Newspaper: Armenia MPs’ hold heated closed meeting with Europeans

YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd daily of Armenia writes: According to Zhoghovurd daily, yesterday the closed meeting of the members of the State and Legal and Protection of Human Rights [Standing] Committees of the National Assembly with the representatives of the Council of Europe was quite heated. The “Bright Armenia” faction boycotted the discussion.

According to Zhoghovurd daily, experts who have arrived from the Council of Europe have said that the stereotypes of the public regarding giving privileges – marriage, adopting children, etc. – to the LGBT community are not envisaged by the [Istanbul] Convention.

Naira Zohrabyan asked whether the RA Criminal Code and the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence do not solve the problems of violence; what is the absence of the law that obliges the adoption of the Istanbul Convention.

According to Zhoghovurd daily, Europeans have, in essence, not answered these questions.

Maria Karapetyan, present at the meeting from “My Step,” who is a proponent of the adoption of the Istanbul Convention, has sat in silence. (…) while Ruben Rubinyan, who chaired the meeting, summed up: “Armenia is a sovereign state, and we will make our decision.”