Friday, May 18 2018 19:22

ArmInfo. The 128th conference of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe was held in Denmark from 17 to 18 May, in which the permanent representative of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan participated.

As the press service of the Foreign Ministry informs, the topics of  the conference were devoted to the future of the Council of Europe,  current and potential challenges, as well as threats to multilateral  diplomacy. Among other issues, there was also an exchange of views on  the disclosure of information on corruption and follow-up to the  Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

At the official meeting of the conference, Ambassador Hovhannisyan  noted in his speech: "Armenia is convinced that there should not be  so-called "gray zones" for the protection of human rights in Europe,  and the rights and freedoms of people living in conflict zones must  be respected and protected. The goal is to guarantee the free access  of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, as  well as the relevant monitoring bodies to these territories."

In this context, the he suggested that the Committee of Ministers pay  attention to the fact that the Republic of Artsakh unilaterally  joined a number of international fundamental documents, including the  European Convention on Human Rights. He stressed the inalienable  right of the people of Artsakh to self- determination, adding that  this is also one of the key principles of negotiations with the  mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of the Karabakh  conflict.

Referring to the report on corruption in the PACE, Paruyr  Hovhannisyan, referring to the German daily Deutsche Welle, noted  that "Azerbaijan has more effectively implemented its values to the  West than the West to Azerbaijan."

In conclusion, the Permanent Representative of Armenia noted: "The  Council of Europe played a key role in strengthening democracy in  Armenia." The recent domestic political events, which were resolved  in an atmosphere of tolerance and solidarity, showed the commitment  of the Armenian society to the ideas of democracy. "Democracy in  Armenia is irreversible, and the government will do everything We are  looking forward to supporting the Council of Europe in this process."