European People’s Party (EPP) chairman, former Belgian prime minister Wilfried Martens handed Heritage opposition party leader Raffi Hovannisian the official EPP pin symbolizing Heritage’s entry into the EPP family as an observer member. A formal decision will be made in February 2012.

Heritage’s EPP membership was announced during the EPP chairman’s keynote address at the party’s 20th annual congress in Marseille.

Further, Hovannisian has separate meetings with Martens, president of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin of Marseille, and several European presidents, prime ministers, members of parliament, and EPP leaders.

The Republican Party of Armenia, the Prosperous Armenia Party, Orinats Yerkir have also applied for an observer status in the EPP, Heritage press service reported.