Members of the War Inquiry Commission Have Not Reviewed the Report: Kocharyan Violated the Rules of the National Assembly

The President of the National Assembly's Inquiry Commission, Andranik Kocharyan, has violated the requirements of the constitutional law of the National Assembly. He has not provided the 210-page report, which investigates the circumstances of the war, to the commission members, thus depriving them of the right to express a special opinion as mandated by the Rules. This was reported by the newspaper Zhoghavor.

Article 25 of the National Assembly Rules ('Report of the Inquiry Commission') clearly states:

1. The Inquiry Commission presents a report to the President of the National Assembly based on the results of its activities, which includes the facts clarified regarding the question that served as the basis for the establishment of the commission, as well as the conclusions of the commission regarding the measures to be taken in this regard.
2. If at least one quarter of the members of the inquiry commission have a special opinion regarding the report, their representative may present an adjacent report during the discussion of the report at the meeting of the National Assembly, presenting the special opinion.

However, in a conversation with the newspaper, commission members Hayk Sargsyan, Kristine Poghosyan, and former deputy Vilen Gabrielyan confirmed that they have never seen the report.

Thus, Andranik Kocharyan has effectively violated the requirements of the Rules: the report has been kept secret not only from the public but also from the commission members.

Violation of Deadlines

The commission was established on February 10, 2022. Its powers were extended twice on October 5, 2022, and May 3, 2023. However, on that very day, May 3, 2023, the commission's final deadline expired.

Article 26 of the National Assembly Rules ('Termination of the Activities of Temporary Commissions') states:

1. The powers of the Inquiry Commission shall cease:
   1. Upon the completion of the discussion of its report at a meeting of the National Assembly,
   2. Upon the expiration of the term of the commission's powers, if the report has not been submitted for discussion by the National Assembly by that time.

According to these provisions, the commission's activities ceased as of May 3, 2023, and any document submitted thereafter has no legal effect.

Therefore, it is a fact that the inquiry commission created to investigate the circumstances of the war has not only failed to fulfill its primary mission within the stipulated time but has also violated clear provisions of the National Assembly rules. Andranik Kocharyan's behavior has turned into an attempt to keep a secret document rather than a report, providing a false nature to the mechanism of parliamentary oversight. He now even tries to coerce the National Assembly into presenting it, but he has no right to do so as he has violated the rules of the National Assembly. However, he is attempting to communicate to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that his most important electoral weapon, the commission report, is being prevented from being published by Alen Simonyan. Yet here too, Andranik Kocharyan is not being honest, as the report is set to be discussed in a closed session due to containing confidential information, and the public will remain unaware of all events regardless.