Yezidi-Armenian MP to conduct new parliament's first session

The opening session of Armenia's sixth National Assembly will be conducted by a Yezidi-Armenian member who appears to be the oldest among the elected lawmakers.

Knyaz Hasanov, who will represent the ruling Republican faction in parliament, says he is very pleased to be entrusted with the special mission. He also considers the moment historic for an ethnic minority member.

“Conucting the first session of the sixth National Assembly is an honor for me. and a pleasing event. In a way, it is a mission for the Kurds and Yezidis, and the Armenian people who are so dear to me. I was raised as an Armenian among the Armenian people and by Armenians. And I really want to say that with the constitutional change [allowing ethnic minorities to be represented in Armenia’s chief lawmaking body] Armenia proved, yet another time, that human rights and the ethnic minorities’ interests are respected here. Ever since independence, the National Assembly has not had any ethnic minority representative. It is now a big honor for us to see four ethnic minority members in the National Assembly,” he told Tert.am.

Hasanov also promised active efforts on their part to raise education-related and cultural issues in the legislative.

He said said he personally has legal initiatives addressing the Kurdish and Yezidi communities’ problems.