On March 6 Mr. Tigran Torosyan, NA Speaker received Mr. John Prescott, Chairman of the PACE Ad-hoc Committee to Observe the Presidential elections in Armenia, who is in our country with post-election fact-finding mission. Mrs. Bojana Urumova, Special representative of CE General Secretary attended the meeting.

The NA Speaker Mr. Tigran Torosyan presented Mr. Prescott his considerations about the created situation in Armenia. It was noted that after parliamentary elections such cases did not happen, though the same political forces took part. Moreover that during the period after the May elections the situation in the country did not get worse but it was improved: the budget was increased and pensions too. Simply, there is one essential difference: during the whole period of pre-electoral campaign one of the presidential candidates, Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who did not take part in May elections, was calling on hatred, evil and revenge, by the way, not only towards power, but also towards other participants of the elections, calling them fascists, traitors and scams, as they don’t support him. As Mr. Torosyan assessed, what happened was not absolutely of any interest for the power, whose candidate received 53% of the votes, in more than 130 polling stations as a result of re-counting after the elections only in 2 polling stations essential differences of votes were recorded, and a case was brought against the commission chairpersons of those polling stations. After re-counting in those polling stations the votes of Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan much more reduced than the votes of Mr. Serzh Sargsyan. Afterwards two candidates applied to the Constitutional Court, which should make a decision during 10 days. Why should the authorities, which tolerated 9 days the illegal rallies, take such measures? The NA Speaker reminded that the parliament passed a law by the support of the CE experts on Meetings, Rallies, Processions and Demonstrations, which requires to make aware of the will, place and time of holding the mass event, defines about the one responsible for it. The law notes that one shall not have weapons, ammunition and explosive materials at the place of the rally. The video materials witness that when the police tried to search they attacked at the police with clubs and metallic rods. Then the disorders continued in another place, where they have turned upside down buses and cars, and it’s not understandable why the peaceful demonstrators build barricades, get prepared for war. These are events not connected with democracy, which turned into criminal crime, and those guilty must be punished. There was no way to prevent cases of barbarism and vandalism, than to declare state of emergency. The NA Speaker noted that even in that situation Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan refused to meet the religious leader, the Holy Patriarch, who went to his house for establishing calmness. As the NA Speaker assessed, what happened had no connection with the events, but there were revelations of hatred and vengeance, which, unfortunately, resulted in casualties, and the guilty for this is Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who irrespective of his political views, had to calm down his supporters. The NA Speaker noted that he fully agrees with the statement of the PACE President, according to which "the disagreements connected with elections should be solved in the Constitutional Court, and not with street clashes.” He expressed his disagreement to the statements, which require dialogue, release of those arrested. As the NA Speaker assessed, the authors of such statements are simply poorly informed because, those who committed criminal crimes, are arrested and must be punished. The dialogue, of course, is necessary, but not on the results of the elections, what is the problem of the Constitutional Court, but on the further process of the country, improvements with all political forces.

Mr. Prescott noted that as a political figure of the Council of Europe, his role is to assist the CE member country, which appeared in difficult situation and provide more democratic participation in the political life of the country. If there is a danger of destabilizing the situation with mass demonstrations, every government can take appropriate measures to correct the situation. But in every situation there are different comments: what happened, and what about that the final conclusion will make the courts. The aim of the Council of Europe is to give fair assessment to the process of the elections, and such assessment was given just after voting, noting that the final assessment will be given after the decision of the Constitutional Court. In his words, in the context of the establishment of democratic structures there is serious progress in Armenia, but there is also lack of trust towards the activity of those structures. The former RA President, who submitted certain requirements to the Constitutional Court, must look politically towards external world and show that he wants not war, but peace. Mr. Prescott noted that in his report he aims to note positive steps, which can promote the CE member state to come out of the created situation and to have all the sides of the dialogue not to feel defeated and steps will be taken towards consent. Only the Constitutional Court will decide the elections were fair or not.

The NA Speaker Mr. Tigran Torosyan expressed willingness to discuss the steps directed towards trust and tolerance both in Yerevan, and if necessary, in Strasbourg, noting that the PACE can have a great role for correcting the situation.

At the meeting other issues were also discussed.

Mr. Davit Harutyunyan, Head of RA NA delegation in PACE, also received Mr. John Prescott, Chairman of the PACE Ad-Hoc Committee to Observe the Presidential Elections in Armenia. Mrs. Bojana Urumova, Special representative of CE General Secretary attended the meeting.

Mr. Prescott noted that the aim of his extraordinary visit is to study the situation in Armenia connected with declaration of the state of emergency and submit a report to the PACE President and the Secretary General. At the guest’s request Mr. Harutyunyan presented the situation in Armenia after declaring state of emergency, post-electoral processes, the procedure of the examination of the case on disputing the presidential elections in the Constitutional Court. It was noted that for the examination of the case the basis was the applications of the presidential candidates of Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Mr. Tigran Karapetyan argumentation of the decision of the RA Central Electoral Commission on the Election of the President of the Republic. To the conviction of the sides the only way of the solution of the inner-political complicated situation created in Armenia is the creation of the atmosphere of trust and the necessity of political dialogue. In this context the role of PACE was emphasized to begin dialogue and find solutions. In Mr. Prescott’s words, their aim is not to accuse the sides, but to help and take measures in order to solve the created situation. Mr. Harutyunyan is convinced that the PACE position must be distinct in order to avoid speculations.

At the meeting the sides also discussed issues of bilateral interest.