Today the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan, received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Armenia, Ms. Anne Louyot, and President of the France-Armenia friendship group of the French Parliament, Deputy of the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône, Ms. Anne-Laurence Petel.
The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan, received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Armenia, Ms. Anne Louyot, and President of the France-Armenia friendship group, Deputy of the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône, Ms. Anne-Laurence Petel.
Ambassador Ms. Anne Louyot and Deputy Anne-Laurence Petel congratulated Ms. Manasyan on assuming a new and responsible position. The Ambassador expressed her gratitude for the enormous work done by the Defender's institution, including the development of reports on various violations of human rights as a result of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the constant provision of credible information to international partners.
In her speech, Ms. Manasyan referred to the main challenges in the field of human rights protection in Armenia and presented the Defender's mandate and directions of activity. A particular reference was made to the activities of the Defender as a National Preventive Mechanism in the field of fighting against torture, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Within the framework of the meeting, the interlocutors addressed the issues of protecting the rights of the population of bordering communities of Armenia, human rights violations as a result of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, the urgency of guaranteeing the rights of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan and ensuring their return, as well as the issues raised by the families of servicemen whose whereabouts are unknown as a result of the 44-day military actions.
At the end of the meeting, the interlocutors agreed to make joint efforts to address the issues mentioned above and deepen cooperation in different formats.
