Ashotyan: Electoral reforms should be conducted with political consensus
ArmInfo. Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Foreign Relations, met on June 20 with a member of the German Bundestag, a member of the committee on complaints-applications Gero Storjohann.
As reported by the press service of the Parliament, Ashotyan noted
the possibilities of developing existing relations between the
parliaments of the two countries, intensifying cooperation between
the interparliamentary friendship groups.
During the conversation, the parties turned to the European vector of
Armenia's foreign policy. In this context, Ashotyan stressed that
relations with the EU member states are one of the cornerstones of
Armenia's foreign policy agenda.
In connection with the mutual cooperation within the framework of the
Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Expanded Partnership Agreement, Armen
Ashotyan noted that Armenia hopes for the final ratification of the
document by the European side before the elections of the European
Parliament in 2019.
As for the ratification of the agreement in the German parliament,
Ashotyan expressed hope for the acceleration of the process.
The sides touched upon the internal political developments in
Armenia, the forthcoming parliamentary elections. "Electoral reforms
should be conducted with political consensus, with the involvement of
society and exclusively in accordance with international principles,
in particular based on the proposals of the Venice Commission and the
OSCE/ODIHR," Armen Ashotyan said.
The meeting also exchanged views on the effective application of the
mechanisms of parliamentary oversight, emphasizing the importance of
studying and applying the European experience accordingly.
The German deputy expressed hope for a meeting with Ashotyan in the
Bundestag in the fall as a member of the Armenian-German
interparliamentary friendship group - to discuss the various areas of
cooperation of mutual interest.