Discussion on the Bill on Occupied Territories Held in Artsakh

On February 15, the regular meeting of the Permanent Committee on Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh was held, chaired by the committee's president, Sevak Aghajanian. This was reported by the Artsakh National Assembly.

The agenda included the discussion of the draft law on “Occupied Territories,” presented by MPs A. Tovmasyan, D. Melkumyan, A. Mosiayan, D. Galstyan, G. Bagunts, and A. Harutyunyan. The bill was presented by Arthur Mosiayan.

This legislative initiative defines the legal status of the territories occupied as a result of military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh conducted by the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the direct involvement of foreign mercenaries from Turkey between 1991-1994, in 2016, and in 2020, as well as the peculiarities of state administration and local self-government bodies, the activities of organizations, the protection and enforcement of human and civil rights and freedoms, as well as the rights and interests of legal entities.

The draft has undergone examination in the expert department of the National Assembly staff, and changes have been proposed in relation to the acceptance of the bill in the Electoral and Civil Codes, as well as in the “Local Referendum Law.” Suggestions from the government have also been presented and were mainly accepted by the authors.

Following this, Arthur Mosiayan provided clarifications on the MPs’ inquiries related to the bill and proposed to submit the draft law for the first reading along with a package of related laws.

The committee unanimously voted in favor of the acceptance of the draft, and it will be included in the agenda of the upcoming regular meeting with a positive conclusion.