Armenia is a full member of the Council of Europe (CoE) since 25 January 2001.

Armenia’s accession process to the Council of Europe started in 1995. On 26 January 1996, the National Assembly of Armenia was granted special guest status at the CoE Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). On 9 November 2000, according to the Committee of Ministers Resolution 2000/13, Armenia received an invitation to become a member of the Council of Europe.

Between May and November 2013, within the framework of the 6-month rotating chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE, Armenia assumed the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers for a period of six months.

Armenia is actively involved in the activities of the statutory bodies of the Council of Europe, intergovernmental advisory committees, as well as independent monitoring bodies, and takes significant initiatives in favor of the action and role of the Organization.

Armenia is represented in the Committee of Ministers of the CoE by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Since 2006, the Ministerial sessions of the Committee of Ministers with the participation of Foreign Ministers have been held once a year, in May. The weekly meetings of the Committee of Ministers are attended by the permanent representatives of the member and observer States, including Armenia.

The Permanent Representation of the Republic of Armenia to the Council of Europe is situated in Strasbourg. HE Mr. Armen Papikyan is the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the Council of Europe.

The office of the Council of Europe is situated in Yerevan. It implements the Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan, supporting domestic legislative and institutional reforms. The Director of the Council of Europe office in Yerevan is Mr. Maxime Longangué.

The delegation of the Republic of Armenia to PACE is composed of the deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. It is constituted of four representatives and four substitute members.

The Armenian delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the CoE is comprised of the representatives of local elected bodies of the Republic of Armenia. Armenia is represented at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) by a judge elected from Armenia. The interests of the Republic of Armenia in the ECHR are represented by the Representative on international legal matters.

Since its accession to the CoE, Armenia has been taking active steps to fulfill its membership obligations in the Council of Europe.

All CoE conventions required for the membership have been ratified.

Respective Codes and Laws of the Republic of Armenia were amended, including the Constitutional reforms of 2015 followed by the ongoing legislation’s amendments. Those are accomplished by the continuous support of the Secretariat of the CoE and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission). 

The CoE projects for Armenia are drawn up based on the priorities of the Armenian Government, as well as the recommendations of the monitoring and advisory bodies of the CoE. Those are contributing to the implementation of the national reforms in line with the European standards of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Since 2012, this cooperation between Armenia and the CoE is conducted within Action Plans.

The ongoing CoE Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 was officially launched on 16 February 2023 in Yerevan. It has an objective to contribute to the justice reforms, eliminate corruption, and counter cybercrime. The CoE assists Armenia to comply with the European standards in the field of biomedicine, healthcare in penitentiary. Further development of the probation service, local governance, rights of women and children, national minorities are also among the targets of the current Action Plan.

The total budget of the CoE-Armenia Action Plan is 23 million euros, 2.8 million euros of which have been allocated by the CoE within the framework of the CoE Comprehensive response package developed to address the medium- and long-term needs of the forcibly displaced refugees of Nagorno-Karabakh fled to Armenia in social rights, healthcare, education, housing, and employment.

The Action Plan is funded by the EU, the CoE Human Rights Trust Fund – HRTF, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Ireland, Cyprus, Lithuania.

The Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) is a joint initiative of the EU-CoE created in 2015 for the Eastern Partnership countries. PGG Armenia 2023-2027 completes the Armenia-CoE Action Plan aimed at pursuing judicial reforms, enhancing national capacities for equality and women’s rights, as well as for strengthening the anticorruption and anti-economic crime institutions.

Armenia has signed and ratified 70 Conventions and acceded to 12 Partial Agreements of the Council of Europe. ( https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/ )

Cooperation with statutory monitoring bodies of the CoE

CoE Commissioner for Human Rights

https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/country-work/armenia

Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by the CoE Member States  (Monitoring Committee)

Res. 2560 - Resolution - Details tab (coe.int)

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (Monitoring Committee)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/congress/congress-reports#%7B%2254213415%22:[2]%7D

Cooperation with monitoring and consultative bodies of the CoE

Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)

https://www.venice.coe.int/WebForms/members/countries.aspx?id=42

Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO)   

https://www.coe.int/en/web/greco/evaluations/armenia

Anti-Money Laundering (MONEYVAL)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/moneyval/jurisdictions/armenia

Fight against Laundering and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime (CETS no.198)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/cop198/implementation/reports

Fight against Racism, Hate and Intolerance (ECRI)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-commission-against-racism-and-intolerance/armenia

Protection of National Minorities

https://www.coe.int/en/web/minorities/armenia

Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/anti-human-trafficking/armenia1

Prevention of Torture (CPT)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/cpt/armenia

European Social Charter

https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-social-charter/armenia

Justice

European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/cepej/country-profiles/armenia

Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE)

https://www.coe.int/en/web/ccpe/country-profiles/armenia

Visits

Council of Europe

May 2024	Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
October 2023	Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
June 2022	Alen Simonyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
May 2022	Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
October 2019	Ararat Mirzoyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
April 2019	Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
November 2018	Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
January 2018	Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia
October 2017	Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
October 2013	Armen Gevorkyan, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Territorial Administration of the Republic of Armenia
October 2013	Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia
September 2013	Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE
June 2013	Hovik Abrahamyan, President of the National Assembly
June 2013	Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE
May 2013	Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE
September 2012	Hovik Abrahamyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
June 2011	Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia
June 2009	Hovik Abrahamyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
May 2008	Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
December 2007	Serzh Sargsyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
May 2005	Robert Kocharyan, President of the Republic of Armenia
June 2004	Robert Kocharyan, President of the Republic of Armenia
May 2004	Arthur Baghdasaryan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
January 2001	Robert Kocharyan, President of the Republic of Armenia

Armenia

April 2024	Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General
October 2023	Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights
June 2022	Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General
March 2019	Liliane Maury Pasquier, President of the Parliamentary Assembly
September 2018	Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights
November 2017	Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
June 2016	Jean-Claude Frécon, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
April 2015	Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General
April 2015	Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly
October 2014	Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights
October 2013	Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General
October 2013	Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights
July 2013	Dean Spielmann, President of the European Court of Human Rights
June 2013	Hervig Van Staa, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
May 2013	Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly
April 2013	Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General
January 2011	Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights
October 2010	Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General
July 2008	Lluís Maria de Puig, President of the Parliamentary Assembly
March 2008	Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights
November 2007	Terry Davis, Secretary General
October 2007	Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights
July 2007	Rene van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly
October 2006	Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights
August 2005	Rene van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly
October 2002	Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights
September 2001	Lord David Russell Johnston, President of the Parliamentary Assembly
September 1999	Lord David Russell Johnston, President of the Parliamentary Assembly

Useful links:

Council of Europe https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/home

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe https://pace.coe.int/en/

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities https://www.coe.int/en/web/congress/home

European Court of Human Rights https://prd-echr.coe.int/

Permanent representation of the Republic of Armenia to the Council of Europe https://coe.mfa.am/en

Council of Europe office in Yerevan https://www.coe.int/en/web/yerevan

 

Updated on 21.11.2024