Today, at the press conference, the expert on constitutional affairs, Gabriel Balayan, told that he sees the need for reforms in the Constitution. But, in his words, the challenges that were facing Armenia, although aggravated, further escalated the security matters. According to him, the draft has not mirrored the solutions related to security. “The provisions on the status of the Armed Forces General Staff during wartime and in peacetime do not comply with the challenges that Armenia faces.”
Lawyer Tigran Atanesyan said that the Constitutional reforms are artificial agenda, the content by large is not significant. “Since the Constitution was never acted, therefore, we cannot say whether there is a need for it or not. When we will have fair elections, when the constitutional mechanisms will function rather than the khan’s form of the governance that actually functions, when there will be fair elections, only after then we can say whether there is the need for constitutional amendments or not.” According to him, our country is at stake by the form of the governance that we have: semi-despotic. “Azerbaijan is not a threat to our security but our domestic opponent that compels our population to flee the country, and the businessmen to shut down their businesses. This is the main enemy. I do not think that Azerbaijan is our main enemy.”
To the question of whether he agrees with the opinion that all of this is tailored to fit Serzh Sargsyan, Gabriel Balayan replied, “I would not like to say that it is tailored to fit somebody.” When the journalists clarified whether his opinion is due to the fact that his brother is working in the state agency, meaning that he was the brother of the Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan, Gabriel Balayan replied that not his brother but his brothers are working in the state system, however. “Definitely, it is not due to this fact. If you follow my comments, including in the social networks, you will see that they are quite objective.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
