Visit by President von der Leyen to Armenia and respect for the democratic rule of law
Priority question for written answer P-002696/2026
to the Commission
Rule 144
Gerolf Annemans (PfE)
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is visiting Armenia on 2 July 2026 in the context of the further deepening of relations between the European Union and Armenia.
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At the same time, recent reports of the arrest of Armenian opposition figure Avetik Chalabyan on 23 June 2026 again raise questions about respect for fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and the treatment of political opponents. The precise reasons for this arrest are still not fully clear at this stage.
Previous court proceedings against Chalabyan in 2022 already raised concerns among several international organisations about the protection of fundamental rights and procedural guarantees.
I would therefore like to ask the Commission to answer the following questions:
- 1.Will the Commission raise the recent arrest of Avetik Chalabyan during President von der Leyen’s visit to Yerevan?
- 2.What is the Commission’s assessment of this case in the light of Armenia’s commitments to democracy, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in the context of EU-Armenia relations?