On May 19, Edward Nalbandian, the acting Foreign Minister of Armenia, who is on a working visit to Cyprus, met Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

During the meeting, a number of issues related to Armenia’s involvement in the Council of Europe were discussed. In this context, the effective implementation of the Armenia-Council of Europe Action plan was touched upon.

The acting Foreign Minister of Armenia and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe discussed the possibilities of finding solutions to a number of problems faced by the Organisation. The CoE Secretary General highly appreciated the effective cooperation established between Armenia and the Council of Europe.

Edward Nalbandian briefed Thorbjørn Jagland on the results of the Parliamentary elections held in April in Armenia. The head of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia highly appreciated the contribution of the international partners to the reforms directed at strengthening democratic institutions and electoral processes, including the expert support provided by the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission.

During the meeting, the current developments within the PACE and the need to undertake practical steps for restoration of confidence towards the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe were touched upon.

Edward Nalbandian briefed Thorbjørn Jagland on the efforts exerted by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries towards creation of appropriate conditions for the advancement of the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. The head of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia noted that Baku is doing everything possible to undermine the peace process. By opposing the consistent demands of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and the international community to strictly observe the ceasefire regime, Azerbaijan continues to grossly violate the trilateral armistice agreements, which have no time limit.

Edward Nalbandian underlined that Armenia always calls on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to name the side, responsible for the violation of the ceasefire regime. “By rejecting the creation of the investigation mechanism, Azerbaijan wants to avoid the responsibility for its periodic violation of the ceasefire, but the non-standard statement issued by the three Co-Chairs yesterday clearly indicates the guilty party”, stressed the head of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia.