(AINA) -- Armenia will hold its National Assembly elections on May 6. The Democratic Party of Armenia (DPA) has invited Irina Gasparyan, an Assyrian, to run on its party list as an independent candidate. Ms. Gasparyan is the president of the Federation of Assyrian Organizations of Armenia (FAOA), called Khayadta in Assyrian.

Ms. Gasparyan will be the first Assyrian to run for parliament in Armenia. FAOA has expressed gratitude to DPA.

If elected, Ms. Gasparyan hopes to call attention to the plight of the Assyrians in the world and to work for the rights of Assyrians in their historical lands of Iraq, Syrian, Turkey and Iran.

There are approximately 15,000 Assyrians in Armenia.