If ratification of the Istanbul Convention poses a threat to our national traditions, there is no way it can be adopted. This is what Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan told journalists today.

“There is no way the Armenian parliament will encourage any initiative that envisages distortion of traditional values,” the parliamentary speaker said.

He emphasized that if studies show that there is no threat to national traditions, the talks about the Convention will be considered political manipulation. Mirzoyan added that he has read the Convention and hasn’t seen any paragraph that is related to national values and traditions. “The Convention is about domestic violence, and unfortunately, there is domestic violence in Armenia. If we go deep into the issue, we will see that each person in Armenia has dealt with this. Violence must have no place in Armenian society,” he said.