YEREVAN – The Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun convened the Supreme Assembly of Armenia on June 28, 1996, at 10:30 a.m., despite recent Justice Ministry announcements deeming all ARF activities and assemblies illegal.
Under the Armenian tricolor flag, the ARF banner and with the singing of the Armenian national anthem, ARF Executive Council chairman Levon Mkrtchyan called this unprecedented assembly to order.
Taking part in the Assembly were 61 voting delegates elected from various ARF regions in Armenia, 12 ARF members were invited by the ARF Bureau as nonvoting delegates, and 10 individuals were invited as guests of the Supreme Council.
The meeting elected its officers with Hrayr Karapetyan and Hovig Aghazaryan as its chairmen and Gevorg Khoudinyan and Vardan Petrosyan as secretaries. The meeting also elected its several committees.
All Armenian major political parties, with the exception of the ruling Armenian National Movement party, were represented at the assembly, upon the invitation of the ARF Supreme Council.
Also attending were representatives of the Armenian media.
The ARF Bureau message was delivered by Bureau-member Martun Matevosyan, who stressed that the Supreme Assembly is being convened according to a decision of the party’s 26th World Congress, which calling for the convention of such a meeting to determine the party’s activities and policies in Armenia.
Representatives of other political parties and others addressed the Assembly. Former presidential national security advisor and Scientific-Industrial and Civil Union political advisor, nonpartisan Ashot Manucharyan, former Karabakh Committee member and National Democratic Union leader Davit Vardanyan, Chairperson of the “Haykandukht” Conservative Party Armenuhi Kazaryan, Communist Party representative Gagik Tatevosyan were among those who addressed the Assembly.
Levon Mkrtchyan, ARF Supreme Council chairman, presented a report on the state of the ARF’s political activity in Armenia and the challenges faced by the party.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation adjourned its two-week long Supreme Assembly of Armenia on July 11, 1996, and elected a nine-member governing body.
At the end of the convention, called to determine ARF policy in Armenia, the assembly elected Hovik Aghazaryan, Hrayr Karapetyan, Ruben Hakobyan, Vahan Hovannesyan, Romik Manukyan, Gagik Mkrtchyan, Artashes Shahbazyan, Roland Sharoyan and Vardan Petrosyan as the ARF’s new governing body in Armenia.
ARF News
June-July 1996, Volume 1.4(4)
