Friday, February 17 2023 10:02

ArmInfo.On February 16, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Bjorn Berge, the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. 

As the press service of the RA MFA reports, during the meeting the  interlocutors discussed issues on cooperation between Armenia and the  CoE, as well as issues on regional security and stability. 

The meeting was followed by the launching conference of the Council  of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026, during which Foreign  Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Deputy Secretary General of  the Council of Europe Bjorn Berge delivered opening remarks. In his  remarks Minister Mirzoyan particularly noted:  "Dear Deputy Secretary  General Berge, Dear President of the Constitutional Court of the  Republic of Armenia, Dear High Ranking officials of the Judicial,  Legislative and Executive branches of the Republic of Armenia, Dear  Colleagues,

I welcome you all at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion  of the official launching of the Council of Europe New Action Plan  for Armenia 2023-2026.

It has already become a good tradition to launch the Action Plan with  the participation of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of  Europe. I am glad to host Mr. Bjorn Berge with whom we have had a  fruitful discussion prior to this event and touched upon a wide range  of issues of our cooperation agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The objective of this event is to present main priorities for the  next four years outlined by the new Action Plan for Armenia. Today`s  discussion will focus on further promotion of human rights, rule of  law, equality and inclusiveness in Armenia. The presence and active  participation of high- ranking representatives of various branches of  the state authority and national institutions in this event proves  the importance of the Action Plan and their active involvement in it.

CoE Action Plan is a key instrument in terms of the ambitious reform  agenda of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, aimed at further  developing democratic institutions, establishing an independent  judiciary and strengthening the anticorruption institutions in  compliance with European standards.

The positive feedback of all stakeholders regarding the previous  Action Plans is promising and, at the same time, challenging in terms  of setting higher benchmarks for the implementation of the new Action  Plan. In this regard, I can only reiterate the strong commitment of  Armenia's authorities to the principles and values of the Council of  Europe enshrined in the Action Plan of the Government.

Political will and commitment of the Government are the cornerstone  for the reforms,  at the same time, cooperation with international  partners is essential for sustainable success and tangible results.  Hence, I would like to thank our friends and partners for their joint  efforts to support the Government's ambitious reform agenda.

We highly appreciate the voluntary contributions from our traditional  partners, such as the EU, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  and Denmark as well as Austria, Germany, Ireland, Belgium,  Liechtenstein, Romania and international organizations that come to  complement the institutional capacities and expertise of the Council  of Europe.

It is our pleasure to state that the positive dynamics of the  implementation of the Action Plan shaped our partners' belief that  the citizens of Armenia are the main beneficiaries of these projects  targeting such priority areas as social justice, rights of children  and women, other vulnerable groups, human rights protection in armed  forces, fight against corruption, judicial reforms, decentralization  and promotion of local self-governance.

I would like to particularly underline the high level of cooperation  between the Council of Europe and the Armenian authorities and the  flexibility in terms of adjusting the programs to the needs and  priorities of the Government. 

Dear Colleagues, We are living in a region full of many security  threats. It has been more than 2 months that the humanitarian crisis  in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from  the blockade of the Lachin  corridor by Azerbaijan is ongoing, Azerbaijan continues to hold  Armenian prisoners of war and civilians as hostages, and the fates of  many missing persons and forcibly disappeared remain unknown. As a  result of the aggression undertaken in May and November, 2021, as  well as in September, 2022, the sovereign territories of the Republic  of Armenia came under Azerbaijani occupation, and the risk of a new  escalation by Azerbaijan still remains high.

And here, despite these actions against Armenia and its democracy as  well as the current harsh challenges, we remain faithful to our  values and, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, we continue to  strengthen democratic institutions. Democracy in Armenia is now  irreversible.  I thank everyone for joining us at today's launching  event."

The opening ceremony was followed by the presentation of the Action  Plan, as well as a panel discussion with national stakeholders,  during which the main achievements of the previous CoE Action Plans  for Armenia were discussed and the headways were outlined. Chairman  of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan, President of the Court of  Cassation Lilit Tadevosyan, Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan and  other high-ranking government officials participated in the  discussion.