YEREVAN, APRIL 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Zharangutiun (Heritage) party founding leader Raffi Hovannisian finally refused to take part in PACE proceedings. Armen Martirosian, the leader of the RA National Assembly Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction, reported at the April 9 press conference. According to him, the party proposed the NA Speaker including faction member Zaruhi Postanjian in PACE Armenian delegation instead of R. Hovannisian and faction Secretary Stepan Safarian in NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation. Zharangutiun Spokesperson Hovsep Khurshudian, in his turn, said that with his decision R. Hovannisian carries out his promise given to society as early as in 2008 June, according to which unless Armenia and Europe are loyal to the democratic values they adopted he will stop cooperating with those European structures. A. Martirosian added that the public-political situation in Armenia is inadmissible for Zharangutiun. In his words, it is especially inadmissible that even after amending Articles 225 and 300 of RA Criminal Code political prisoners remain imprisoned. Touching upon R. Hovannisian's plans for the future, M. Martirosian refuted the news spread by some media, according to which R. Hovannisian is going to leave big politics. According to him, R. Hovannisian being the leader of the only NA opposition force, having a high rating just cannot but be engaged in active politics.

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