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On March 18 the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Audronius Azhubalis and the delegation accompanying him being on a regional visit in Armenia met the representatives of the parliamentary opposition ARF and Heritage factions.

During the meeting issues concerning the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, as well as electoral processes were discussed.

The head of the NA Heritage faction Styopa Safaryan touched upon the reasons of the Karabakh conflict and, particularly, the issues of Karabakh appearing part of Azerbaijan and noted that as the Baltic countries, so Nagorno Karabakh has the right to be decolonized.

According to the head of the faction, still in the 80s of the last century the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh was made play rules of game, to which Karabakh gave its unique opinion, which, however, did not recognize the leadership of the USSR.

Touching upon later the war imposed by Azerbaijan and self-determination of NKR, Styopa Safaryan considered impermissible that today the territorial integrity is again recognized. According to him, this reality, as well as the internationally non-recognition of the NKR democratic big achievements resulted in Azerbaijan’s opinion that it has the right to solve the problem in military way.

The head of the ARF faction Vahan Hovhannsiyan submitted to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office the views of the faction on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

In that context he assessed non-adequate the OSCE reaction to Azerbaijan’s bellicose and aggressive statements, which every day are directed to our country. The head of that faction in particular opined that the international structures, including also OSCE among them, when they mention the impermissibility of aggressive statements in relation to the problem do not specify to whose side is directed it. According to Vahan Hovhannisyan, it’s not acceptable to put at the same plane the two sides.

In response to the information of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Audronius Azhubalis that in search of the solution of delaying conflicts of the CIS countries he visited Moldova and Transdnestria, Vahan Hovhannisyan was interested in the fact why he hadn’t gone to the NKR.

The sides touched upon the electoral processes, the draft law of RA new Electoral Code, Vahan Hovhannisyan said that NA ARF and Heritage factions had sent their demands comprised of 11 clauses on Electoral Code to the Venice Commission. The most important demand among them, as Vahan Hovhannisyan noticed, referred to the post-electoral situation. He noticed that the reason of the post-electoral unstable situation is the distrust of the society on the outcomes. The head of the faction highlighted the publicity of the lists of the voted persons for strengthening the trust.

At the meeting other issues were also discussed.

The delegation led by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Audronius Azhubalis had meetings with the representatives of the RPA, Prosperous Armenia Party and Country of Law factions in the parliament.

Greeting the visit of the delegation to RA National Assembly, the head of the RPA faction Galust Sahakyan expressed conviction that the issues being discussed during the meeting would promote the solution of a number of most important issues for our state.

The secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) faction Aram Safaryan thanked the parliament of Lithuania for adopting a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide 5 years ago. Mr Safaryan said that in 2009 in Vilnius within the framework of PACE PA the delegation of Armenia met his Lithuanian counterparts and an agreement had been reached to activate the parliamentary contacts, in connection of which the Armenian side expressed its willingness. He expressed his concern in relation to the resolution put into circulation in the settlement of the NK conflict, as it, according to Mr Safaryan, is a one-sided resolution, and does not express the real situation.

Joining Aram Safaryan’s concern, the member of the PAP faction Naira Zohrabyan noted that the adoption of separate resolution on NK issue in the parliament of Lithuania will not be understandable for the Armenian side, and she called on to be as cautious as possible in such sensible issue as the NK conflict. Stressing that the NK problem should be solved in peaceful means and exclusively within the format of the Minsk Group, Mrs Zohrabyan, nevertheless, expressed concern why the co-chairs of the Minsk Group did not react to Azerbaijan’s stubborn attempts of moving the NK problem from the Minsk Group to other international structures, why they didn’t react to the creation of the “revitalized” sub-committee on NK issue in the PACE January session, why they didn’t react to the bellicose statements of Azerbaijan’s political elite in any way. Mrs Zohrabyan said that she applied to the French co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier, but up to now answer had not been received. According to the assessment of the PAP faction representative, it’s time that the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs be more addressed. According to her, Azerbaijan’s political elite every day evidently threatens by war, Azerbaijan day by day increases its military budget and as a proof to what has been said Mrs Zohrabyan stressed that Ilham Aliyev in his last speech 17 times has sounded threat of war.

The head of the RPA faction Galust Sahakyan added that Mrs Zohrabyan’s considerations were one of the main principles of our political field, which were acceptable by both the power and opposition. Mr Sahakyan also stressed the solution of the NK issue the international community and Armenia saw exclusively within the Minsk Group format, and Azerbaijan’s attempts to move the issue to other structures was violation of the rules of game. In Mr Sahakyan’s opinion, a new document should be signed, which will exclude the solution of the problem through war, and punitive measures will be envisaged for preventing such cases.

Touching upon Azerbaijan’s military rhetoric on NK issue the member of the Country of Law faction Khachik Harutyunyan stressed that our state and army were for peace and defending the state.

By the assessment of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Audronius Azhubalis, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs effectively work, which, however, can be visible for the public. He also noted that they are for solving the issue in peaceful means and in the OSCE Minsk Group.

The secretary of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) faction Aram Safaryan thanked the parliament of Lithuania for adopting a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide 5 years ago. Mr Safaryan said that in 2009 in Vilnius within the framework of PACE PA the delegation of Armenia met his Lithuanian counterparts and an agreement had been reached to activate the parliamentary contacts, in connection of which the Armenian side expressed its willingness. He expressed his concern in relation to the resolution put into circulation in the settlement of the NK conflict, as it, according to Mr Safaryan, is a one-sided resolution, and does not express the real situation.

Joining Aram Safaryan’s concern, the member of the PAP faction Naira Zohrabyan noted that the adoption of separate resolution on NK issue in the parliament of Lithuania will not be understandable for the Armenian side, and she called on to be as cautious as possible in such sensible issue as the NK conflict. Stressing that the NK problem should be solved in peaceful means and exclusively within the format of the Minsk Group, Mrs Zohrabyan, nevertheless, expressed concern why the co-chairs of the Minsk Group did not react to Azerbaijan’s stubborn attempts of moving the NK problem from the Minsk Group to other international structures, why they didn’t react to the creation of the “revitalized” sub-committee on NK issue in the PACE January session, why they didn’t react to the bellicose statements of Azerbaijan’s political elite in any way. Mrs Zohrabyan said that she applied to the French co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier, but up to now answer had not been received. According to the assessment of the PAP faction representative, it’s time that the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs be more addressed. According to her, Azerbaijan’s political elite every day evidently threatens by war, Azerbaijan day by day increases its military budget and as a proof to what has been said Mrs Zohrabyan stressed that Ilham Aliyev in his last speech 17 times has sounded threat of war.

The head of the RPA faction Galust Sahakyan added that Mrs Zohrabyan’s considerations were one of the main principles of our political field, which were acceptable by both the power and opposition. Mr Sahakyan also stressed the solution of the NK issue the international community and Armenia saw exclusively within the Minsk Group format, and Azerbaijan’s attempts to move the issue to other structures was violation of the rules of game. In Mr Sahakyan’s opinion, a new document should be signed, which will exclude the solution of the problem through war, and punitive measures will be envisaged for preventing such cases.

Touching upon Azerbaijan’s military rhetoric on NK issue the member of the Country of Law faction Khachik Harutyunyan stressed that our state and army were for peace and defending the state.

By the assessment of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Audronius Azhubalis, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs effectively work, which, however, can be visible for the public. He also noted that they are for solving the issue in peaceful means and in the OSCE Minsk Group.