The Artsakh National Assembly on Monday elected Davit Ishkhanyan, the head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation bloc parliamentary bloc, as the new speaker of the legislature.
The newly-elected parliament leader vowed to continue fighting for the preservation and strengthening of Artsakh’s statehood “at all cost.”
“Our political stance should be focused at building bridges and avoiding destructive divisions at all cost,” Ishkhanyan said before his election.
Ishkhanyan especially emphasized the strong unity of political forces, cooperation with between the church and state and the restoration of inter-parliamentary relations and the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity.
“All of us took this step with the keen awareness and understanding that the process of electing the leadership of the parliament is not taking place under normal conditions, but this decision is made in an emergency situation,” said Ishkhanyan who is a member of the ARF Bureau. He thanked for nominating his candidacy for such an important position in these difficult days for Artsakh.
Ishkhanyan was nominate by the ruling Free Motherland-United Civil bloc of which the former speaker, Artur Tovmasyan, was a member. Tovmasyan announced his resignation nine days ago.
Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan was also in attendance at the parliamentary session and praised Ishkhanyan for his decades of service to Artsakh. Ishkhanyan’s ARF is in opposition to Harutyunyan and his bloc in parliament.
“Regardless of his party affiliation, Davit Ishkhanyan has traveled such a political and state path, he has earned such experience and respect that it makes him a worthy candidate for the Speaker of the National Assembly,” Harutyunyan said in his remarks.
Azatutyun.am reported on Monday that Harutyunyan and Artsakh’s two former presidents Arkady Ghukasian and Bako Sahakian had approached the ARF with an offer to have Ishkhanyan elected parliament speaker.
Gegham Manukyan, an ARF lawmaker in the Armenian parliament, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that “after long discussions the party gave its consent, considering the crucial moment for Artsakh.”
Manukyan made it clear, however, that Ishkhanyan would be free to resign in case of differences with Artsakh’s government on key issues.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan congratulated Ishkhanian on his election as Artsakh’s parliament speaker in a telephone conversation reported by parliament’s press office on Monday.
