On July 3 the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian delivered a speech at the conference on the topic “The European legal standards of the rule of law and scope of the discretion of powers in the member-states of the Council of Europe” organized by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Court of Human Rights and the Venice Commission. In his address the Minister particularly stated:

“Distinguished President of the National Assembly,
Distinguished President of the Constitutional Court,
Distinguished President of the European Court of Human Rights,
Distinguished President of the Venice Commission,
Distinguished Participants of the Conference,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In my capacity as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe I have the honor to welcome you in Yerevan on the occasion of the conference on the topic “The European legal standards of rule of law and scope of the discretion of powers in the member-states of the Council of Europe” organized in the framework of the Armenian Chairmanship in the Council of Europe.

For the first time after the accession Armenia assumed chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers on 16 May. First of all we consider this important mission as an additional opportunity for making contribution to the collaborative efforts of the Council of Europe member states towards the development of democracy.

The Chairmanship is also a challenge to any member state of the Council of Europe because today the European continent faces lots of problems, which have created difficulties in the protection of our common values. It is a great responsibility as the success of the Organization is determined not only by the efforts of any singe member state taken separately but by the proper guidance of those efforts.

The priorities of the Armenian Chairmanship in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe are based on the three dimensions of the Organization underlining the problems which in our opinion require more attention and appropriate response. In this context I would mention fight against racism, xenophobia and hate speech in Europe, promotion of intercultural and inter-confessional dialogue, enhancement of the European standards of human rights and the rule of law as well as encouragement of democratic institutions.

The Armenian Chairmanship attaches a great importance to all those efforts directed to the increase in the efficiency of the European Court of Justice, the reforms of the Council of Europe, strengthening the role of the Organization in the common European architecture as well as the improvement in the dialogue with the neighboring regions of the Council of Europe.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
During the 123th session of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE we had an interesting and meaningful discussion aimed at answering the question about the actions to be undertaken by the Council of Europe and the member states in order to increase the efficiency of the activities of the Council of Europe.

We all share the opinion that the Council of Europe is a unique mechanism for the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. That mechanism is unique with the existence of the European Court of Human Rights which is the supranational warrant of the rights of 800 million Europeans. That mechanism is unique with its binding norms and standards; it is unique with its institutional structure and pan-European inclusiveness.

The efficiency of the activities and the trust attached to the Organization depend on whether the member states taken together and separately remain adherent to the enhancement of democracy, rule of law and human rights and ready to promote their commitments.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Leaving the opinions and comments on the differentiation between the rights and the rule of law, European standards and the scope of the discretion of powers for the specialists and distinguished experts present in this hall, I would like to underline the importance of the rule of law for the development of our states and societies.

Aristotle said “Law is order and good law is good order”. The work of this conference can assist the improvement of the law and its application on the European continent. In this respect the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly as well as the European Court of Human Rights and the Venice Commission can make their contribution to that.

Ending my speech I would like to express my gratitude to the Constitutional Court of Armenia and personally to the President Gagik Harutyunyan for initiating this conference; the high-level attendance of which and wide geographic inclusion are the most vivid proofs of its importance.

I also express my appreciation to the President of the European Court of Justice Dean Spielman and the President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio for their assistance to the organization of the conference as well as to all participants for their contribution to the work of the conference.

I wish success to the conference on the topic “The European legal standards of rule of law and scope of the discretion of powers in the member-states of the Council of Europe” and express my confidence that it will contribute to these relevant discussions.

Thank you.”