Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Monitoring Committee for Armenia, Kimmo Kiljunen and Boriana Åberg.
Welcoming the PACE co-rapporteurs, the Prime Minister noted:
“Dear colleagues,
Over the course of 20 years, we have always highly valued our membership in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe, and have viewed it as a most important contribution supporting democratic reforms in our country. When we were joining the Council of Europe, our membership documents contained 2 main directions that were important at that time — one was democracy, the other was peace.
I must note that we have tangible successes in the field of democracy, and we can finally record that our successes in the democratic sphere are such that the international community also sees and acknowledges them. I am also glad that the Council of Europe sees and acknowledges this. I think that the events of the recent period, in particular, make evident the irreversibility of democratic processes in the Republic of Armenia. We perhaps have the problem of regulating the pace, and it is very important that we adopt the right pace in the context of those changes. One thing is clear — the main problem that existed in Armenia for many years has been solved in an equally fundamental way: I am referring to the reliability of election results, and in this regard, of course, we appreciate the contribution that the Council of Europe has made over 20 years in supporting Armenia on the issue of democracy.
In the other matter we have problems: in our region, unfortunately, stability and peace are under a very great blow, and the fact that we still have prisoners in Azerbaijan, despite the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, is its most vivid expression. I very highly appreciate that this issue was raised and recorded in PACE. That is truly important. It is also important that the European Court of Human Rights expresses a very principled position on a number of issues. This further emphasises the importance of our membership in the Council of Europe.
Nevertheless, despite all the challenges and difficulties, the Government of the Republic of Armenia has adopted the policy of opening an era of peaceful development for Armenia and the region. The bad news is that this does not depend only on us; more precisely, the bad news is that not everyone shares this agenda, and, in any case, the perceptions of the parameters of peace are not identical. But we must continue to work consistently in that direction. In any case, in this matter we also need the support of our international partners. I want to welcome you once again and I am glad for this opportunity to discuss the course of our affairs.”
Boriana Åberg, co-rapporteur of the PACE Monitoring Committee for Armenia, noted in her remarks: “Mr Prime Minister, I wish to express my gratitude and that of my colleagues for inviting us here. I also wish to congratulate you on the decision to hold early parliamentary elections in the summer of 2021 and on your convincing victory in those elections. That was a victory not only for you, but also a victory for Armenia’s democracy. As you have already noted, Armenia has achieved many accomplishments in the field of democracy. Over the past 3 days we have had the opportunity to meet many people, to visit a number of institutions, such as, for example, the Corruption Prevention Commission and other bodies. And it is truly gratifying to see that your country is the shining star of democracy in the region.”
In turn, Kimmo Kiljunen said: “Thank you, Mr Prime Minister. First of all, as Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I wish to congratulate you on behalf of PACE on the good organisation of the elections. We were observers and recorded that the elections corresponded to international standards and commitments. Personally, I wish to congratulate you on your victory in the elections. These elections were much more important for you and your party than the elections held after the velvet revolution, because now the situation has become more stable and you can implement your programme. Your government’s programme has received a strong mandate from the people, and trust is guaranteed by the election results.”
The co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee for Armenia also emphasised the efforts of all countries involved in the direction of peace and stability in the region and noted that they will continue to raise the need for the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and other detained persons in Azerbaijan.
The parties exchanged views on issues related to the post-war situation, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the consolidation of our country’s democratic institutions, the protection of human rights and a number of sectoral reforms.
The Prime Minister referred to judicial-legal, anti-corruption, constitutional, institutional and electoral reforms, also highlighting progress in the field of freedom of speech, noting that Armenia’s press and expression freedom has never been at such a high level as it has been since 2018 and now. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that Armenia is committed to the agenda of strengthening democracy and will continue to move forward firmly on that path.
Issues related to the effectiveness of the parliamentary system of government were also discussed.
