On March 2, the Steering Committee Meeting of the Armenia/Council of Europe Action Plan for 2019-2022 took place in a hybrid format.
Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and Verena Taylor, the Director of the Office of the Director General of the Council of Europe delivered opening remarks. High-ranking representatives of the agencies of the Republic of Armenia involved in the Action Plan, those responsible for their implementation at the Council of Europe Secretariat and the CoE Armenia Office participated in the discussions.
Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan touched upon the period after the previous session of the Steering Committee in July 2020, noted the humanitarian issues as a consequence of the 44-day war in Artsakh, highlighted the importance of ensuring access to international assistance in Artsakh and the conditions necessary for the full realization of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the population. In this regard, the Deputy Foreign Minister reffered to the statements of the high-ranking leaders and various bodies of the Council of Europe, the resolution on the humanitarian and human rights consequences of the Artsakh war, adopted by the PACE in September 2021, and the Memorandum of the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights, published in November 2021.
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the Deputy Foreign Minister expressed the gratitude to the donor countries of the Action Plan, in particular the European Union, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, as well as the Foundation for the Elimination of Violence Against Children and Human Rights Trust Fund.
During the meeting, the results of the programs implemented with the Council of Europe in the fields of protection and promotion of human rights, rule of law and democratic governance were presented. The Armenian side reaffirmed its readiness to continue close cooperation in the implementation of the Action Plan. The participants exchanged views on the projects to be included in the Armenia-Council of Europe for 2023-2026.
