“On 25 January 2001, Armenia embarked on the European path beginning the process of consolidating our shared values within its institutions and laws. Democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland stated during the presentation of a book authored by the President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia held on Thursday in Strasburg.
In Jagland’s words since then, Armenia has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights, along with a further 59 conventions underpinning reforms in the country’s judiciary, electoral legislation, prisons, the media and civil society. And underpinning reforms to strengthen its fights against corruption and discrimination.
“Our relationship is a two-way street and I value Armenia’s steady commitment to dialogue and co-operation. In today’s increasingly fragmented Europe, the importance of reaching out to one another cannot be overplayed. I would like, in particular, to pay tribute to the authorities for their ongoing engagement with our Venice Commission. The Venice Commission has assisted the country with significant and comprehensive reforms to its constitution, most recently in 2015 helping bring the Constitution more in line with European standards,” the Secretary General noted.
As Panorama.am reporters informs from Strasburg, Thorbjorn Jagland next spoke of the adoption of the new Electoral Code, the new law on Human Rights Defenders and the new law on political parties – which all stemmed from the new Constitution.
“On the Electoral Code in particular, let me pay tribute to the different political forces
in Armenia for the spirit of compromise they have shown. I hope that the newly introduced safeguards against fraud will help boost public confidence in the electoral system, in view of the parliamentary elections that will take place in April,” said the Secretary General.
CoE Secretary General next highlighted the contribution of Armenia’s civil society towards the country’s reforms, appreciating the fact that the ‘authorities regularly seek its input while drafting of important pieces of legislation.’
“Meaningful consultation between civil society and national authorities is of great benefit to our democracies. We will continue working together on the outstanding challenges and on the full implementation of the country’s commitments to the Council of Europe. In this respect, I would also like to highlight the importance of our joint Action Plan, which was launched in May last year,” Secretary General stressed, pointing out areas of further work, such as strengthening constitutional justice and the wider justice system; supporting criminal justice reform; fighting corruption; supporting police and penitentiary reform, combatting domestic violence; and supporting the decentralisation process
“We remain dedicated to an Armenia that is stable, outward-looking and prosperous.
We also hope for lasting peace in the region and a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in line with the commitments undertaken upon accession to the Council of Europe. All in all, we appreciate the sincere and engaging way in which Armenia approaches our various recommendations. Thanks to consistent determination, on the part of the country, to consolidate and strengthen democracy, we have seen real progress in the country, as noted by our various monitoring mechanisms. Let me end by congratulating our member state for all which has been achieved since its accession to the Council of Europe. And for the ambitions which have been set out for the years ahead,” concluded his remarks Thorbjorn Jagland.