Armenian opposition to return to parliament with its own agenda

YEREVAN, May 25. /ARKA/. Armenia's parliamentary opposition, which launched a “civil disobedience” campaign on May 1 in a bid to make Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resign, will convene an extraordinary session of the National Assembly next week to discuss its own agenda, an opposition leader Ishkhan Saghatelyan, who is also a deputy parliament speaker, told journalists today after blocking the presidential palace in central Yerevan.

The opposition, which consists of Hayastan and Pativ Unem alliances, have been boycotting the regular sessions of the National Assembly.

Today the government will have Q&A session in parliament with the prime minister and members of the government taking questions from MPs since April.

"We have made it clear that we will return to parliament with our own agenda. And today I again announce that we will demand an extraordinary parliament at meeting next week," Saghatelyan said, inviting also the authorities to attend that session.

Armenia’s main opposition groups accuse Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of planning to formally recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a statement issued following May 22 meeting with Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel said the two leaders agreed to “advance discussions” on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.

He also said he told them that it is “necessary that the rights and security of the ethnic Armenian population in Karabakh be addressed.” -0-