Mr. Raffi Hovannisian, head of the Zharangutyun (Heritage) faction today turned with a letter to Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly of the third convocation, explaining the reasons of the non-participation of the faction for the first session of the National Assembly of the fourth convocation on June 7.

According to Mr. Hovannisian, there are two reasons: first of all, he has not been notified about the convocation of the session, and secondly - in the Constitutional Court the issue of the validity of the parliamentary elections on May 12 is now under discussion.

Mr. Tigran Torosyan had a telephone conversation with Mr. Hovannisian and has sent him a letter in which he has explained, that first of all, Mr. Hovannisian’s letter was wrongly addressed, because the President of the National Assembly of the third convocation has nothing to do with the problems of the National Assembly of the fourth convocation, secondly - there is not a tradition of inviting or notifying the factions for the first session of the newly elected parliament in the Republic of Armenia. And the Constitution and the Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia define when that session should be held. Obviously the issue of the convocation of the first session of the National Assembly is not conditioned by any circumstance, including the issues under discussion in the Constitutional Court.

Hence, the requirement of the Constitution and the Article 34 of the Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly is to convene the first session of the newly elected National Assembly in the due time and the deputies’ participation in it.

The current explanations cannot be basis for somebody not to participate at the works of the session of the National Assembly of the fourth convocation.