PACE closed the March 1 chapter

Article 10.1 of the resolution draft that the PACE Monitoring Committee passed yesterday reads, “The Assembly notes of the outcome of the tender for broadcasting licenses that was held in Armenia in 2010 and of the subsequent decision of the Committee of Ministers to close the examination of the execution of the ECHR judgment in the case of Meltex and Mesrop Movesyan against Armenia on the ground that a transparent tender had taken place.” However, Article 10.2 reads, “The Assembly considers that the outcome of the licensing tender has not resulted in a more pluralist media environment and therefore considers that the outcome of this tender is not in line with the demands of the Assembly in this regard.” Article 11 of the resolution draft reads, “The Assembly considers that the outcome of the latest general amnesty, the renewed impetus to investigate the 10 deaths during the March 2008 events, and the resulting start of a constructive dialogue between the opposition and ruling coalition mean that the chapter on the March 2008 events can finally be considered closed.” And eventually in Article 13 “The Assembly welcomes the close and constructive co-operation between the Assembly and the Armenian authorities, which it considers to be an example for the development of co-operation in the framework of the Monitoring Procedure of the Assembly.”