On October 4 RA NA Speaker had a briefing with the journalists. NA President said:

- During our today’s briefing we’ll speak about the important events taking place in Armenia in October. I would like to divide my word into two parts: first, the activity of the parliament in the foreign policy sphere, second, inner political problems. I would like to mention that this month several events of key importance will be held, in particular, “Rose Roth” international seminar-discussion jointly with NATO Parliamentary Assembly will begin in Yerevan with participation of about 120 international delegates, parliamentary delegations of 15 countries, more than 20 international organizations and observers’ missions, where we’ll elaborate the problems of South Caucasus security. That discussion is of important political importance not only for Armenia, but also from the viewpoint of regional developments, and I’m sure that it will be very interesting, and about 26 reports are envisaged. We’ll listen to the political claims of different international organizations on the present and future of our region. The second important event is that in Yerevan the sessions of the two standing committees of CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly, one is the session of the Committee on Finance and Economy, the other one – on Science, Education and Culture, and once again the visit of several dozens of MPs and experts to Armenia will enable to speak about cooperation and development with CIS framework in the spheres of economy, finances, culture, science and education. I think that a unique good opportunity will be created in order to promote also the exchanges between scientific, educational and cultural institutions and dialogue between CIS different countries. And eventually, at the end of October and beginning of November the session of the Armenian Parliamentary Friendship Assembly will be convened in Yerevan, to which the members of the presidium will come to participate from four, five countries, and besides, we’ll also celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the parliament and in connection with that, we’ll have more than 80 participants from the parliaments of different countries of the world. Parliament Speakers will visit Armenia, and I think that rather full month will enable to activate the foreign policy activities of our country and our parliament. Besides, this week we’ll receive the delegation headed by the Congress Speaker of India and Vice President of India, where we’ll also speak about the inter-state and inter-parliamentary relations.

I consider of key importance in the inner political life the inclusion of the rather painful issue of returning the deposits on the agenda of the current session. An exceptional political agreement was reached between all political forces, independent MPs and that fair problem concerning our people already has been put on the agenda of the four-day sittings. You know, that numerous, hundreds of TV programmes and statements, articles and radio programmes have been dedicated to the problem of deposits, in particular, trying to blacken and discredit Artur Baghdasaryan and Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law) party, but today I would like to declare that due to consistent political joint work we could achieve political agreement on that problem because the return of the deposits refers to our whole country and people, the return of returning about 2mln 200.000 peoples’ honestly earned money, and I think that in this direction we’ve worked jointly. I would like to highlight the necessity of consolidation and tolerance in order to solve that problem: eventually the wound hurts the owner, we should understand dozens of thousands of people, who are waiting for the solution of that problem, and me, as a Parliament Speaker, apply to the journalists to do everything possible to be free from political speculations. We really will be able to solve this problem concerning our nation, our country and our people. The person’s hand has five fingers, if one finger is added, the form of that hand will be definitely spoiled. Now, there are many people, who would like to overshadow the political agreement. I also implore with this report everybody to work jointly, and nobody tries to privatize the problem of the deposits, that is the result of everybody’s joint work. It’s important that we could work jointly and should make reality the decision made by the joint meeting of the President of the Republic and political coalition and where the MPs of different groups, factions also participated.

I would like also to inform our compatriots with your help that during the four-day sittings we discussed the most important social bills and adopted them. From now on in RA every born child will receive 35.000 drams of lump-sum grant, the family, which is on the list of the needy people, will receive double, 70.000 drams in case of birth of each child, each family, which has a child studying in the first class, will receive a lump-sum grant, and we’ll continue that addressed policy, increasing every year the sums, but I think that a very important step is made. Just now in NA the RA draft law “On Medicine” is being discussed, the adoption of that law means that from now on people in socially hard conditions will be provided medicine free of charge, and each year within the frameworks of state health purposeful programs the people will get free medical help and medicine. The public awareness is also very important about this, so the people could know their rights because eventually if people aren’t aware of their rights, they simply don’t have those rights, the person should know in order to fight for his/her rights. I would like to say so much, if there are any questions, I’d answer them.

Naira Zohrabyan: “Haykakan Zhamanak” (Armenian Time) – Mr. Baghdasaryan, are you sure that your colleagues, in particular, RPA, will keep the political agreement and next week the returning of the deposits to certain social groups will be fixed with special line in the budget submitted to the parliament?

- Yes, I believe that the political agreement will keep the political agreement by RPA, also by all political forces that joined this initiative because the political agreement is beyond doubt, it’s published, the agreement is distinct, and everybody is concerned and should be consistent to solve this problem. And in the budget such article should be envisaged, for sure, because they are more than twenty social categories, and we, in fact, in our country begin a rather important social but also a political process in its content, the essence of which is that a decision was made around the expected problem, a joint decision to solve the problem.

- Ofelia Kocharyan: “Ambion” (Tribune) – Mr. Baghdasaryan, we’ll turn to the constitutional referendum, in your opinion, nevertheless, will there be power shift in case of people saying “no” to the constitutional referendum?

- You know, speaking about power shift we should take into account a clear realty, only in one and a half year pan-state elections will be held in this country, and to speak now about shift power I consider not timely, and I’ve repeatedly expressed my stances distinctly and publicly. We’re at the development stage, I declare with all responsibility, if there is somebody among the reporters, who will try to substantiate that the submitted constitutional reforms draft is bad, I’m ready to argue with that person. Even with the opposition colleagues, with whom we communicate not only in the chamber, in parliamentary discussions, but we’re also colleagues, the majority simply accepts that these reforms have obvious positive elements. Of course, we could have better one, but what we have, is distinctly a progressive step, and my colleagues also said about that. What refers to the referendum results, I’ve already said that today our society is divided into four parts: people, who are for the constitutional reforms, second, a part of our people, that is against those reforms, with whom we’ll have to try to work, third, people, who don’t know about those reforms, the number of those people, who don’t know at all what is it about, is rather big, fourth, people, who are involved in simple speculations, and I think that we should be able to have a campaign of public awareness, and it shouldn’t be the political monopoly of the coalition: it should be the work of all public-political forces that want to have decentralization of power in Armenia. You see, I would like to give the example of A1+ TV Company, which is spoken about a lot. So, today in Armenia RA President appoints the members of the regulating body, and, in fact, they are accountable before the appointing body. After the constitutional reforms NA will appoint the half of the members of the regulating body, and it will also suppose being accountable before the multi-party body. With this example I would like to indicate how positive it is when the process of publicity is increased. The second example is that the RA President appoints the Prosecutor General, so, naturally, the Prosecutor General is accountable before the President of the republic. With the new draft NA will appoint the Prosecutor General, it’s true, by the President’s proposal, but it will also result in the Prosecutor General’s report, as in all countries of the world, i.e. a report to the parliament about the activity of the Prosecutor’s Office. Today, we speak in our country a lot about crimes, strengthening the fighting against crimes, but you see there is no place that will become a matter of wide discussion, as it is in numerous countries of the world. These constitutional reforms will enable to open the doors, make more public and transparent the power system, and I’ll bring one more example, which refers to the parliament: today if the MP asks the government, they will answer whatever they want, when, in fact, the question is sounded, in one case, the answer satisfies, in another case – it doesn’t satisfy. For the first time in Armenia, regardless it’s opposition or power, the political groupings, factions, groups get the right to submit a written question to the government, and in connection with that the National Assembly has the right to make decisions with the third part of Article 80 of the draft Constitution. You understand, what an important lever is this, you, as experienced reporters, imagine that the political faction gets the right to raise a question before the government and in connection with that, NA makes a decision. It seems to me that with these reforms the positive tendency is obvious, and we should do our best to get it adopted.

- Vahan Vardanyan, “Hayots Ashkharh” (Armenian World) daily – Mr. Baghdasaryan, in your opinion, today, what number predominates, those who are for, against or those who haven’t been oriented?

- It seems to me those people, who aren’t oriented, who aren’t aware because my last meetings also to different places of the republic show that there is healthy interest. For example, yesterday, I had a big meeting in the center of Yerevan, where the elite of our intelligentsia lives, people ask questions, people are interested in Constitution, in fact, all those people, forces, who are interested in the reforms to be made in Armenia, should begin a campaign of wide public awareness to make the people understand what are the reforms about.

- Karmen Davtyan, “Zhamanak” (Time) daily – Mr. Baghdasaryan, as a coalition member, will you indicate where the sums of the deposit get formed, and is it possible that the proportion won’t be kept and some changes will be: the coalition will be broken or the Prime Minister will be changed?

- I exclude such scenario because I repeat that a political agreement has been reached, and I don’t think that there will be sides breaking the public political agreement. Second, Armenia will have 1bln USD budget with cost part. This means to direct the economic increase to the solution of the social problems. You see, for one born child the socially needy family receives 70.000 drams of lump-sum grant, and any RA citizen over 65 receives right of free medical aid in the hospitals, polyclinics. From 2006 all polyclinic services will become free, the rise of salaries, pensions goes on, i.e. there are sums, and these sums today are discussed, and are mainly directed to the solution of the social problems, of course, there are also big resources, and if the fighting becomes more effective, the administration becomes more effective, the fighting against corruption, bribery strengthens more, the sums will be more. The thousandth step begins from the first step, and we’ll have to go forward slowly.