Sargis Khandanyan, Deputy of the ruling “Civil Agreement” faction, and the Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly, announced in the National Assembly the other day that the National Assembly should ratify the Rome Statute. He also answered other questions of interest to journalists.
– There are constant criticisms of Russia from Armenia, and harsh reactions from there are not late. Don’t you see dangers here, and to what extent are tense relations with Russia in our favor?
– There is nothing new from the content point of view. The questions we had about Russia continue to be relevant. Those questions are the activities of the peacekeeping troops related to the situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the reaction of the Russian side and the CSTO to the Azerbaijani aggression associated with the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Therefore, from the content point of view, there was a recording of facts, which was done for months.
– Two-sided insults are heard.
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– The insults are not two-sided. The people responsible for diplomatic work should show proper diplomatic lexicon while carrying out their activities, but they failed to do so.
– There has yet to be any new information about the new appointment after recalling the representative of Armenia in the CSTO and appointing an ambassador. Has there been a decision on who the replacement is, and why has it yet to be selected?
There are no technical procedures, and I need to find out whether there is a candidate to appoint a representative of Armenia in the CSTO. And I cannot say anything about the terms.
– Are there discussions about the Rome Statute, and what decision did you reach?
– The Statute is already in the parliament, and some deadlines must run. During that time, we will have discussions at the faction level; the issue should also be discussed in the commission. If you ask my opinion, the Rome Statute should be ratified.
Sargis Khandanyan also touched upon the issue of joint military exercises with the USA. “Conducting military activities on the territory of Armenia is the sovereign decision of Armenia. I understand that various parties may have concerns and express grievances. But I repeat, it is the sovereign decision of Armenia. You also know about the nature of military exercises. They aim to improve Armenian-American cooperation in international peacekeeping services, which should occur next week.
According to the deputy of the Civil Contract faction, Armenia expects that the international community and the countries that have leverage should increase the pressure on Azerbaijan and prevent another explosion, considering that Azerbaijan mobilizes additional forces along the borders around Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.
Ashot HAKOBYAN
