Many of you are well informed about the actual state of political law issues in RA. Artak Zakaryan to Euronest participants

As a former member of parliament who worked on the drafting of the founding documents and charter of Euronest PA, as a former co-chairman of one of its standing committees and as a former vice-chairman of the assembly, I am very happy that during the 14 years of its activity, the full session of the EaP Euronest PA is being held in Yerevan for the second time (the first was on March 17-20, 2015). During that time, the RA National Assembly had the honor to host the sessions of the standing committees and bureaus of the Assembly several times. Artak Zakaryan, a member of the General Assembly of the RPA, wrote about this.

“As a partner country of the EaP, the Republic of Armenia considered all its formats (executive, parliamentary and civil society) as an opportunity to develop human rights, structures and principles of democracy in the newly independent republic, to be closer to European civilization and fundamental values, as well as to develop cooperation with EU member states in economic, legal, educational and cultural and other fields.

Naturally, in 2011, when the Euronest PA was founded, the European region and Armenia in particular were in a different situation. As a member of the National Assembly of two convocations, I can document and remind you how quickly and diligently the European Parliament and the European structures, as well as civil society structures, recorded and responded to the events taking place in the member states of the EaP. 2011-18 it was hard to even imagine that violations of human civil or political rights and freedoms could happen in any of the member countries of the EaP, and they would be ignored by pro-democracy structures.

The Euronest PA Committee on Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy, as well as the Standing Committee on Social, Education, Culture and Civil Society Affairs have prepared various reports on fundamental human rights and freedoms in the EaP member states. I assure you with full responsibility that if in 2012-17 what has been happening in Armenia for the last seven years, the issues of political rights of the individual, freedom of speech, autonomy of local self-governing bodies, as well as religious structures would be permanently on the agenda of the Euronest PA.

A lot has changed in today’s world. Unfortunately, Armenia’s internal and external challenges have also changed, including in the form of various rights and freedoms.

Until today, in the prisons of another NATO member country, Azerbaijan, our compatriots who, believing in the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, devoted their activities to the right to self-determination, security and freedom of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are being illegally detained.

From the chairs of the Euronest PA, Armenian deputies have made speeches many times, noting that the Artsakh issue is first of all a matter of vital human rights, fundamental freedoms and salvation. 2020-23 you witnessed how Azerbaijan behaved in its own homeland, towards the people who have lived in their hearths for thousands of years.

They were killed, captured, starved and eventually forcibly displaced in front of the whole world, right. I am confident that the time will come when the European Parliament and the national parliaments of the EU member states will have opportunities to raise and give due attention to the rights of the victims of one of the largest forced displacements of the 21st century.

Another issue is the socio-political situation in Armenia, declared a “bastion of democracy” with dozens of political prisoners. I honestly think that most of you are well informed about the actual state of political law issues in Armenia, but based on the current situation, you do not consider it appropriate to make it a subject of discussion for now. I am sure that when you are convinced that the government in RA has deceived you and is deceiving you, then you will be more vigilant.

Once again, I thank you for finding time to visit Armenia and I wish you efficient work at the 12th plenary session of the Assembly.

Your ex-partner

Artak Zakaryan, deputy of the 4th and 5th convocations of the RA National Assembly, former head of the Armenian delegation of the EaP PA.