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On January 26 the meeting of the PACE Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs was held, and in its works participated the head of RA NA delegation in PACE Mr. Davit Harutyunyan (with status invited) and the member of the above-mentioned committee Mr. Armen Rustamyan

The issue of challenging the mandates of the Armenian delegation was also included in the agenda of the Committee. During the debate the Committee referred to the proposed rejections, according to which, the Armenian delegation was formed with procedural breaches.

Debating the issue and hearing the arguments presented by the delegation members, the Committee decided:

1.On 25 January 2010 the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary delegation of Armenia were challenged on procedural grounds, in accordance with Rule 7 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure, on the premise that the Armenian Parliament had "manipulated its internal rules in order to exclude a member of the EPP group" from the delegation.

2.The Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs has examined the various objections raised and has established that the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly was appointed in compliance with Article 25 of the Statute of the Council of Europe and Rule 6 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure.

3.Consequently, the Committee concludes that the credentials of the Armenian parliamentary delegation should be ratified.

4.The Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs believes that the situation of the rights of the parliamentary opposition might be monitored by the Assembly's Monitoring Committee within the framework of its regular dialogue with the Armenian authorities.

The Committee, studying the written certificate presented by Mrs. Postanjyan, noted in the explanatory part of the report (paragraph 18): “Finally, the Committee notes that Mrs Postanjyan does not invoke any specific ground based on law or on fact to support her claim that the decision on the delegation was taken illegally.”

The opinion of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was unanimously adopted.