Monday, October 18 2021 17:03

ArmInfo.Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan delivered a speech at the 20th anniversary of Armenia's membership in the Council of Europe.

As reported by the press service of the RA MFA, in his remarks, the  Deputy Foreign Minister, in particular, noted:

"Distinguished Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad to welcome you at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of  Armenia. 

Dear Colleagues, Following the World War II, the European leaders  initiated the process of promoting the principles of democracy, human  rights and the rule of law throughout Europe, as cornerstones of the  peaceful future of Europe. Thus, the first Pan-European institution -  the Council of Europe was founded on May 5, 1949, by the Treaty of  London, which already has 47 full members. The city of Strasbourg in  the Alsace region was symbolically chosen as the headquarters of the  organization.

During 72 years of its existence, the Council of Europe has  consolidated the conventional system of the European Continent - the  European standards and norms that have laid grounds for accomplishing  the goals of the Council of Europe.

Since the declaration of independence, Armenia has chosen the path of  democracy.  That choice was obvious. Armenia with its history and  culture, the Armenian society with its values are an inseparable part  of the European family. From 1991 until its full membership to the  Council of Europe, Armenia substantiated its choice and became a full  member of the Council of Europe on 25 January 2001. Ten years after  the declaration of independence, the flag of the Republic of Armenia  was hoisted in front of the Council of Europe headquarters in  Strasbourg.

On many occasions, particularly in the last two parliamentary  elections the people of Armenia once again reaffirmed their  commitment to democracy, human rights and rule of law.

The activities of the Council of Europe are aimed at ensuring the  individual and collective fundamental human rights. Armenia follows  the recommendations of the Council of Europe's statutory bodies,  independent monitoring bodies and advisory committees. A number of  governmental bodies of Armenia are engaged in the activities of this  multifaceted organization. 

The Action Plan - one of the toolkits of the Council of Europe,  through which the organization helps Armenia and other countries to  fulfill their commitments and introduce European standards, is  essential for Armenia. Currently, the fourth 2019-2022 Action Plan  for Armenia is ongoing. Distinguished Ambassadors, this project is  implemented through the voluntary contribution of your countries and  the EU and I would like to express our gratitude in this regard. 

While glancing back at the 20-years long journey of Armenia since its  membership to the Council of Europe, I should underline that enormous  work has been carried out with the support of the organization.  Armenia has joined 83 conventions of the Council of Europe, 66 of  which have been ratified. Besides, Armenia has also joined 12 partial  Agreements of the Council of Europe. 

The activities of the European Court of Human Rights are of utmost  importance in terms of ensuring the rights of the citizens of  Armenia. The court also has a significant role in protecting the  rights of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives being held  in Azerbaijan as a result of the 44-day war unleashed against  Artsakh. 

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished Ambassadors, It is important to highlight that both Armenia and Azerbaijan  committed themselves, upon their accession to the Council of Europe,  to use only peaceful means for settling the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict. Therefore, the 44-day war in 2020 demonstrates that  Azerbaijan has neglected this commitment, thus, it should be properly  addressed by the Council of Europe.

You are well aware of the challenges Armenia encounters today. The  humanitarian consequences of the war of aggression unleashed by  Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh are one of the most urgent  issues. The involvement of our international partners, including the  Council of Europe, is of utmost importance. We consider that there  should not be any "grey zones" in Europe for people to exercise their  fundamental rights. 

The Secretary-General, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the PACE,  the European Court of Human Rights, and relevant monitoring bodies  have already tried to react in accordance with their mandates. Yet,  the Committee of Ministers still has its role to play and I believe  your presence here will help to move forward."