“The current political and social situation led to failure of reforms in 2003, after which the Parliament initiated constitutional reforms, and we had nothing to do. A Parliament Commission was operating,” such opinion was expressed by the President of the Constitutional Court (CC), Gagik Harutyunyan, to the question of Aravot.am of what the reason was that once when he was the head of the Constitutional Reform Commission, he put down his powers as a Chairman of the Commission. As we have already informed, under the regional phase of public discussions on the concept paper of the constitutional reforms, today, a discussion was held in the city of Armavir. Mr. Harutyunyan, detailing the process of constitutional reforms initiated under the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, said, “At that time, the president initiated reforms and the same condition was put forward, not to dictate any solution, but the one that our commission along with international experts is able to work and come up with reasonable solutions. Robert Kocharyan agreed with this approach, and until 2001 we have worked with ease and regularly presented approaches. In 2001, the issue was discussed in silence at the Venice Committee session and a 178-clauses decision was adopted. All of them were positive positions.” However, according to Gagik Harutyunyan, the situation changed and the “judicial approaches were moved to the second plan, a version of the constitution was elaborated, which immediately aroused the indignation of our international partners.” Mr. Harutyunyan told he had to enter into this situation already in that phase as purely the president of the Constitutional Court and a state citizen, who has made his contribution to the establishment of the state. Mr. Harutyunyan told he immediately had returned and met with Robert Kocharyan, after which the second President of Armenia had invited the coalition forces to a meeting, and set forth a task that they need to be deviated from the previous path, and look for other solutions. However, according to Gagik Harutyunyan, the “deviation was so great that the return ultimately failed.” To our specification of whether it means that once Robert Kocharyan has prevented exercising constitutional amendments and has passed his own constitution, Mr. Harutyunyan responded, “He did not try to prevent it, his influence here was so that the coalition forces gave up the previous approach and took the path of the approach of other constitutional reforms. As to what were the motives of the parliamentarians to take this path, we can ask them.” To our next question of whether this fundamental issue does not lead to the opinion that the constitutional reforms are carried out primarily to prevent Robert Kocharyan’s return, Mr. Harutyunyan responded, “This is from the political populism arena. Any comment can be made. There is a situation when one has a boy, and the neighbor says, you see, I told that you will have a boy. There is no bone in the human mouth and the tongue. I do not give importance to them.” Mr. Harutyunyan believes that such interpretations are dangerous. In this respect, Mr. Harutyunyan expressed a concern, “There are major forces outside that seek to undermine the constitutional reforms. Even international forces of a number of youth organizations in Yerevan Hotel have instructed and promised grants that they would do everything to ruin the constitutional reforms.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
