YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s foreign minister Edward Nalbandian and justice minister Davit Harutyunyan on April 22 met with the heads of diplomatic representations accredited in Armenia, the foreign ministry told Armenpress.

Minister Nalbandian drew the attention of the meeting participants on the developments following yesterday’s meeting with Ambassadors. He touched upon the statements of the Justice ministry, the law enforcement agencies which clearly outlined the violations of the Law of Freedom to Rallies and called on to stop the calls and actions aimed at violating the public order.

FM Nalbandian said the Armenian leadership and the spiritual leaders made numerous calls for launching dialogue. Even the President of the Republic went to the protest place to meet with the organizer and launch a dialogue. Today, on April 22, the expectation to calm down from the meeting of Prime Minister of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and MP Nikol Pashinyan didn’t happen, as the rally organizer used the meeting with the PM to present an ultimatum to the Armenian leadership, in fact denying the proposal to come to dialogue.

Commenting on today’s statement made by the European Union, minister Nalbandian said the Armenian side shares the provisions expressed in the statement and not only completely respects the right to freedom of rallies, but also practically ensures its adequate use in accordance with Armenia’s legislation and international commitments. The minister stated that the rally participants must respect Armenia’s respective legislation while exercising their rights.

In his turn justice minister Davit Harutyunyan made clarifications over the Law on Freedom to Rallies and the international experience on ensuring freedom of rallies.

Minister Harutyunyan, talking about the arrest of MPs, said the rally organizers, ignoring the calls of the Police, continued their calls on disproportionate restrictions of constitutional rights of others and public interests, and a decision was made to suspend the illegal rallies. The rally organizers – Nikol Pashinyan, Ararat Mirzoyan, Sasun Mikayelyan, have been forcibly removed from the rally place and later have been arrested in suspicion of deliberately organizing and holding a rally by violation of the procedure prescribed by the legislation.

Heads of several diplomatic representations attached importance to the ongoing steps aimed at solving the current situation through dialogue, political means and within the law.

English translator/editor – Aneta Harutyunyan