PACE Observation Mission members meet with Armenia Bloc lawmakers in Yerevan on May 12
Armenia Bloc Later Criticizes PACE for its One-Sided Assessments
Lawmakers from the Armenia parliamentary bloc on Tuesday met with Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe Observation Mission member, who are in Armenia ahead of the June 7 elections.
The head of the bloc, Seyran Ohanyan, welcomed the guests and emphasized the importance of the delegation’s visit to Armenia on the eve of the parliamentary elections.
The meeting was attended by the lawmakers Anna Grigoryan, Lilit Galstyan, Armen Gevorgyan, Arthur Khachatryan and Armen Rustamyan.
Expressing gratitude for the reception, the head of the delegation, Damien Cottier, explained that the PACE delegation is in Armenia to meet with various political forces and relevant organizations to become acquainted with the situation and organize the work of their observation mission more effectively.
The Armenia bloc lawmakers presented their assessments of the pre-election political atmosphere to the members of the PACE observation mission delegation.
The lawmakers touched upon the recent amendments to the Electoral Code, the atmosphere of terror in the country intimated by Prime Nikol Pashinyan and the campaign of blackmail and criminal persecution against opposition forces. They also discussed the Pashinyan regime’s attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church and other challenges, which are of concern in the context of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The lawmakers then answered questions from the PACE delegation.
In a lengthy statement on Wednesday about their findings during their two-day visit to Armenia, the PACE Observation Mission called on Armenia’s authorities to ensure that the upcoming elections are held in a climate free from intimidation, foreign interference and abuse of administrative resources.
By citing specific examples targeting Russian, the PACE delegation stressed that foreign interference represents a continuing and evolving threat extending beyond election day. At the same time, the delegation also noted what it described as declarative support for the ruling party from certain Western partners.
The delegation also raised concerns about growing disinformation campaigns targeting journalists, human rights defenders and civil society organizations. It warned that accusations branding activists and media representatives as “foreign agents” undermine public trust and narrow civic space.
In an unusual turn, and one that echo’s Pashinyan’s rhetoric, the delegation also noted what it described as the unprecedented involvement of the Armenian Apostolic Church in political processes.
Having met with the group a day before, the Armenia bloc issued its own statement criticizing the PACE delegation, saying that the group’s assessment would further embolden the authorities to use their power to suppress the opposition.
The Armenia bloc said that the PACE delegation’s failure to identify the entities who are engaged in campaigns targeting rights defenders, activists and others will create an atmosphere impunity tolerated by the international community. This, the Armenia bloc contended “does not contribute to the implementation of the principle of democratic elections during this period.”
“It is puzzling that some of the concerns of the opposition political forces were recorded as having been merely “heard,” while the government’s positions were presented as confirmed facts,” the Armenia bloc said.
The Armenia bloc also took note of the PACE delegation’s unusual affirmation against the Armenian Apostolic Church
“We consider the statement’s regarding the “unprecedented involvement of the Armenian Apostolic Church in politics” to be completely unfounded and unbalanced,” the Armenia bloc said in its statement.
“Meanwhile, if it were to be balanced response, the PACE statement should have addressed the unconstitutional actions and repressions being carried out against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its leader, His Holiness the Catholicos, including the illegal actions to force His Holiness to resign that is included in the Civil Contract’s pre-election program,” the Armenia bloc emphasized.
The bloc concluded by saying that it was anticipating to cooperate with the PACE delegation, having deemed the mission important ahead of the elections.
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