“I, as a representative of the Heritage Party parliamentary group, have already said that the written invitation of Samvel Nikoyan, the National Assembly Speaker, to discuss the idea of forming a monitoring working group under the National Assembly Speaker was addressed to all parliamentary groups. Two or three working meetings were held, which were more of a preparatory ones and which I participated in and yes, my party instructed me from the beginning not to give any final response about the Heritage Party parliamentary group’s participation, unless it was clear whether the proposals of the Heritage Party would be accepted and whether that group would have any real capabilities to supervise the election process. And I reiterated at the very first meeting and after that too that the Heritage Party had no wish in that rather tense situation to spend its time and human resources on a thing that would not change anything in terms of the quality of elections. After that, we presented our perceptions about the supervision over the election process both orally and in written. When we were required to appoint a representative in the group and it was done in written, as well as by phone and during the meeting, I clearly said that no one should perceive my participation in the preparations of the group as the final response to the group about the Heritage Party’s participation, therefore, it would not appoint any representative and would not sign any document, unless it was clear, where that group led us and what it could do,” stated Stepan Safaryan, in response to a question of www.aravot.am whether the Heritage Party had ever been in the Monitoring Group under the National Assembly Speaker and whether he had left the group only the previous day, as the press wrote.
Stepan Safaryan also added during a conversation with us that the Heritage Party expressed its position on this group’s work and the participation of the parliamentary group in that group in written and in the form of a statement a few days before, when the National Assembly proved its inability to perform its direct functions and mission. S. Safaryan meant that the second four-day session of the National Assembly had not taken place because of a lack of a quorum. “One should assert that there is no National Assembly in Armenia these days, because two four-day sessions of the National Assembly have failed, only because the presidency was unable to perform its duties, to invite people who aspire to be in the next convocation of the parliament too and participate in the election process today. In that regard my party made a respective statement a week ago,” Stepan Safaryan, the Heritage Party parliamentary group leader, reminded talking about the information published in the press today that he had stated
yesterday that the Heritage Party “leaves the Monitoring Commission under the National Assembly Speaker,” and an official letter had been sent to Samvel Nikoyan. Safaryan stated that “the Armenian press has familiarized itself with the statement we made a week ago too late,” he also added that the Heritage Party had really not participated in the first meeting of the working group yesterday and the previous ones, as opposed to this one, had been preparatory working meetings.
Naira MAMIKONYAN
