Oppositionist: Armenian government has failed its program, including through CSTO
ArmInfo.The Armenian government failed its own five-year program, which was approved by
the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. MP from the Armenia opposition faction Armen Rustamyan stated on March 15 during a hearing in the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relation, which discussed the implementation of the RA government program.
As an example, he cited the provisions of the Cabinet's program
regarding relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO). The government document, Rustamyan continued, states that
"the CSTO is an essential component of ensuring the security of
Armenia, and the RA government will continue to work to actively
engage in its work." Meanwhile, the MP continued, the report of the
RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the implementation of the program
notes that Yerevan has minimized relations with the CSTO, actually
freezing its participation in its statutory bodies. "The question
arises: has the government's program been fulfilled? What right do
you have to do so if the document has a legal basis and is approved
by the country's parliament," the oppositionist addressed the head of
the RA Foreign Ministry Ararat Mirzoyan.
In response, the head of the republic's foreign policy department
noted that today we are talking about the implementation of the
government program for 2021-2026 in 2023. In 2021, the situation was
somewhat different from what it was in 2023. Over the past period of
time, there were developments that could not but influence the
actions of officials. "There was an attack on the Republic of
Armenia, the inviolability of the state's borders was violated, and
the organization that is called upon to ensure the security of the
state not only did not record this attack as a fact, but also did not
take appropriate diplomatic, and even more so, military actions," in
turn, asking Rustamyan which side he supports.
On this occasion, the MP stated that he was on the side of the
National Assembly, which adopted the program, and which the
government of the country is obliged to implement. "To change the
program, the Cabinet of Ministers could present a new document that
would meet the requirements of the time, especially since the
government has a ruling majority in parliament. I am on the side of
people with a state- centric thinking, and I object to the deliberate
actions of the government that contradict the RA Constitution," said
Rustamyan, demanding the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers.
In response to this remark, the Foreign Minister noted that in
relations with the CSTO, great efforts were made to ensure that the
Organization came up with appropriate formulations regarding Armenia.
"You are trying by all possible means to reduce the existing problems
to the resignation of the government, but the only way to change
power is parliamentary elections," Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized.
On March 12, at a press conference, RA Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan, speaking about freezing relations with the CSTO, called
not to confuse Yerevan's position towards the CSTO with legal
processes. He did not rule out the possibility of the republic's
complete withdrawal from the Organization. Currently, the head of the
Armenian Cabinet continued, Yerevan does not take part in meetings of
the CSTO and its statutory bodies. Pashinyan added that Armenia did
not create problems for the CSTO on any issue. "If the borders of
Armenia are a "red line" for the CSTO, let it demonstrate this,
including on the issue of where the sovereign territory of Armenia
is. But no answer to our questions was received," the RA Prime
Minister noted.