Armenian delegates leave PACE hall
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted the report on "The Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Armenia" with 40 votes for, 3 against and one abstention.
David Harutyunyan, head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE, thanked the PACE co-rapporteurs, saying they had done a comprehensive study in the report.
Harutyunyan announced that Armenian authorities had carried out a series of reforms in different spheres, specifically he singled out the recently amended Law On Conducting Meetings, Assemblies, Rallies and Demonstrations, as well as the Law on Television and Radio. According to him, the government attempted to launch an open and frank dialogue with the country's opposition.
Unlike Harutyunyan, Zaruhi Postanjyan, a member of the opposition Heritage party, pointed out to the authorities' failure to disclose the tragic clashes of March 1, 2008. She said that the relatives of the ten victims were shocked to hear PACE co-rapporteurs declare the chapter of March 1 as closed.
In their speech, Azerbaijani delegates strictly criticized Armenia from the PACE tribune which made Armenian delegation leave the hall.
