YEREVAN. – Gevorg Petrosyan, an MP from the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), recently joined the signature campaign against the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. It should be noted that a protest action is being held outside the National Assembly building against the Istanbul Convention. It is organized by the "Kamq" initiative.

Petrosyan stated that the Convention contradicts the Armenian Constitution and our system of values. In response to Armenian News-NEWS.am's observation that more than 400 criminal cases on violence against women were initiated in Armenia in 2018 alone, he responded: "We have legislation condemning domestic violence, and nothing can be ratified under its name that is essentially aimed at destroying our national value system.

If there is violence in the family, whether against the woman, the child, our legislation is enough to regulate them. We do not need any other normative act so that we can effectively fight domestic violence. Adoption of this convention is not the prevention of domestic violence, but the introduction of other morals into Armenia under its name, which the PAP strongly opposes. What does a ‘family of partners’ mean? We have to inherit to our children a traditional family."

The PAP MP made it clear that this is his personal opinion, but he is hopeful that the whole Prosperous Armenia faction in parliament will share that opinion.

“[PAP leader] Mr. [Gagik] Tsarukyan, as head of a traditional family, has always stood by the idea of preserving traditional families. He opposed the Istanbul Convention. I do not think anyone in our faction will deviate from it," the MP stressed.