"Zhoghovurd" daily writes: "According to the information of the Zhoghovurd daily, the decision of the "Strong Armenia" faction to take over the chairmanship of the Standing Committee on European Integration of the National Assembly was taken seriously in the ruling circles. According to our sources, the authorities do not think that the "Strong Armenia" European Integration Commission can effectively lead, taking into account the faction's political positions.
In the official circles, there are especially doubts about the faction's approach to European integration issues, and some representatives of the government define them as more pro-Russian than pro-European. However, the question of Arega Hovsepyan, the candidate nominated by "Strong Armenia" for the position of the committee chairman, was more problematic for the government. According to our sources, Hovsepyan's sharp questions and harsh speeches addressed to the government since the beginning of the work of the parliament have already come into the spotlight. According to our information, discussions are underway within the government both on the candidate for the chairman of the commission and on the issue of handing over the leadership of the commission to "Strong Armenia".
In other words, there is still no final decision on how the ruling majority will vote. If the government is, in fact, ready to accept the leadership of the permanent committees on financial, credit and budget, as well as territorial management and infrastructure issues as positions given to the opposition, then the situation is different in the case of the European integration commission. According to our sources, the government does not intend to give up the chairmanship of this commission easily and is discussing possible options to keep it under its control.
In the end, what decision will be made and whether the governing majority will try to nominate another candidate is still under discussion. However, one thing is clear: the government is not yet ready to reach a final agreement on handing over the leadership of the European Integration Commission to "Strong Armenia." Details in today's issue of "Zhoghovurd" daily.
