President receives PACE President Anne Brasseur

President Serzh Sargsyan today received Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Greeting the guest, the President attached importance to the cooperation between our country and the Council of Europe (CoE) and noted that Armenia, as a CoE member, is actively involved in activities of the organization at all levels. Serzh Sargsyan stressed the crucial and unique role of the CoE in Europe’s general architecture, noting that the CoE standards in the areas of human rights, democracy and the rule of law have attained universal recognition beyond European borders. The Armenian President said that it is natural that in this sense the PACE acts as a driving force, speaking for more than 800 million people, and emphasized the increasing importance of parliamentary diplomacy in the world.

The Armenian President noted that Armenia highly appreciates the CoE support for the ongoing democratic reforms in our country. At the meeting, the parties touched upon reforms implemented in a number of areas and the upcoming works.

At the meeting, the RA President introduced PACE President Anne Brasseur to the process of RA constitutional amendments, their necessity and objectives. The parties expressed the hope that the Venice Commission which has approved the concept paper of constitutional amendments, will continue to be involved in this process.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Mrs. Brasseur mentioned that she has visited Armenia as part of a regional visit with the aim of familiarizing herself with the country and its challenges on the spot.

The Armenian President thoroughly introduced the guest to the current stage of the NK peace process within the frame of the OSCE Minsk Group and to the present issues and attached value on steps aimed at building confidence between the conflicting parties, calling to refrain from using the PACE as a platform for initiatives, statements and resolutions which contain hostility and provocative accusations.