1 / 9

On May 3 on the initiative of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the RA National Assembly parliamentary hearings on “The Presidency of the Republic of Armenia in the Council of Europe” were held, where the President of the RA Constitutional Court Gagik Harutyunyan, the RA Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian, NA Deputies, representatives of international structures and NGOs functioning in the RA were taking part.

In the hearings the RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan welcomed the attendees.

“Honourable President of the Constitutional Court,

Dear Foreign Minister,

Dear Deputies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Soon the Republic of Armenia assumes the presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Let me congratulate all of us on the occasion of the honourable and at the same time responsible mission.

For its fulfillment at the due level, we should correlate the efforts of the state, political and civil structures for at best making the presidency of our country in this authoritative structure useful and effective.

In this context I welcome the participants of the parliamentary hearings with the heading “The Presidency of the Republic of Armenia in the Council of Europe.”

I fully hope that these parliamentary hearings initiated by the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations will greatly promote the process of the agenda formation of the presidency of the Republic of Armenia in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

The first presidency of Armenia in the Council of Europe is a significant event for our country. Human rights, democracy and rule of law are at the essence of the domestic policy of the Republic of Armenia, and we are resolute to continue strengthening these principles in the Council of Europe.

At the same time this is a unique opportunity for Armenia to make its contribution and participation in the formation of pretentious agenda of the Council of Europe aimed at spreading democracy, human rights and rule of law, all-human values in the member countries.

Dear colleagues,

The manifestations of human rights violation, racism, intolerance, hatred and discrimination are not due to modern Europe. Unfortunately, up to now, even in existence of the complex of legal rich tools we witness numerous cases of breach and violation of human rights based on the religious and national properties.

I think that during the presidency of Armenia in the Council of Europe our accents and priorities, first of all, should be aimed at prevention of similar manifestations and phenomena.

With respect to this I would like especially to highlight the problems connected with the guarantee and realization of fundamental human rights in the territories being part of Europe, but not internationally recognized. The settlement of conflicts, as a rule, is a lasting process, and it causes serious obstacles with respect to full realization of peoples’ rights residing in those territories.

I believe that the Council of Europe, being a leading organization in the sphere of human rights protection, can have a more serious role in filling this gap.

From this perspective the presidency assumed by Armenia gives a unique; I would say, even a historic opportunity for sounding out loud the mentioned problem in the tribunes of the Council of Europe and making it a matter of examination.

Dear colleagues,

I hope that due to our joint and united efforts we would succeed during this short period of presidency to lay bases for calling into life our initiatives.”

The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan thanked the RA NA President, the RA Foreign Minister, the President of the RA Constitutional Court and RA Human Rights Defender for showing practical and comprehensive support in these parliamentary hearings. The Committee Chairman noted that Armenia already joined the Council of Europe for 12 years, and during this period the CoE had an important role in the problems aimed at the RA democratization, legal, political, social and other institutional reforms, enlargement of human rights base and their protection. And on May 16 of this year Armenia will assume the presidency of the Committee of Ministers, in the name of the RA Foreign Minister.

The RA Acting Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has noted that the Council of Europe has the most important role in the all-European architecture: first of all, it is a platform of political dialogue. During the presidency Armenia will continue to encourage and enhance the CoE cooperation with the UN, the OSCE, the European Union and other partner organizations. Edward Nalbandian thanked the Armenian Delegation to PACE for the effective cooperation established with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and expressed hope that it would promote the holding of successful presidency of Armenia in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

In his speech the President of the RA Constitutional Court Gagik Harutyunyan highlighted the elaboration of all-European united criteria on the problems of rule of law. He said that on September 24, 2012 the UN adopted a special resolution on the rule of law, but among us the legal content and its criteria of the rule of law had not been still specified. Gagik Harutyunyan informed the attendees that he had met the Chairs of the European Court of Human Rights and Venice Commission and made a decision within the framework of Armenia’s presidency convene a Pan-European Forum on “The European Criteria of the Rule of Law and the Borders of the Authorities’ Disposals in the CoE Member Countries” in the National Assembly. Within the framework of the Forum a book presentation on the theme “The Constitutionality, the Paradigms of the Reality and the Challenges of the New Millennium” is also designed to hold.

The RA Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan touched upon a number of problems concerning the protection of human rights, talked about the exclusion of intolerance and discrimination in the country. With this respect Karen Andreasyan said the Human Rights Defender Office had initiated the RA draft law “On Discrimination,” which had been submitted to the community. In the speaker’s opinion, by assuming the presidency in the Council of Europe Armenia would have new achievements in protection of human rights.

The speakers also answered the questions of the participants of the hearings.

Summing up the parliamentary hearings the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Artak Zakaryan thanked those present for the active discussions and expressed readiness to support the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs for holding the presidency to be implemented first time in one of the most important international organizations for the benefit of the organization and for organizing it in the Republic of Armenia.