Armenia faction secretary Artsvik Minasyan stated that the idea to establish a permanent Ethics Committee in the National Assembly originated from the opposition. However, this new committee will differ significantly from existing permanent committees, according to Minasyan, as reported by Pastinfo.

He emphasized that both opposition and ruling factions will be equally represented, with no parliamentary majority dominance. The Civil Contract party will not have control over the committee.

Although the committee will operate on a permanent basis, Minasyan noted that its nature will be closer to that of temporary bodies. Ongoing discussions with the ruling faction continue, with the next meeting involving international organizations and experts expected at the end of April. A finalized version is anticipated to be presented to parliament in May.

Minasyan explained that they’ve reached consensus on the committee’s structure: opposition and government will have an equal number of members. The chairmanship will rotate—when addressing issues involving opposition MPs, the chair will be a government representative, and vice versa. In case of a tie vote, the chair’s vote will be decisive.

The committee’s administrative regulations will be clearly defined, including specific penalties and sanctions.

Minasyan added that on April 25, opposition factions plan to discuss forming an ethics committee to review the conduct of MP Andranik Kocharyan. He stressed that even if Civil Contract agrees to that initiative, it would only result in a non-binding conclusion. In contrast, the new permanent committee will have the authority to impose sanctions.

He also noted that Civil Contract has agreed to the committee structure proposed by the opposition, based on two previous working meetings. International institutions also support this approach, and a final decision is expected by May 20.