Statement by Artur Baghdasaryan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
The involvement of the parliaments in settling global issues has become imperative. In the context of democratization and spread of democracy the role of parliaments is important for several reasons, among 
which I may specify the following: first, democracy is the shortest and the most efficient way of meeting the challenges of the millennium – terrorism, violation of human rights, hunger and poverty. Strong parliament means developed and viable democracy. In this respect, it is significant to guarantee in the state legislation on the constitutional level the power of the parliament and reject any attempt of its restriction. Parliament, to my mind, is the institution most closely related to the people. Open parliament means that we strive for a parliament directed by the principle of transparency, ready for cooperation and open to the world. In this respect, it is imperative to develop inter-parliamentary cooperation as one of the best ways to achieve spread of democracy.
Active dialogue between all democratic institutions and individuals provides us with an opportunity to coordinate our activities in the framework of joint goals and projects. We are ready for collaboration and open for any democratic initiative. Unfortunately, our Azerbaijani colleagues use all possible floors only to reprimand and denounce Armenia, instead of speaking about development of democracy in the region, advance of cooperation and establishing good relations with neighbors. Everyone knows what the reality is. The Karabakh conflict was about the fight of the Karabakh people for their right for self-determination and freedom, which it managed to gain through a war that was unleashed by Azerbaijan itself.
Presently, we are going through a 10-year-long peace process, which is actively combined with the efforts of the international community seeking a solution to the Karabakh issue. Armenia has always been advocating for regional cooperation as a confidence-building measure. In this context, any destructive policy aimed at isolating any of the countries of the region is unacceptable and would be threatening the stability in the region. And the current issues should be resolved through a constructive dialogue and not aggressive calls, which should stay in the past.
In this view, I would like to mention the active dialogues we have had in our region, where different aspects of resolving our problems were discussed, In years 2003-2005, I had meetings with the speakers of the parliaments of the Southern Caucasus. According to the memorandum signed, the Southern Caucasus Parliamentary Assembly will start its activity on January the 1st , 2007. I am certain, it will contribute greatly to resolution of problems in Southern Caucasus and we will have a conflict-free and democratic region.
The process of democratization is one of the challenges inside our country as only a democratic country can have a progressive society committed to the principles of justice, equality and freedom. We understand the necessity of this process in the social and political life of our country and we can say that the National Assembly has taken important steps in this direction having adopted Electoral Code and implementing constitutional reforms, which will stand for democratization of power, as well as for just, transparent and democratic elections. We are certain that only just and transparent elections can provide ground for investments and bring trust towards our country. They say a ballot is stronger than a bullet. We will be happy to present our tradition, culture and democracy to the international community. I agree that our democracy is still young. But being young doesn’t mean being amateur. We should share our vision with the world and adopt the valuable experiences of other democratic countries.
There are two ways of spreading light: you can light a candle or you can be the mirror that reflects it.
Thank you, Mr. President
