Serzh Sargsyan to Participate in the RA National Assembly Defense and Security Committee Hearings

The office of the third President of Armenia has sent an official letter today to the Chairman of the RA National Assembly Defense and Security Committee, Andranik Kocharyan, in response to his letter dated April 6, 2020, addressed to the third President of the Republic, Serzh Sargsyan. In the letter, signed by the office's responsible official, it is stated that although the third President of Armenia is not obligated by any law to attend the committee hearings, including those stipulated by the constitutional law 'Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly', President Serzh Sargsyan has no issue presenting details regarding Azerbaijan's military aggression unleashed in April 2016 in either the committee or any other format. Moreover, there have been numerous public comments by Serzh Sargsyan on the wide-scale military operations, including speeches, interviews, consultations held with the President, meetings, and sessions, where these events were addressed in considerable detail.

Furthermore, the official response emphasized that according to Article 6, Part 1 of the RA Constitution, state and local self-government bodies and officials are only authorized to perform actions for which they are authorized by the Constitution or laws. Consequently, the request for written justification in case of declining the invitation from Andranik Kocharyan’s letter dated April 6, 2020, does not fall within the scope of the powers delegated to the committee by the Constitution and laws. Therefore, the mentioned official has been advised to operate strictly within the limits of his authority.

The office of the third President also requested clarification on whether the committee’s closed session is being recorded, transcribed, and properly archived. It was also noted that President Sargsyan considers it appropriate to visit the special investigative committee established to study the circumstances of the military operations that took place in April 2016 after the expiration of the state of emergency declared throughout the territory of the Republic of Armenia, on the condition that a copy of the recording will be provided to the third President after the session, if such recording is planned, otherwise, an opportunity for recording should be granted.

'Although it is puzzling that the National Assembly committee has decided to hold a session in the current situation created by the pandemic, nonetheless, if there is no decision to extend the state of emergency from the RA government, the third President is ready to visit the committee on April 16, 2020, at 14:00,' the response from the office of the third President of Armenia stated.