YEREVAN. – The Armenian National Assembly (NA) cannot sit on the sidelines during the domestic political processes that are taking place in the country, opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Supreme Body member, NA RPA Faction leader Armen Rustamyan told news reporters on Monday.

He added that he gives a positive assessment to NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan’s concurrence to discuss this matter in the parliament. 

In Rustamyan’s words, they have proposed to convene a special NA session to examine the present-day domestic political situation, and he expressed a view that the respective sitting should come to a close either by the adoption of a decision, or with a statement, and this can become a beginning for the measures that will bring the country out of the current situation.     

To the query as to whether or not the parliamentary discussions could hamper the people’s movement that is gaining momentum at capital city Yerevan’s Liberty Square, the ARF MP responded by saying that the people’s movement will continue on its course, but the NA should not step aside during the ongoing processes.

“The people’s movement should take place in the parliament and, also, at the place where the people choose the authorities. We have ideas in this respect, and we will introduce them to [opposition Heritage Party Chairman] Raffi Hovannisian [who is declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election on February 18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote],” he said.

Drawing a parallel between the people’s movement following the 2008 election, Armen Rustamyan noted that, at the time, the political opposition had adopted an uncompromising stance, whereas now, Hovannisian is prepared to discuss the situation and find a shared way out of it.