December 26, 2007

Heritage Parliamentary Fraction Presents Its Public Accounting

Yerevan―On December 25, Heritage Party’s parliamentary group presented a public report on its activities throughout 2007:

“Heritage, a national liberal party―national by its roots, liberal in its economic principles―now has seven representatives in the fourth National Assembly. The party’s founding principle is the development of Armenia as a democratic, lawful, and rights-based country that anchors its domestic and foreign policies in the nation’s sovereign interest. It is by this principle that the parliamentary fraction was guided when it offered its platform to the body politic during the parliamentary campaign. It maintained that principle when it received the public’s mandate on election day. And it still champions that principle today.

A. Heritage parliamentary group inspires legislative activity:

1) Party MPs have proposed five legislative initiatives which, per parliamnetary regulation, were formally introduced on the National Assembly floor, but have not yet made the agenda.

2) With the goal to improve on initiatives presented by other members of parliament and the wider government, Heritage MPs have offered numerous written and verbal suggestions, the overwhelming majority of which has been accepted by the creators of those bills.

3) Due to Heritage’s continual efforts toward a new method and mindset for operations at the National Assembly, the parliamentary procedure for examining legal initiatives has, to some extent, registered an improvement.

B. Heritage’s National Assembly delegation pursues parliamentary diplomacy:

1) Raffi K. Hovannisian, head of Heritage’s parliamentary group, Stepan Safarian, secretary of the fraction, and MP Vardan Khachatrian have participated in the fall sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). At the many sittings of the relevant commissions of these international organizations, they delivered speeches, made proposals, and introduced amendments in international conventions in Armenia’s national favor.

2) Heritage MPs have participated and represented Armenia’s interests in international conferences held in Russia, Iran, Georgia, Poland, Lithuania, Greece, and Belgium.

3) Heritage’s parliamentary delegates have met with several foreign ambassadors, parliamentary groups, and international delegations, and they have presented to them Heritage’s outlook on a variety of political, economic, and other matters of concern.

C. Heritage accepted the National Assembly’s role in overseeing Armenia’s executive and judicial bodies, and the Audit Chamber:

The party’s parliamentary group has carried out oversight by means of its permanent and constant participation in the sessions of the government, the Audit Chamber, and the Anti-Corruption Monitoring Committee, in important court trials, and in parliamentary hearings.

D. Heritage moves to protect human rights:

Heritage MPs have visited numerous prisons and raised, as a result, the issue of political prisoners in Armenia; they have addressed their problems and deposited relevant certificates of guarantee and letters of petition to human rights organizations and judicial bodies. The party’s parliamentary group has also forwarded countless formal petitions to state ministers and executive bodies with respect to the protection of public property, ecology, national security, economics, and social security. Members of Heritage’s parliamentary delegation have diligently taken part in public rallies, press briefings, policy hearings, and civic gatherings relating to the aforesaid matters. 

E. Heritage takes action on civic, sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and cultural issues:

1) Heritage MPs have held consultations on various questions raised in letters addressed to the party. They have forwarded these letters to the relevant administration officals and sought to achieve practical solution.

2) The party’s MPs have met and consulted with numerous ordinary citizens during the get-togethers held every Saturday at Heritage’s central office.

3) Members of Heritage’s parliamentary group have taken active part in numerous forums devoted to youth, gender, and other contemporary issues.

4) The party’s parliamentary delegates have responded quickly to―and taken the necessary actions toward addressing―the legislative suggestions and projects offered by individual citizens, NGOs, and other associations.  

F. Heritage opens up to the public: 

1) All members of the party’s parliamentary group have given press briefings, interviews, and commentaries on various topics.

2) Heritage MPs have issued statements, made appeals, and released press communiqués on matters of societal concern.

3) Heritage’s parliamentary delegates have attended numerous conferences, roundtables, seminars, hearings, and many other public events.