Republican Party of Armenia

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am thankful for being nominated again for the higher post of the President of the National Assembly. First of all, I am grateful to the President of the Republic for such trust, I address my word of gratitude to my dear party, and all my colleagues.

The parliament of the 5th convocation of the Republic of Armenia, this parliament is the representation body in the most direct sense of the word: today almost all political fields of Armenia in its widest palette are represented in the National Assembly. I am glad that we succeeded to shape a strong legislative body through good elections. I am sure that the current National Assembly will raise the traditions of parliamentarism in our country to a new level and will become a real symbol of maturity of political environment.

To say that I consider the nomination for the post of the Head of Parliament as a big pride and serious responsibility means very little. I see quite well what responsibility is reserved to the President of the National Assembly and I am definitely ready for that.

During the election campaign I have attentively followed the goals being voiced out loud by all political forces and I have studied all the programmes. I have seen a huge commonness between the sounded word and declared concerns:

- everybody was bringing forth the necessity of believing in own forces,

- everybody was insisting on the need of continuing the changes,

- everybody was saying that it is necessary to continue the struggle against the harmful phenomena of our life,

- everybody speaks about a man as the most essential and fundamental value of our country.

That is very good.

It means that our society has been established as a subject forming as a collective demand.

It means that this establishment is already irreversible.

It means that all forces of our country with reluctance have come to an agreement over the common value system.

Finally, it means that all of us criticizing each other, in reality are very close to each other with respect to the visions of our country’s future and are ready to lead the development of our country in the right direction.

I believe that all of us are the patriotic citizens of our country. And in the election campaign built with this logic has won not one political force, but also the whole Armenia and our people.

I am convinced that this will make stronger our country. I am sure that we’ll be convinced very quickly in that already during the first few months of the National Assembly’s activity.

Time has come to work.

And all of us should work, because the problems, being faced before our country can be only solved in cooperation, and the welfare of every citizen of Armenia can only be voiced together.

Dear colleagues,

My programme approaches on the activity of the National Assembly have not been changed. Instead, during the last years, succeeding to possess the most noticeable sides of the activity, invisible delicate points of the parliament, today I am more than sure in my approaches on the strong and effective parliament.

1. Today I repeat that the provision of the atmosphere of mutual respect, tolerance and partnership is primary importance for normal and effective activity of the parliament. In this respect it is not by accident that obtaining political majority in the National Assembly, the Republican Party, as before, today acts as a convinced supporter of public solidarity and multilateral cooperation.

We are going to work together for five years. We’re going to learn a lot about each other, numerous false myths will be dispersed, many occasions will to bring to the inner conviction in the falseness of former pictures and will again remember that it’s not compulsory that our fears be the other’s thoughts. This parliament will be a good parliament and will not have a problem of prestige. Anyway, I won’t spare energy for that.

I’ll also do my best so that any dispute or disagreement won’t ever reflect on the normal activity and working atmosphere of the parliament.

2. The National Assembly has the primary tribune of the political life. This is the higher platform of the political dispute. In this hall all main developments of the political thought will begin and end in our country, and here will be crossed the approaches and differing views on the path of Armenia’s development. I won’t spare energy on the path of establishing National Assembly with open, active and weighty role. We’ll establish together.

We’ll lay the law-making work on the professional bases. Undoubtedly, there will always be populist rhetoric, there will be attempts of serving the imaginable for real, and it’s natural. But it will be the exception, not the regularity, and the regularity is serious, comprehensively considered, the everyday consistent law-making work will be, for which first of all we have gathered here.

3. I see the National Assembly-Government relationship on the plane of dynamic development. Yes, the Government shapes the ruling political force and me, as a representative of that political force, have the inner-party plane having the influence on the Government’s activity. At the same time I am convinced that irrespective of existing other mechanisms, the National Assembly should and could observe in more inclusive way the political different aspects being implemented and give new nuances. Don’t doubt that as Speaker of the parliament I won’t hesitate to be the critic of the government in all issues, which, in my opinion, are solved with insufficient effectiveness or speed. At the same time in case of crowd pleasing or self-aimed criticism I’ll be the first defender of the Government, as I don’t have self-aimed departmental or party interests, there is only the interest of Armenia or our people, and I only deem justified the activity being implemented for that sake.

4. And finally, in conditions of current realities we should pay serious attention to the development of parliamentary diplomacy. Some of our neighbours develop anti-Armenian activity in almost all political platforms of the world. We are obliged to more effectively use all our opportunities and mechanisms for such resources. In this issue the parliament also has a big role, and all of us should be more active in most different dimensions in being consistent to the interests of our country.

These were my main approaches over the key directions of the National Assembly’s activity. They have been changed during the last years, only my convictions about the parliament, cooperation environment and the positive potential of the concerted work have been changed. They have become firmer. And I am ready with my convictions to infect on everybody.

I once again thank you for nominating me in the higher post of the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and for supporting me.

Thank you.