Armenian Parties Welcome New PACE Resolution

The resolution adopted late on Wednesday praised the Armenian authorities for granting amnesty to them. It described the move as a “clear indication of the willingness of the authorities to overcome the political crisis and its consequences, and to turn to a new page in Armenia's democratic development.”

The PACE also called for the release of more than a dozen oppositionists remaining in prison. But it stopped short of threatening sanctions in case the authorities do not heed the call.

“I agree with the main findings of the assembly,” said Eduard Sharmazanov, a spokesman for President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). “I think that it’s a quite balanced document that mentions both our failings and achievements.”

Sharmazanov’s assessment mirrored that of parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamian, who traveled to Strasbourg and addressed the 47-nation assembly after it passed its fourth resolution on Armenia in 14 months.

Opposition representatives were also largely satisfied, citing other provisions of the resolution that are more critical of the authorities in Yerevan. According to Vladimir Karapetian, the foreign policy spokesman for the Armenian National Congress (HAK), the PACE found little progress in its main areas of concern.

“I want to remind that the PACE resolution adopted in April last year spells out the areas where reforms need to be undertaken,” Karapetian told RFE/RL. “In essence, Armenia has not made any progress since then, which led those officials who drafted the latest resolution to again remind the authorities of those reforms.”

Karapetian stressed the fact that the PACE expressed regret at the dissolution by President Serzh Sarkisian of a bipartisan body charged with conducting an independent inquiry into the March 2008 violence in Yerevan. He pointed out that the assembly also expressed serious concern about Armenian law-enforcement bodies’ failure to prosecute anyone in connection with the deaths of ten people in fierce clashes between opposition protesters and security forces.

Stepan Safarian, a senior member of the opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, also cited these provisions when he claimed that the resolution is rather disappointing for the Armenian authorities and “better than expected” for the opposition. “It became evident that the Armenian authorities are
accountable to and afraid of only international structures and duly satisfy all the demands made by them,” he said.