YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s spokesperson Arman Yeghoyan has given an interview to ARMENPRESS regarding the foreign visits of President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and the adoption of the bill on charity.

ARMENPRESS  - On June 18, President Armen Sarkissian departed abroad to have working meetings and is planning to have a number of meetings in an official format in the United Kingdom and the United States. Are these visits agreed upon with the Prime Minister?

Arman Yeghoyan – Paragraph 2 of Article 146 of the Consitution clearly defines that the foreign policy of the state is developed and implemented by the government and therefore the foreign political activity of any state official must be coordinated with the government, its leader -  the Prime Minister, and must take place either at his agreement or instruction.  The visits of the President of the Republic of Armenia relating to foreign policy should be viewed in this very context.

ARMENPRESS – The recent parliamentary debates on amending the law on charity caused heated discussions. Nevertheless, the amendments bill was adopted, as mentioned through discussions and compromise. Could you clarify the compromises?

Arman Yeghoyan – In this given process of legislative change the logic of the government’s actions wasn’t anyhow changed and the law was adopted in the very same contextual meaning as planned initially.  The government, at least, hasn’t gone for any compromise since it didn’t see the need for a similar compromise.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan