The RA NA delegation, led by the Head of the NA delegation to the institution Ruben Rubinyan, participated in the third part of the annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The member of the RA NA delegation Sona Ghazaryan delivered a speech at the session.
Dear colleagues, Honourable Chair,
I have always believed that PACE is not the appropriate place for exchanges between national delegations. Nevertheless, I cannot leave the remarks made by Mr. Mamijanyan unanswered.
The recent parliamentary elections in Armenia were conducted in a peaceful, orderly, and democratic manner, as confirmed by various international observation missions.
Armenian citizens freely expressed their political will, and the majority chose a path of peace, democracy, the normalization of relations with Turkey, deeper European integration, and the continued strengthening of our democratic institutions.
The results in three polling stations were annulled, as requested by the opposition, and at present the Constitutional Court is holding hearings on the matter.
I am confident that in democratic Armenia, institutions act independently and in a proper and democratic manner. I would also like to remind the Assembly that one of the reasons behind the 2018 revolution was that Mr. Mamijanyan’s party, among others, had failed to ensure free and fair elections. Today, according to IRI polls, Armenians believe that their vote matters and that they are the ones who hold power.
Mr. Mamijanyan asks us not to go into details regarding arrests; however, I urge the opposite. Many of those individuals were arrested for attempting to bribe citizens.
Armenian law enforcement authorities uncovered and prevented numerous attempts to bribe voters. These activities are linked to individuals associated with the party of a Russian oligarch, a Belarusian-linked oligarch, and Mr. Mamijanyan’s former political team. So let us go into details.
The elections were also accompanied by significant foreign interference. Armenia faced coordinated political and economic pressure, including well-funded efforts to influence public opinion and restrictions affecting certain Armenian exports. These actions demonstrate that attempts to influence our democratic process extended beyond the political sphere into the economic domain.
Our message throughout the election was very straightforward: Armenian citizens had to go and choose the next Government. I am very happy that Armenians demonstrated their political will in favour of further European integration, as well as their determination to build a secure and democratic Armenia in peaceful neighbourhood relations”, the MP mentioned.
