Armenia, EU Hold 14th Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels

BRUSSELS — On 17 February, the European Union and Armenia held their 14th Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels.

The EU welcomed the progress related to human rights-related legislation, policy as well as the implementation of the Human Rights Strategy and deriving Action Plan for 2023-2025, and readiness of the government of Armenia to take further measures to address the remaining issues.

Both sides reiterated their commitment to the shared principles and values of democracy, freedom, rule of law, and to the promotion of respect, protection and fulfilment of all human rights, also in the context of the ongoing visa liberalization dialogue.

The EU and Armenia agreed on the need to effectively safeguard the rights to freedom of assembly, association and of expression and preserve civic space. They underlined the importance of ensuring accountability of the police and noted the new legislation in this regard. The EU praised Armenia’s progress in human rights related aspects of reforms of law enforcement and reforms in the area of migration. They also acknowledged the need to improve detention conditions and strengthen the culture of human rights in the armed forces. The EU called for limiting the use and duration of pre-trial detention.

Armenia and the EU highlighted the importance of free and fair elections and the outstanding efforts to increase public’s trust in the electoral process. Both sides acknowledged recent legislative amendments to further improve the Electoral Code. They also discussed how best to address the rising level of disinformation, including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).

The EU and Armenia agreed on the importance of strengthening equality and combatting discrimination. In this regard, the EU called for the adoption of an encompassing Equality law and Gender Equality Strategy. Welcoming Armenia’s commitment to the rights of persons with disabilities, the EU encouraged further measures to ensure accessibility and community-based services. The EU also called for further efforts to counter domestic violence. Both sides discussed the need to combat hate speech and hate crimes, including against LGBTI persons. The EU and Armenia recognized the efforts made regarding the rights of the child agenda, and the EU highlighted the need to conclude the new legal package and to ensure sufficient funding for its implementation. They further discussed how to strengthen the labor protection.

The parties agreed to further strengthen their cooperation also in international human rights fora.

The EU delegation was headed by Dorota Dlouchy-Suliga, Head of Division in the European External Action Service. The Armenian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan.