YEREVAN. – Non-pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Chairman Gagik Tsarukyan’s absences from the National Assembly (NA) sessions cannot be called excusable from a legal perspective.
NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan told the aforementioned to reporters at the parliament on Wednesday.
He added, however, that the NA leadership is not yet making any respective assessments and is awaiting Tsarukyan’s additional explanations on this matter.
“We have sent a letter to Mr. Tsarukyan asking [him] to thoroughly respond to these questions. But I would not like to have such a precedent because it can be an example for others,” Sahakyan stated.
As reported earlier, speaking at the February 12 meeting of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Board, President Serzh Sargsyan, who is also chairman of the RPA Board, had stated that PAP Chairman, MP and oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan had become a vice for the country as a political player. He also relieved the PAP leader from his status as a National Security Council (NSC) member, and promised that a process will begin in connection with Tsarukyan’s frequent absence from the parliament sessions.
In response to President Sargsyan’s remarks, Gagik Tsarukyan issued a statement, on February 13, that the incumbent authorities must be removed from power immediately. Reflecting on Sargsyan having him removed from the NSC, the PAP leader noted that he had not left this council earlier solely because of the President’s personal request. As for the plans to strip him of his parliamentary mandate, Tsarukyan said the important thing for him is the trust of the Armenian citizens, and therefore he possesses the most important mandate. In addition, the Prosperous Armenia Party chairman urged to achieve Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation, but by way of lawful political methods.
On February 17, however, Serzh Sargsyan and Gagik Tsarukyan held a brokered talk, and on the next day, the PAP leader issued a statement. “(…). To solve the existing problems in Armenia, we need not wage war against each other, but work calmly, without insulting each other, show all existing shortcomings, find solutions and implement them (…). [But] I note with regret that, during the last few days, the processes in our country are going in a completely different course; this direction leads to no place good (…). We cannot continue like this (…). Not crossing the boundary of reason is the task of both the authorities and the opposition. All problems must be solved in a peaceful, lawful, [and] political way,” Gagik Tsarukyan’s statement specifically ran. He also had called off the rally that was slated February 20.
