Friday, May 20 2022 17:26

ArmInfo.On May 20, the 132nd Ministerial Session of the Council of Europe was held in Turin, Italy, where Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the  Republic of Armenia, participated and delivered remarks. 

As the press service of the RA MFAr reports, in his speech, Minister  Mirzoyan, particularly, noted:

"Honorable Minister Di Maio,

Honorable Secretary-General, Distinguished colleagues, We know from  Armenia's experience what a remarkable role the Council of Europe can  play in assisting countries to build strong democratic institutions  and systems. This year the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of  Europe adopted a Resolution on Functioning of democratic institutions  in Armenia where PACE stated Armenia's marked progress in its  democratic development. And perhaps one of the brightest examples of  that progress was the snap parliamentary elections of last summer,  when the citizens of Armenia once again proved their devotion and  commitment to the values of democracy and human rights. 

Dear colleagues, 

Today we are witnessing the looming demise of the  security architecture which certainly has not started just recently  during the last couple of months.  We felt the shatter of  multilateralism, the crack of international institutions and  disrespect for fundamental rules less than two years ago when  Azerbaijan, violating the principle of non-use of force, unleashed a  war against Nagorno-Karabakh and its people.

It's been a year and a half since those horrible times, and  Azerbaijan claims that the Nagorno- Karabakh issue is solved and they  are ready for peace.

I would sound naive but if it's true why we still struggle for the  rights of prisoners of war and detainees and their immediate release  and repatriation. Why do we still struggle for cultural rights of  people and policy-driven demolition of Armenian cultural heritage  under Azerbaijani control? Why do we struggle for the right of  children to get quality education as their schools are frequently  under fire? Why do we struggle for the right of people to have basic  living standards in their houses as the only gas pipeline is being  cut?

I can continue bringing new examples but to put it briefly: why we  struggle to make Azerbaijan understand that Nagorno Karabakh is not  only a piece of territory, it is people, whose dignity should be  respected.

And dear colleagues, as the devotion of human rights brought us all  here then this is the issue for all of us.

The Government of Armenia is committed to the efforts to bring peace  and prosperity to the region and has reiterated on numerous occasions  its readiness to immediately start genuine and constructive  negotiations on normalization of relations with Azerbaijan.  And in  this regard, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship has a key role to  play in advancing the peace process. But we strongly believe that the  Council of Europe also, within its mandate, should be active in  supporting that process.

Dear colleagues,

I would conclude by saying that the need for peace and stability is  long overdue for our region.

Thank you".