Saturday, May 20 2017 15:22

ArmInfo. The priorities of the Cyprus Chairmanship were well placed to address the current challenges that the Europe faces, Armenian MFA Minister Edward  Nalbandian stated during 127th Session of the Committee of the  Ministers of The Council of Europe.

According to him, protection of cultural heritage in particular is  important for the Armenian people that have suffered immense losses  of cultural legacy throughout its history and most recently in  Azerbaijan by the hands of its government and in Syria by the  terrorist groups. In this regard we welcome the adoption of the  Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property.

Another focus of the Chairmanship on Democracy through Education is  an important dimension of fostering inclusive and tolerant societies.  The right of people to their memory, their right to teaching and  learning history of past tragedies through education and remembrance  has a pivotal role in preventing genocides and crimes against  humanity.

"Two Summits were convened after the April aggression of Azerbaijan,  where agreements were reached aimed at creating conducive conditions  for advancement of the peace process. Baku refuses to implement these  agreements although their importance has been highlighted on numerous  occasions, including during April 28 trilateral meeting of ministers  of foreign affairs of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Moreover, Baku  continues the gross violations of the trilateral cease-fire  agreements in defiance to the consistent calls of the Co-Chair  countries and the international community. We value the recent  initiatives that call on the equal application of the pan-European  human rights instruments to the whole continent without distinction,  including in the conflict zones. It is the primary goal of Council of  Europe to ensure that the common values and individual rights  guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights are not  dependent on the status of the territory where people live,"  Nalbandian stressed.

What is to the elections conducted in the country, he stressed that  they were marked by unprecedented high number of international  observers, who stated that the elections were well administered,  fundamental freedoms were respected, and the results reflected the  will of the population. "Armenia highly appreciates the contribution  of international partners to its reforms aimed at consolidating the  democratic institutions and the electoral process, in particular the  expertise provided by the Council of Europe and the Venice  Commission. We look forward to the continuation of fruitful  cooperation in this regard." he stated.

Regarding the recent institutional crisis and credible reports on  corruption in the PACE, the Minister said "We join the calls for full  investigation of the situation in order to rectify the damage done to  this Organization."