Russian-Armenian Inter-Parliamentary Commission Discussed Implementation of CSTO PA Model Laws

Armenia hosted the 36th meeting of the Russian-Armenian Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Commission.

Hakob Arshakyan, Vice President of the National Assembly, Co-Chairman of the Commission, stressed that the Armenian-Russian allied cooperation is based on the historically established friendly relations between the two peoples.

Kazbek Taisaev, deputy of the Russian State Duma, spoke about the implementation of the model legislative acts and recommendations adopted by the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly (March 16–18, 2023, Yerevan). 

He noted that the Armenian parliament gracefully accepted the baton of chairmanship in one of the most important commissions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization: Commission on Political Affairs and International Cooperation. 

“I am especially glad to note that the commission continues to uphold the traditions of consistency and progressiveness established in it by the outstanding parliamentarians Khosrov Harutyunyan, Artashes Ghenamyan and Alen Simonyan,” said Mr Taisaev.

Separately, the deputy noted the general contribution to the creation of the General Requirements for Parliamentary Monitoring of the Military and Political Situation in the CSTO Collective Security Regions, the Regulations on Observer Status to the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and the Regulations on the Partner Status to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

“We are grateful for the support of Russian initiatives and our joint contribution to the drafting of the 2021–2025 CSTO PA Action Plan on Approximation and Harmonization of National Legislation of the CSTO Member States, including conducting a number of academic congresses through the relevant commission of the CSTO PA,” the deputy added.

Among the definitive achievements of his Armenian colleagues in this area, Mr Taisaev listed the initiative of the National Assembly of Armenia to hold inter-parliamentary hearings on the collective security system’s effective counteraction to hybrid warfare in modern conditions (2017, Yerevan); international research-to-practice conference Economic Security as an Integral Part of the Collective Security (2018, St Petersburg); inter-parliamentary hearings (with the participation of experts) Military-Political and Politico-Economic Factors Influencing the Formation of a Commonality of Strategic Interests of the CSTO Member States in the Context of Subregional Security Trends (2018, St Petersburg); and the successful development by the representatives of Armenia and the adoption by the Assembly of the Concept of an action plan and tools for countering cyber challenges and threats.

“Our parliaments are quite consistent in facilitating ratification and completion of other domestic procedures with regard to international treaties concluded within the CSTO framework (56 out of 60 international treaties concluded within the CSTO framework have been ratified to date),” the parliamentarian said.

As you may recall, according to the research ordered by the CSTO PA and conducted by the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Russian Government regarding incorporation of the CSTO treaties and laws into the national legislation of the CSTO Member States, CSTO model acts are actively used and their main provisions are implemented in most spheres of legal regulation. In addition, in a number of cases the CSTO model lawmaking process is ahead of the national level of legal regulation. 

“This determines the need for our parliaments to continue work on the implementation of the CSTO model acts in the national legislation of the CSTO Member States,” the deputy concluded.

In general, the speakers at the meeting expressed confidence that the work of the Commission would give a new impetus to bilateral relations.