Pashinyan to CoE Secretary General: Armenia is Committed to Continuing Path of Democracy

YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric and the delegation led by her in Thursday.

PM Pashinyan told Buric that Armenia, as a member of the Council of Europe, is committed to continuing its democratic path emphasizing the importance of cooperation with CoE in the process of protecting human rights, development of democracy, and establishment of an independent judiciary.

Nikol Pashinyan assessed the work with the PACE and the ECHR as effective, referred to the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other civilians detained in Azerbaijan until now, in the direction of which the Armenian Government is working closely with the ECHR. The Prime Minister attached importance to the support of the international community, including the Council of Europ, thanking the CoE Secretary General for repeatedly addressing the issue.

Marija Pejcinovic Buric noted that the Council of Europe values cooperation with Armenia, and the purpose of her visit is to further strengthen it. She welcomed the democratic reforms of the Republic of Armenia, in the direction of which Armenia is registering visible progress, and highly assessed the early parliamentary elections of 2021, which were in accordance with international standards, free and competitive.

The interlocutors touched upon the issues on the agenda of bilateral relations. The process and challenges of reforms in the sphere of justice were discussed. The Prime Minister noted the importance of increasing public confidence in the judiciary, and the Secretary General reaffirmed her readiness to support the process with the Council of Europe’s advisory support, experience and knowledge. The issue of promoting women’s involvement in various spheres of public life was also touched upon. The implementation of Republic of Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan for 2019-2022 was discussed.

The sides exchanged views on the domestic and external political situation in Armenia, as well as regional and international security challenges. The importance of dialogue on the path to peace and prosperity was emphasized.

The Prime Minister presented the positions of the Republic of Armenia on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the activities of the Border Security Commission, the peace agenda, attaching importance to the targeted response of international partners to provocative statements and actions that undermine regional stability.