The appointment of the deputy chairman of the Armenian parliament’s Standing Committee on Defense and Security is being thwarted for various reasons, MP Tigran Abrahamyan from the opposition I’m Honored bloc told reporters on Wednesday.
His comments came after the ruling Civil Contract faction MPs voted against the candidacy of opposition Armenia faction MP Artur Ghazinyan for the post for the fourth time.
Abrahamyan said that the failure to appoint a deputy chair disrupts the activity of the Committee on Defense and Security.
"There is another aspect, too. It is unacceptable that the committee holds a meeting to discuss an issue, which has no significance for the public. There are priorities that have been set and presented during this period. They are related to the problems on the border, the concept of army reforms, as well as the situation on Goris-Kapan interstate road, but are not put on the agenda," the lawmaker said.
He considers it inappropriate to constantly delay the appointment of the deputy chairman of the committee against the backdrop of such important issues.
"It goes to show that the authorities are deliberately disrupting the work of the committee," Abrahamyan said.
Referring to the nomination of another candidate, the opposition MP noted that it's not for the authorities to decide which candidate should be nominated by the opposition.
"At the moment we have decided to take a common position on the issue of candidates. We won't be guided by the whims of the authorities," he said, underlining that security issues are a priority for him.