Under “The Code of Conduct for MPs”, how to make the generals Manvel Grigoryan and Seyran Saroyan not to blaspheme while talking with journalists, Mher Sedrakyan to be polite to a mass media representative, or Arakel Movsisyan not to call his colleague ‘lying under a Turk’. In the interview with Aravot.am, the secretary of PAP Naira Zohrabyan responded to our question as follows, “It is not possible to make in any way. Those who make such statements, the calls of the authors to burn on the fire are not subject to any sanction by their party. Naturally, we can understand that the style to protect your own part by using this manner is encouraged by the internal procedures, and it can not be prevented in any way.” Yesterday, the Committee on NA state-legal issues organized parliamentary hearings to discuss the “The Code of Conduct for MPs”. International experts were invited to the discussion to provide recommendations. As commented by Naira Zohrabyan, “What was listed as a violation of the code of conduct in different countries, we have some MPs who will look at and say ‘but it is an advantage’. In other words, crossing through a red light is a form of their status, a kind of self-determination, lobbying. They do not consider it is a minus, but an advantage. I give much importance to these discussions, but I think that the experts who come here and try to share experience should come a little bit prepared to the culture of the country. If they were familiar with political, parliamentary culture of Armenia at least for half a year, I am sure that the emphasis would be completely different. Many emphases were just causing a smile, not more.” Naira Zohrabyan believes that if there were severe penalties, these rules might operate to some extent. “But we all see how the NA Ethics Committee functions. Obviously, there is a violation of the law, but the Ethics Committee finds that there is no violation of the law, there is no conflict of interests. We always come to the same conclusion that there should be a political will, groups that are not above the law, and political teams that are not above the law. Whilst we are unable to solve this problem in our country, no code of conduct, no compulsion will have any binding effect. Such sanctions often become more dangerous to our type of countries, because they will be enforced selectively, in other words, they will become a political bludgeon against opponents. That’s why I am often against exercising such penalties. Those who have the power will stay out of the sanctions, and the political opponents, as a rule, will appear in the target group of these sanctions.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
