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On June 17 the co-rapporteurs Axel Fischer and Alan Meale of the PACE Monitoring Committee on Armenia who arrived in Armenia met with the NA factions.

The first meeting was with the Head of the Heritage faction Rubik Hakobyan.

Axel Fischer has informed that the meeting with the NA factions, their goal is to listen to their viewpoints and opinions on a number of issues, particularly, about the inner-political situation and further plans of the factions. After the visit the co-rapporteurs will prepare a report, which will be submitted to the consideration of the PACE Monitoring Committee.

At the guests’ request, Rubik Hakobyan touched upon the inner-political situation, the regional processes, the cooperation directions of the four non-power parliamentary forces and their further goals, the constitutional reforms. He has clarified that the Heritage faction highlights the parliamentary governance system, but he considers the process of constitutional reforms launched at the moment to be premature. Rubik Hakobyan touched upon the problem of the NKR conflict settlement, protection of human rights and freedoms and the faction approaches to the democratic development in the communities.

The representatives of the NA ARF faction also met with the co-rapporteurs Axel Fischer and Alan Meale from of PACE Monitoring Committee on Armenia.

At the guests' request the Head of the Faction Armen Rustamyan and Secretary Aghvan Vardanyan touched upon the situation created after the elections, the statement comprised of 12 items presented by the NA four non-power forces and other issues. By Armen Rustamyan's assessment, the fulfillment of the 12 items presented by the quartet will give an opportunity to the government to make the reforms more realistic. He highlighted the provision of the opposition with control functions and the amendments to the electoral system. Touching upon the concept of constitutional reforms Mr Rustamyan has underlined that the goal of their party is not the denial of the constitutional reforms in itself, if they are going to result in the change of the governance system and solve the problems faced by the country, and in that case they will submit recommendations.

Talking about the NK problems, Mr Vardanyan attached importance to the Artsakh people's right of self-determination, noting that Azerbaijan had unleashed a war against the NK and was defeated in it. "It is important that our European colleagues not let the NK people's blockade,” the Faction Secretary underscored. He emphasized the continuity of the RA-EU dialogue.

During the meeting the sides also referred to the newly formed government activities, Armenia’s membership to the Eurasian Union, the women’s role in the public-political processes and other issues of mutual interest.

The next meeting of the co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee on Armenia was with the Head of the Rule of Law Faction Heghine Bisharyan and the Secretary Mher Shahgeldyan.

Heghine Bisharyan has noted that the Rule of Law party has been functioning as an opposition for already two months. In her word, the faction is ready for public policy, to debate issues with other political forces. Faction Secretary Mher Shahgeldyan presented the important items, which are prior for their party. Political priorities for the Rule of Law Party are transition to 100% proportional representation electoral system, adoption of new law on parties and other issues for the democratization of the RA political system, the formation of transparent and fair electoral system, the institutional development of party system and the improvement of mechanisms for human rights protection.

Heghine Bisharyan and Mher Shahgeldyan touched upon the NK problems, Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union, the protection of human rights, the freedom of speech, and the withdrawal of the Rule of Law Party from the political coalition, etc.

The co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee on Armenia also met the Head of the ANC Faction Levon Zurabyan and the Faction Secretary Aram Manukyan.

During the meeting Levon Zurabyan talked about the electoral processes, highlighted the voters' lists clarification and the freedom of TV companies. He has also touched upon the concept of constitutional reforms proposed by the authorities, noting that the faction does not see the need of those reforms at the moment.

Levon Zurabyan also talked about the events occurred in the city of Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008, referred to the issues on human rights protection and inner-political problems.

During the meeting with the co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee the Prosperous Armenia Faction (PAP) Secretary Naira Zohrabyan and the faction members Elinar Vardanyan and Stepan Margaryan presented the faction position on the inner-political and foreign political developments going on in the country, talked about the cooperation in the format of the quartet and the steps which the four parties had initiated.

In the course of the meeting the sides touched upon the activity of the new government. The sides discussed the concept of constitutional reforms, on which the PAP faction presented its viewpoint, noting that at the moment there is no public demand for the constitutional amendments.

The sides also discussed the most serious challenges faced by the country: the problems of emigration, poverty and unemployment, referred to a number of on the improvement of legislation.

From the RPA Faction the NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan, deputies Hovhannes Sahakyan, Arpine Hovhannisyan, Naira Karapetyan and Araik Hovhannisyan met with the co-rapporteurs Axel Fischer and Alan Meale of the PACE Monitoring Committee on Armenia.

Welcoming the guests, Hermine Naghdalyan has documented with satisfaction that the factions represented in the legislative body of our country and of different political directions work in the atmosphere of mutual tolerance, which the RPA highlights as a positive achievement.

At the co-rapporteurs’ request, the members of the faction Hermine Naghdalyan and Hovhannes Sahakyan touched upon the work done by the NA Ad-hoc Committee on Studying the March 1, 2008 events and the legislative reforms made for excluding the repetition of such tragic events, noting that the study and pre-examination of new evidences on that case continues at the present.

Based on the meetings with a number of civil society representatives, the co-rapporteurs were also interested in the steps being taken towards gender equality, the development of democracy in the local self-government bodies, on which the faction members presented both the works done and the works in the process. In particular, Araik Hovhannisyan noticed that the process of community enlargement had started in the republic. Besides, the legislation of the sphere is being improved in line with the European standards.

In the course of the meeting the sides discussed also other issues.