On the invitation of Wilfried Martens, president of the European People’s Party (EPP) and former prime minister of Belgium, Heritage Party leader Raffi K. Hovannisian is in Brussels to participate in a number of pan-European events. As informs Heritage Party Press Service, on November 7, Raffi Hovannisian attended a conference on “Securing the Future of the Euro through Deeper Economic Integration.” The keynote speech was delivered by European Commission president José Manuel Barroso. Professor Hans Geeroms of the Center for European Studies and the Financial Times’ Brussels bureau chief Peter Spiegel took part in the panel. In the framework of the policy discussion, Hovannisian conferred with President Barroso and various other delegates. On the morning of November 8, EPP President Martens officially received Raffi Hovannisian at the Brussels headquarters of the Party. Hovannisian and Martens discussed the situation in Armenia and in particular the avenues for conferring EPP observer-member status upon Heritage, which would be dependent upon the decision to be made by the EPP Political Assembly immediately following their meeting. During the Political Assembly session, held at the European Parliament, Raffi Hovannisian took the floor to present Heritage’s application for membership, outlining the party’s ideology, programs and priorities, and vision for Armenia’s future. Hovannisian’s address was followed by several questions from Assembly members--and answers by him--on Heritage’s assessments and standpoints on challenges of foreign policy and domestic political concern. Over the course of the day, Hovannisian held meetings with other EPP leaders as well as with MEPs and officials from EU member-states. One of the issues on the agenda of the EPP Political Assembly is the dispatch of a fact-finding mission to Armenia in order to prepare reports on the four applicant parties--Heritage, Republican, Prosperous Armenia, and Country of Laws--which is scheduled to take place later in the month.

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