YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–"Armenian armed forces guarantee the security of the state and inviolability of its borders. The army remains neutral in the political arena and other internal state issues.
"The army is under civil control," Constitution Court Chairman Gagik Harutiunian said in his report at a seminar organized by the Constitutional Right Center and Ebert Fund.
According to Harutiunian–the Armenia’s Constitution should make the above statement about the state’s relationship with the army.
He also noted that Armenia’s Constitution has only one article regarding the army. Article 47 reads: "Each citizen is obliged to participate in defense of the Republic of Armenia."
Harutiunian concerned with the fact that the Constitution does not make clear the relationship between church and state only mentioning citizens’ rights and freedoms of conscience and religion.
According to the Harutiunian–the Constitution must be amended to reflect Armenia’s separation of church and state–and the state’s acknowledgment and respect of the role of the church in the spiritual life of the Armenian people.
According to Harutiunian–it must also state that the Armenian Apostolic Church is to be protected by Armenia through international legal norms.
He said that article must also declare other religious organizations’ right to operate in Armenia.
Harutiunian also suggested that the 11th article regarding the preservation of historic-cultural values must be reviewed.