Republican Party of Armenia

On June 26-27 in Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation the 15th Congress of the United Russia (Yedinaya Rossiya) Congress was held, where at the invitation of the party the Delegation of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), led by the RA Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, member of the RPA Executive body Hermine Naghdalyan, took part. The RA NA deputies, members of the RPA Executive Body Gagik Minasyan and Karen Avagyan were in the delegation. A roundtable “World 2016: Challenges and Threats” was held within the framework of the Congress, where representatives of 29 parties of 21 countries took part.

Welcoming the participants of the roundtable, the RA NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan in her speech highlighted the fact of convening of Russia’s most crowded and influential party before the elections of the State Duma not only for the United Russia Party, but also for all participant political forces and countries, wished the party success in the coming electoral processes, expressed conviction that Russia’s current ruling party once again will prove that enjoys maximum confidence among the political forces and voters of the country.

Touching upon the very theme of the roundtable, the political challenges and threats of the modern times, Hermine Naghdalyan highlighted the terrorism with its newest manifestations as the most dangerous threat of the century. “The days have passed, when we imagined the terrorism with the extremists’ organized explosions and murders here and there. Today, that disaster does not recognize borders, economically rich and poor countries and not small or big states by their size. We deal with an evil, against which we should fight with united efforts, if we want to succeed. Nowadays the terrorism is directed to the right of a man, his peaceful life and living everywhere,” Mrs Naghdalyan said.

Hermine Naghdalyan reminded the attendees from the high tribune of the roundtable held by the United Russia Party that at the very same time, when the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev was declaring the 21st manifest, where it reads about the self-disarmament and peace aspiration, a large-scale war was unleashed by the neighbouring state against Artsakh people along the entire border, the 1994 trilateral agreement, as well as numerous international laws were violated. Atrocities and crimes were committed in the style of the terrorist groupings of the Islamic State functioning in Syria and Iraq against mankind and humanity. “And that should be voiced and condemned from all tribunes, where they realize the human and humanity rights, are committed to the protection democratic values,” Hermine Naghdalyan called on in her speech.

In this context the NA Deputy Speaker underlined the importance of the nations’ right of self-determination. “Protecting the human rights, we become committed to the protection of the nations’ rights of self-determination and the right of independently defining their destiny. In the modern global world the territorial integrity cannot and should not restrict the right of self-determination of the people living in that territory,” Hermine Naghdalyan stressed in her word, drawing the attendees’ attention and voicing about double standards, which do not have any accusation and should not be applied in any place.

Making parallels with Crimea, Donbas, Lugansk and Artsakh, Hermine Naghdalyan in her speech noted the following: “In the world created by God all the peoples have equal rights, as people of Crimea, so the people of the Republic of Artsakh, who declared their independence through referendum, a referendum which was held for the entire international community in accordance with the acceptable international laws. This is also a challenge and a threat for the modern world, because the peoples struggle for their rights, and there is no explanation to the fact that one’s right ends with the other’s injustice. It is not possible to explain not in Donbass, not in Lugansk, not in Artsakh and not in Crimea.”

Highlighting Russia’s role as OSCE Minsk Group member state and for the peaceful settlement of the conflict through many years, the last evidence of which was the meeting organized by the RF President in Saint Petersburg, Hermine Naghdalyan once again voiced the RA position: “We are for the peaceful settlement of the conflict, but we have the right to expect addressed statements – the aggressor should be called by his name, the peace should be peace, and the war should ruled out in any place, as well as in the South Caucasus, because there should be a spark for sinking the whole region during lasting time in chaos.” In her speech Hermine Naghdalyan also touched upon the situation in the Near East and Syria, the refugees’ problems, which has become one of the threats and challenges nowadays, depriving the people of their houses, properties and the possibilities of normal life. In that respect, the RA NA Deputy Speaker considered symbolic the fact that Armenia became the third country hosting a big number of refugees in Europe, noting that they are not refugees for us, Armenians, but they are our compatriots, who were obliged again to emigrate after the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

As an example of geo-political instability and inevitability from global challenges, Hermine Naghdalyan emphasized the voting for Great Britain’s referendum for getting out of the European Union, respecting the British people’s choice, at the same time noting that it was a hard blow for the EU and can have an effect of domino: “Are we ready for those geopolitical changes, which will result in instability, financial shocks and new economic losses. The other item: shall we try to learn appropriate lessons, evaluating universal peculiarities in building and establishing integration units in our region. I think unequivocally, yes,” Mrs Naghdalyan noted.

Hermine Naghdalyan ended her speech, reminding the attendees about all-human love, in this context referring to the visit paid by the Pontiff Pope Francis of Rome to Armenia recently. Leaving the assessment of ecumenical, political, spiritual and moral significance of his visit to professional circles, Hermine Naghdalyan emphasized the protection of all-human values and concluded her speech with command by Pope of Rome: “Love Yourself and those close to you, evaluate the memory and the peace, and don’t fear being sincere with yourself. The life of the states and people has the same regularities; we can jointly confront all the ordeals and challenges.”