VIDEO: Why Did Rubinyan Go to Moscow at the Expense of the National Assembly Budget?

Today, Gegham Manukyan, a member of the National Assembly from the "Armenia" faction, inquired from the Vice President of the National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan whether Ruben Rubinyan traveled to Moscow at the expense of the National Assembly budget to conduct negotiations with the Turkish representative or for other purposes.

Hakob Arshakyan mentioned that Rubinyan is presented as a government envoy, and therefore, the expenses associated with the envoy's trip are also covered by the state.

The opposition member asked whether the National Assembly has authorized its Vice President Ruben Rubinyan to conduct negotiations with Turkey on behalf of Armenia, and whether this issue was discussed within the National Assembly Council before sending Rubinyan.

"In every negotiation, there exists a head of delegation, and there are relevant procedures on what agenda, timelines, and funding the delegation is sent with to a given country. In this case, all those procedures have been adhered to," stated Hakob Arshakyan, noting that they would provide additional answers to the other questions posed by the opposition.

It is worth mentioning that on January 14, a meeting took place in Moscow between the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kilic. During the first meeting, which took place in a constructive atmosphere, the special representatives exchanged their preliminary thoughts on the negotiation process through dialogue between Armenia and Turkey. The parties agreed to continue negotiations aimed at comprehensive normalization without preconditions. The date and place of the second meeting will be determined in due time through diplomatic channels, as stated in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement.