YEREVAN. – The statements by head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, are not a case of interference in the internal affairs of the country, stated Czech Ambassador Petr Mikyska, at a press conference on Thursday.

In his words, the Czech Republic also supported the results of the observation mission during the recent parliamentary election in Armenia.

Mikyska expressed a view that some statements and Armenian officials’ approach were a result of exaggeration. He added that it was the Armenian government that had asked international donor support with the technical part during the recent electoral process in the country.

The Czech diplomat stressed that the Armenian government has signed several agreements with the Council of Europe and some other international organizations, and these agreements envisage certain obligations by Armenia. 

Petr Mikyska stressed that if the observation mission concluded that there had been some incidents that were incompatible with the parliamentary election, he sees no reason why Świtalski could not have expressed his view.

Reflecting on the recent parliamentary election in Armenia, the head of the Delegation of the EU to the country had noted that the respective EU preliminary report pointed to numerous cases of electoral fraud, and said they must be eliminated. As per the EU ambassador, Armenians need deep democracy, but the halls of power are attempting to make the election law suit their own political objectives. He added that Armenians need to think about how they can make the Central Electoral Commission become more reliable and that it should include representatives of civil society.

These statements by Piotr Świtalski, however, caused discontent by several representatives of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia. Justice Minister Davit Harutyunyan, and National Assembly Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov, for example, considered these statements as interference in the domestic affairs of Armenia.