September 29, 2023, Yerevan

The regular Conference of the EaP CSF Armenian National Platform took place in the large hall, which was provided free of charge by the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia. 25 members of the ANP took part in the Assembly in person or with a delegated vote, of which 23 (out of 43) are members of the EaP CSF from Armenia. The Assembly was presided over by Hovsep Khurshudyan, CSF National Facilitator for Armenia.

Opening the Assembly, the ANP facilitator, in addition to the individual efforts made by the ANP members, also highlighted the need for unification of forces in order to face the challenges facing the state.

Stepan Grigoryan, head of the Center for Globalization and Regional Cooperation, member of the ANP, made a report on the events taking place in Artsakh: another aggression of Azerbaijan, the depopulation of Artsakh, as well as the threat to Armenia’s independence and the danger of external aggression towards Armenia.

During the discussion, the attendees exchanged information and ideas about the situation with and needs of the refugees being deported from Artsakh, the hybrid war and military threats against Armenia, as well as the possible actions of the ANP and its working groups in this regard. It was important to unite the efforts and coordinate them so that the functions of the existing state and public structures are not duplicated. It was decided to instruct the ANP Secretariat to open a special bank account in order to provide assistance to those displaced from Artsakh.

The importance of collecting the data of non-governmental organizations and their members displaced from Artsakh was mentioned, on the basis of which ANP will make efforts to expand their normal activities already in Armenia. The ANP Secretariat was instructed to start data collection.

Taking into account the Statement made by the Prime Minister of Armenia on September 24 about the existing threats to the independence of Armenia, the attendees approved the initiative of the ANP Facilitator to convene the INDEPENDENCE FORUM on September 30 with the participation of the democratic public and political forces of Armenia.

The ANP Assembly, by an almost unanimous vote (23 in favor, one abstention), authorized Hovsep Khurshudyan to convene the INDEPENDENCE FORUM under the aegis of the EaP CSF Armenian National Platform.

The participants of the ANP Assembly also proposed the main theses of the Statement to be adopted by the INDEPENDENCE FORUM. Then, by voting with 19 votes in favor and 4 abstentions, the ANP Assembly authorized the ANP Facilitator to sign the Statement on behalf of the ANP, based on the approved theses.

At the Assembly, it was also discussed to appeal to the RA government in order to activate the pace of construction of bomb shelters in Armenia, especially in the border regions.

EaP CSF Armenian National Platform’s Secretariat