On October 21 Edward Nalbandian, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia met Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe who visited Armenia to participate in the High-Level Conference on Combating racism, xenophobia and intolerance in Europe.

Minister Nalbandian expressed gratitude to the General Secretariat of the CoE and personally to the Secretary General for the comprehensive support to the Armenian Chairmanship in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Edward Nalbandian noted that during the Armenian Chairmanship important visits and more than a dozen of events took place. In this respect he highlighted the visit of the President of Armenia to Strasbourg, the conference “The European Legal Standards and the Scope of Discretion of Powers in the Member-States of the Council of Europe”, Council of Europe exchange on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue, the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors and the Conference of Mayors of the capital cities of the Council of Europe member states, Regional Meeting of Ministers of Education on the Implementation of the European Higher Education Area and the high-level conference to be opened today.

Foreign Minister noted that Armenia will continue to have its intensive contribution to the implementation of the goals of the Council of Europe.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Highly appreciated the activities of the Armenian Chairmanship and the completed work.

The sides had an exchange of views concerning the future functioning of the Council of Europe as well as reforms and agenda issues in the Council of Europe.