On May 17, in Strasbourg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Michael O'Flaherty.
Effective cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner of the CoE in matters of human rights protection and strengthening the rule of law was commended.
The implementation of democratic reforms in Armenia was touched upon. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia emphasized that despite the difficulties, the repercussions of geopolitical developments in the South Caucasus, the Government of Armenia continues to implement the agenda of reforms, using the opportunities provided through international mechanisms. In this context, the joining and implementation of the CoE conventions by Armenia, as well as the upcoming activities were touched upon. The CoE Commissioner welcomed the signing of the Oviedo Convention by the Foreign Minister of Armenia the day before.
"The Government of Armenia is taking steps to join advanced international conventions, improve the legislative framework of Armenia in parallel with it or independently, and bring the laws closer to the standards of the Council of Europe. This is one of the important components of our Government's reform agenda," Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia briefed the Commissioner on the efforts of the Government of Armenia to address the needs and rights of more than 100,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh following the ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan. Humanitarian issues including the issue of the release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians illegally held in Azerbaijan were touched upon.
