Heritage opposition party leader intends to return to parliamentSeptember 30, 2009 - 17:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Heritage opposition party leader Raffi K. Hovannisian has issued a statement of to announce decision not to lay down his parliamentary mandate.The statement says, "My Fellow Countrymen: Having humbly labored so many years for the international reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, recognition of the Karabagh Republic, and normalization of relations with our neighbors without any precondition, I felt betrayed by the actions of this administration in compromising these fundamental principles and therefore decided to lay down my parliamentary mandate in protest. Since that moment, however, I have been urged by compatriots both in Armenia and in our broad Diaspora to take up the challenge and use the limited forum that the National Assembly offers to speak in the name of truth and justice no matter what the odds. Hence, in deference to this strong groundswell of support and urgency, I am withdrawing my resignation and will resume my responsibilities as a member of the Heritage faction, which for the past two years has consistently demonstrated its commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms, an end to illegal political persecution and imprisonment, and the dignity, integrity and security of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people worldwide." Top stories President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Partner news | Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. Opposition leader, supporters spend night at Sardarapat memorial Police made nearly 300 arrests the day before as Galstanyan and his supporters continued to demonstrate in Yerevan. Armenia designates flood-hit communities as disaster areas The emergency situation was created by floods caused by heavy rains in Armenia’s north on May 25-26. |