Prior to his address at Monday’s Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) debates on the recent snap parliamentary election in Armenia, at the PACE winter session that kicked off in Strasbourg, France, Mikayel Melkumyan, a member of the National Assembly delegation to PACE, reacted harshly to Azerbaijani delegates Sevinj Fataliyeva and Rafael Huseynov’s contemptuous assessments toward the ongoing processes in Armenia.

“You do not have a moral right to give an opinion on the domestic situation in the Republic of Armenia,” Melkumyan noted, addressing these Azerbaijan MPs. “If you want to pass judgment on our situation, draw on our positive experiences. I also point out that Azerbaijan has a regime riddled with corruption. Please continue with your struggle. Once again, I would ask you to reflect on your conclusions about our republic.”

“Since the creation of a new government, my country needs an economic revolution,” the Armenian MP continued. “This has been launched – for the first time, in fact – by the President of Armenia, who has talked about concrete measures that should be taken with a view to attracting significant investment for our country. Our country is willing to attract major investment flows, and we are conducting significant administrative work and legislative reform to reflect that. We are due to adopt a new fiscal code. There will no longer be artificial monopolies. The legal system continues to have a degree of independence, and we will develop partnerships to step up ties with the European Union. All this will have a positive impact on the Republic of Armenia. We are also developing the legal and political conditions to boost the economy and improve trade ties with the European Union, and we want to make full use of the GSP+ system.

“Unfortunately, there is still social tension, and poverty and unemployment are still very high in a number of regions in Europe. What is the most efficient solution to this problem? It is to provide support to the population and for there to be political will. These are two important factors in our country that are both there. In other words, we can overcome those problems. We will see what happens and how long it takes to solve them. Good luck to all of us in this new struggle.”