RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s rapprochement-oriented foreign policy is rather balanced and based on Armenia’s national interests, according to RPA parliamentary group member <b>Hamlet Harutyunyan</b>.
As he told a news conference in Yerevan, Armenian President’s initiatory policy aims at breaking through diplomatic blockade between the states.
“Currently we’re offering Turkey a chance to give adequate response to our initiative. So far, we’ve seen none,” Hamlet Harutyunyan noted.
Nevertheless, parliamentarian expressed hope for Turkey’s ratification of Protocols signed and success of negotiations opened.
The <b>Republican Party of Armenia</b> is a national conservative political party in Armenia. It was the first political party in independent Armenia to be founded (2 April 1990) and registered (14 May 1991). It is the largest party of the centre-right in Armenia, and claims to have 140,000 members. The party controls most government bodies in Armenia.
At the 2003 parliamentary elections on May 25, the party received 23.5% of the popular vote, winning 31 out of 131 seats. At the last parliamentary elections on May 12, 2007, the party received 33.91% of the popular vote, winning 64 out of 131 seats. The former prime minister, Andranik Markaryan, was the leader of the party. Current President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, is the chairman of RPA board.
The <b>Protocols</b> aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks held through Swiss mediation.
On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.
