ArmInfo. The elections of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe are held in secret and it is impossible to say exactly about their results. On July 3, at a briefing on the question of ArmInfo correspondent, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said, referring to the information that Armenia voted against the elected Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric.
At the same time, Naghdalyan noted that the Armenian government had previously stated that it positively treats both candidates for this position. "The Armenian leadership noted that it considers Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric to be trained personnel who possess the necessary strength and skills to lead the structure," Naghdalyan stressed.
She also noted that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has already congratulated Buric on taking office. "Zohrab Mnatsakanyan confirmed the readiness of Armenia to develop cooperation with the Council of Europe, as well as with the Secretary General of the Structure, moreover, we intend to strengthen our relations at international platforms," Naghdalyan concluded.
To note, on June 26, Marija Pejcinovic Buric was elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe. This position was also claimed by the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Didier Reynders. Pejcinovic Buric received 159 votes, and Reynders - 105 votes. The current Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, was elected in 2009 and re-elected to this position in 2014. His authority ends in October 2019.
It should be noted that in the Armenian media information was spread that the Armenian delegation voted against the elected candidate.