YEREVAN. - Ruling coalition’s Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP and head of Armenia’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), Gagik Minasyan, was reelected Chairman of PABSEC Economic, Commercial, Technological and Environmental Affairs Committee. The latter’s session was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, between October 12 and 13.

This was an unprecedented event because Armenia’s delegate was elected for the third time, Minasyan stated during a briefing with news reporters.

In his turn, RPA MP Areg Ghukasyan noted there was an intrigue in this regard. PABSEC Secretary General had petitioned the Armenian delegation with a letter, informing that the same person was never elected a third time and this would be taken into account during voting. “We responded by saying that the regulations do not prohibit such thing,” Ghukasyan maintained.    

He also informed that after the voting even the Turks and the Azerbaijanis were obligated to congratulate Gagik Minasyan, and when the Georgians had learned, prior to voting, that Minasyan was the nominee, they withdrew their own candidate. 

This notwithstanding, during PABSEC’s next session to be held in Tirana, Albania, the Armenian delegation will motion to bring limitations so that the same person is not elected in any office more than twice, and thus Gagik Minasyan could be the only person to chair the aforesaid Committee three times.