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The draft statement of the National Assembly, which elaborated and put into circulation the RA NA Armenia Faction, is agreed with the RA NA With Honor Faction, which refers to the agenda item proposed by Hayakve civil legislative initiative. For the first time we have successful precedent, when necessary 50.000 signatures are presented in the civil initiative order. 58.000 citizens joined the initiative. The evaluation of this initiative is that it relates to the national most important issues: The Secretary of the NA Armenia Faction Artsvik Minasyan said during the extraordinary sitting of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs on December 4. He noted that the agenda item proposed by Hayakve civil legislative initiative was debated during the parliamentary hearing convened by the Armenia Faction on November 24. As a result, a draft of the addenda to the RA Criminal Code was designed, according to which, with special norm criminally punishable acts are qualified the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh in any other state on behalf of the Republic of Armenia and denying the recognition of the Armenian Genocide or downplaying its danger.

Artsvik Minasyan quoted from the pre-election programmes on the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem of the parliamentary three political forces, underlining that the issue of protection of the right to the self-determination of the Nagorno Karabakh people passes through a red thread in them.

The deputies addressed questions to the rapporteur, which related to the logic of the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem, the package of the common state, the attitude of the Secretary of the NA Armenia Faction on the Madrid principle, the text of the Hayakve initiative substantiation, the regulations proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group, the power shift happened in Nagorno Karabakh in 2023 and the decree on Nagorno Karabakh dissolution.

The Chair of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Vladimir Vardanyan inquired from Artsvik Minasyan why the statement was not formulated as a draft law and presented to the Committee. “One subject used force, did not get an answer, the next subject said – I am responsible for the security, force was used, and again remained unanswered. Why isn’t there its recording in the document?” Vladimir Vardanyan inquired. In response to the MP’s question Artsvik Minasyan noted that they are ready to realize the proposals in the statement.

Speaking about the proposal to replace the statement by the draft, Artsvik Minasyan informed that there is an impression that they want to replace the constitutional most important subject, the citizens with one MP. The parliamentarian mentioned that he is against that approach and informed that each side executes its right.

The Committee Chair Vladimir Vardanyan presented the co-report of the draft statement and welcomed the work of the constitutional institute. The deputy characterized it as a democratic achievement.

“The draft has no independent content, it does not cover in any way an effective issue, which is included in the agenda of the NA upcoming sittings, it was brought up in order to be able to hold parliamentary hearing. It reflects the civil legislative initiative in content, and contains certain proposals, which can become subject for separate legislative debate,” Vladimir Vardanyan said and proposed the attendees to record that statement fulfilled its mission, i.e. the hearing was held. Vladimir Vardanyan called on the Committee members to vote against the draft statement.

During their speeches the deputies referred to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the negotiations on solving it, Political assessments were sounded.

The author of the draft statement Artsvik Minasyan proposed to postpone the debate of the issue in the voting phase for revising it.