November 26, the Head of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, Artur Tovmasyan, met with the representatives of Artsakh non-governmental organizations and public figures in the sitting hall of the parliament.

Before moving on to the main topic of the meeting, those present observed a minute of silence in memory of the Armenians who were perished in the three Artsakh wars.

The purpose of the meeting is to meet with non-governmental organizations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The open letter addressed to V. Putin and the members of the non-governmental organizations who signed the letter were a protest-discussion of the insulting remarks made by the deputy of the "Justice" faction of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, Metakse Hakobyan.

November 12, an open letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin was published, signed by more than 30 non-governmental organizations, student councils and public figures. The letter particularly mentioned the efforts of the peacekeeping mission, the personal intervention of the Russian President in the cessation of hostilities, the need for repeated provocations by Azerbaijan, the consequences and the introduction of additional punitive mechanisms.

In an interview with 168․am agency, MP Hakobyan described the content of the letter as a populist "staged activity", as he called the signatories "President Arayik Harutyunyan's property, fed by a pot set by the government."

The representatives of the non-governmental organizations present at the meeting expressed their indignation and anger for the insulting, slanderous expressions voiced by the deputy, and demanded the deputy to apologize publicly. "I do not even consider myself the property of my parents, let alone someone else. The MP, just as he publicly insulted and slandered us, let him publicly apologize," Garik Grigoryan, a member of the Union of Reserve Officers, said.

The participants of the meeting think that it is time to criminalize slander and insult against a person.

The NA President stressed that he was not authorized to give any assessment, therefore he suggested organizing a meeting with the members of the "Justice" faction to give a corresponding solution to the existing problem.

Artur Tovmasyan urged tolerance, solidarity and restraint.