Last month the ARF sent a draft consisting of 23 questions and 14 pages concerning the protocols between Armenia and Turkey to the parliament. The questions concern the process and content of the protocols.
With the help of two questions the ARF tried to find out from the government whether the protocols comply with the requirements of the Constitution of Armenia or no.
According to ARF member MP Artsvik Minasyan, firstly the Constitutional Court should discuss the compatibility of the responsibilities in the protocols with the Constitution of Armenia. As this was initiated by the president, the ARF first of all asks what kind of orders and assignments the president has given to the government. Or, how and when has the foreign affairs ministry delegated the orders or assignments to different departments? In the end, the ARF asks what was the opinion of the foreign ministry that was said to the president. The letter also asks what the opinion of the president was. The ARF wants to get the answers to these questions together with the copies of the documents that were exchanged between these departments. In addition, the letter writes and refers to the law provisions based on which they have developed the questions.
Besides legal issues the ARF addressed economic issues as well. Specifically, the ARF asks what financial justifications the ministries of finances and economy have brought up. They also wander whether any other country except for Turkey and Armenia has participated in the process of developing the protocols. “What did they agree for the purpose of conducting negotiations? Who was involved in that process? What recommendations did the Turkish party propose? Did the parties have initial agreement on amending the initial protocols in a future phase? Was the government informed of the date and venue of signing the protocols in the manner established by the law? Did they discuss the possibility of Turkey’s refusal on some issues? What did Armenia decide to do in such cases?” writes the letter of questions addressed to the government.
The ARF has included some questions with irony. “Does the Armenian government consider the recognition of Turkey’s border and agreement to establish a commission of historians to look into the archives as a main principle of the Armenian statehood and national purpose?”
The ARF believes the answers to all these questions should be included in the protocols and discussed by the parliament, after which the protocols will turn into something else. Since the publication of the Armenia-Turkey protocols on August 31 these questions have been numerously raised not only by the ARF but other opposition powers as well. Representatives of the authorities have from time to time responded to these questions but there has been no official answer yet. Thus the ARF decided to make it more official and sent a list of questions to the government. After receiving the government’s answer the MPs of this party will present this draft to the parliament for discussion. “According to the bylaws of the government the faction has the right to ask questions concerning the sectors under the government’s responsibility. The bylaws write that it should be presented at the plenary session and followed by questions,” says A. Minasyan.