Parliament to hold hearings on granting official status to Russian language in Artsakh

Artsakh National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sports will be holding parliamentary debate on the draft law “On Amendments to the Law on Language” on March 2.

Interested organizations, individuals and specialists are invited to participate in the parliamentary hearings.

A draft submitted to Artsakh’s National Assembly proposes granting an official status to the Russian language. Armenian will still remain the only state language in the republic.

Co-authors of the bill says the necessity is based on “the historical memory of the cultural, military and economic relations between Artsakh and Russia and the fact that Russian is the second language of communication for many residents of Artsakh.”

The lawmakers say the proposed changes will create necessary conditions for deepening cooperation in all spheres, and in the foreseeable future will contribute to the development of relations within the legal framework.

“The need for a long-term presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh, the joint solution of many social and communication problems, cooperation in the fields of construction, health, education and science requires a reassessment of the role of the Russian language,” the authors say.

Source: Public Radio of Armenia