YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The PACE Monitoring Committee at the March 30 meeting in Valensia (Spain) in addition to other issues discussed the process of fulfillment of Resolution N 1609, 1620 adopted by the Assembly in 2008 and 1643 adopted at the 2009 January session on activity of democratic institutions in Armenia. According to RPA member David Haroutiunian, the head of the Armenian delegation in PACE, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Issues, the Monitoring Committee taking into consideration Venice Commission's positive conclusion, welcomed Armenia's amending RA Criminal Code Articles 225 (mass disorders), 300 (seizing the state power), and a number of other articles, by which a number of opposition representatives are accused in connection with the 2008 March 1 events. Meanwhile the Committee attached importance to the further process of Criminal Code's use. Depending on the results to be recorded in that issue, the Monitoring Committee before the PACE plenary session to be held on April 27-30 will again touch upon fulfillment of the commitments assumed by Armenia. Issues regarding the legislative amendments on Armenian electronic media activity carried out at present, Yerevan Council of Elders elections to be held on May 31 were also discussed at the meeting. In connection with the latter the Committee welcomed holding of elections in conditions of political pluralism, with the participation of the opposition and pro-governmental forces, also positively assessing the circumstance that parties making part of the political coalition run for the elections with individual electoral rolls. It should be mentioned that at the January session the Assembly decided not to suspend the vote of the Armenian parliamentary delegation members by stipulating by Resolution N 1643 that the Monitoring Committee was proposed before Assembly's April session "studying the progress achieved by the Armenian authorities in the direction of fulfilling these and previous resolutions and proceeding from the situation, proposing additional events to be held by the Assembly."

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