ANC won’t allow closing chapter on March 2008 events September 9, 2011 - 20:05 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian National Congress (ANC) opposition bloc slammed PACE report on March 2008 events, characterizing closing the chapter on tragic events as unacceptable. “We won’t allow the phrasing used in for PACE statement to enter the minds of the Armenian people,” Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper editor-in-chief Nikol Pashinyan stated at today’s rally. The outcome of the latest general amnesty in Armenia, the renewed impetus to investigate the 10 deaths during the March 2008 events, and the resulting start of a constructive dialogue between the opposition and ruling coalition mean that the chapter on the March 2008 events can finally be considered closed, said the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). In a draft resolution, based on a report by Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD) and John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), the committee welcomed the political will demonstrated by “the authorities and indeed all political forces to resolve this issue in line with Council of Europe standards and recommendations”. According to the committee, the 2008 events and their aftermath have set clear priorities for the democratic development of the country: “the conduct of genuinely democratic parliamentary elections; the creation of a robust democratic and pluralist political environment that has the full trust of the Armenian public; the establishment of an open and pluralist media environment; the reform of the police and the reform of the judiciary with a view to guaranteeing its independence both in law and practice”. The adopted text welcomes the “close and constructive co-operation” between the Assembly and the Armenian authorities, which it considers to be “an example” for the development of co-operation in the framework of the Monitoring Procedure of the Assembly, PACE said on its website. Top stories 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. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. Partner news | U.S. warns Georgia not to side with Moscow against the west Georgia has been warned by the U.S. not to become an adversary of the west by falling back in line with Moscow. Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. |