Politics

"There is a field to work with the opposition," Sona Ghazaryan

Radar Armenia talked to Sona Ghazaryan, deputy of the KP faction of the National Assembly, about the work done in the parliament in 2022, the possible dialogue between the opposition and the government in 2023, and other issues.

- If we briefly summarize 2022, what a year it was politically.

- 2022 was a year full of challenges and clear visions.

- What important projects were left unfinished in 2022, and should you implement them this year?

- If we look at it in a broader context, it establishes peace and regulates relations with the region's countries. Let's look at a narrower, personal level of work. The adoption of the "Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence" has already passed a broad public discussion with various organizations and structures and must now enter the parliament. Next is the work with international networks. In my case, it is the PACE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, and the Armenian-Luxembourgish relations. I expect a high-level visit in February. There are also works in the direction of Armenian-French relations. Recently I was in France, where I had meetings in the Senate and the National Assembly, and, apart from security issues, an agreement was reached to establish cooperation between the parliaments with a broader agenda, among which is the institutionalization of democracy, as well as several issues related to women's rights.

- How do you imagine the work of the government and the opposition in the parliament in 2023?

- My approach has stayed the same in this regard. There is a field for working with the opposition if they try to be more constructive, as they try to be, for example, in delegations when we go on business trips together. But I would like to mention that in this regard, they do not stand out in the parliament with their constructive position. In this regard, the "Civil Contract" is taking steps to achieve dialogue and allow the parliament to function in its ordinary course. They may come to work in 2023 with a more correct and regular schedule.

- What do you wish for our compatriots?

- At this moment, my only desire is peace and the settlement of all security issues in this context, towards which we will work and will work restlessly. The parliamentarians use their diplomatic levers and the representatives of the executive power with their tools. In this sense, we will not have a single holiday.

Hayk Magoyan