU - the family of advanced, civilized and  developed humanity. The adoption of the law will determine the  direction, scale of decisions, as well as practical issues facing  both the current and future authorities of the country. "In the  current geopolitical situation, the law, as well as the form and  means of its adoption, will increase Armenia's resilience," Zeynalyan  noted. He expressed the opinion that the adoption of the law will  make democracy, citizen participation in public administration, the  rule of law irreversible, and will restore faith and confidence in  the predictability of state policy. "The adoption of the document  will contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the  region, restoring the balance of power, increasing the capabilities  to ensure Armenia's national security. This step will also contribute  to bringing the national army of Armenia into line with the modern  standards of the armies of EU member states. It will also contribute  to the continuous development and protection of human rights, the  creation of economic security mechanisms by eliminating existing  monopolies, diversifying the economy, increasing productivity and  quality of goods and services, which is only possible through  cooperation with the West and the EU," the main speaker emphasized.