Simonyan: No Legal Grounds to Debate War Report in Parliament

The President of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, has stated that there are no legal grounds to include the report of the commission investigating the circumstances of the 44-day war on the agenda of the plenary session of the parliament. This statement creates tension within the ruling faction, as the report was submitted by the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security Affairs, Andranik Kocharyan, who is also from the same faction.

Responding to media publications that he is refusing to include the document sent by Kocharyan on the agenda, the NA President, in a conversation with journalists, countered with the provisions of the "Rules of Procedure of the NA" law.

According to Simonyan, the current legislation does not provide for such a procedure for the reports of inquiry commissions.

To the question of whether Andranik Kocharyan is not aware of the requirements of the rules of procedure, Alen Simonyan replied that the problem is not in ignorance, but in interpretation. "He knows, it's a matter of interpretation. He is trying to interpret it differently," he noted. The NA President added that the exclusive authority to interpret the "Rules of Procedure of the NA" law belongs to the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs. He informed that he has applied, received a response, and is acting within the logic of that response.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the discussion of the report in the plenary session, Alen Simonyan assured that the report will definitely be made available to the public. "The report will be published, it cannot be otherwise," he stressed, at the same time noting that it is not yet known in what format it will happen. He hinted that it could happen in the format of hearings, discussions, or some other format. However, a final decision has not yet been made.