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The head of the opposition With Honor faction in the Armenian parliament, Artur Vanetsyan, has explained why he agreed to travel to the U.S. together with the pro-government lawmakers.

In a statement earlier on Saturday, his spokesman said Vanetsyan had cancelled his working visit to the U.S. as part of the Armenian parliamentary delegation.

“At this point, there is nothing to add to the statement,” he told reporters in the National Assembly on Monday in response to a request for further comments.

In the meantime, Vanetsyan stated he has duties and responsibilities before the voters. “I think we should make the voice of those who voted for the opposition heard in the international arena,” he noted.

Vanetsyan says he supports the position of the opposition Hayastan faction to boycott the activities in international organizations until restrictions on movement of some of its deputies are removed.

"But we have our own stance. We must use every opportunity to speak about the actions of the current authorities, which harm democracy, parliamentary culture and our country's reputation, in the international organizations," he said.

Vanetsyan noted that people today ask why international structures used to actively respond to the processes and problems in Armenia, but today they do not.

"The opposition should raise issues. We should not refuse to fulfill our duties and responsibilities in the international arena," Vanetsyan said.