“Improvements in Armenia need to be made in accordance with the Constitution. Improvement efforts need to be guided in accordance with international standards. This is mostly in reference to standards set by the European Parliament. Armenia is working closely with the EP,” head of the European Union’s delegation to Armenia and EU ambassador to Armenia, Piotr Switalski, said during a press conference.
Regarding improvements in the judicial system, the ambassador said, “When we refer to an independent judicial system, we are referring to one that is truly independent and that doesn’t have any mediators. The three branches of government- executive, legislative, and judicial- are important and we believe that the judicial branch is the foundation for trustworthy and effective justice. I don’t have any reason at the moment to think that there are any intentions to weaken the independence of the judicial authorities in Armenia based on discussions over the past few weeks.”
Switalski said that the EU has begun policy discussions with Armenia regarding changes in the judicial system. “This means that we have discussed this issue and will continue to discuss it. A new phase of discussions will begin in the autumn.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
