Republican Party MP Areg Ghukasyan is elected Deputy Chairman of Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization.

Gagik Minasyan, head of the Armenian delegation to PA BSEC noted that it is a great achievement, adding that during 36 session he had delivered a report on Yerevan’s foreign policy. Speaking of policy carried out by Baku and Ankara, the MP placed emphasis on destruction of the Armenian cultural monuments in the territory of Azerbaijan. This speech was also aired on Turkish TV. “I thought that my speech would be edited but the Turkish TV channel broadcasted everything without any changes,” he said. In his speech, Minasyan also touched upon unacceptability of blocking Armenian border. He stressed that only by unblocking Armenian border Turkey can prove that is it a modern state adhering to democratic values.

In the course of PA BSEC session, the Armenian delegates also met with their Turkish counterparts. “We told them that they should either ratify Armenian-Turkish protocols or announce that they are withdrawing the process. Ball is in their court,” Minasyan stated. In response Turkish MPs stressed they can not ratify the protocols on the threshold of parliamentary elections. “Some of Turkish MPs conditioned ratification by progress in the Karabakh peace process. We underscored that the Armenian side neither links ratification with Cyprus issue, nor puts forward demand on Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” the parliamentarian noted, adding that in any case Turkish politicians claimed Armenian-Turkish process is not over.