On November 20, Edward Nalbandian met with the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir.

Welcoming the guest, Minister Nalbandian touched upon the effective cooperation established between Armenia and the ODIHR. The Foreign Minister noted with satisfaction that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is an important partner in the continuous progress in strengthening democratic institutions, improvement of electoral processes and the rule of law in Armenia. In this regard he highlighted the Armenia-ODIHR cooperation in the framework of parliamentary elections in Armenia in April.

Thanking for the reception, the Director of ODIHR expressed readiness to continue the tradition of close cooperation.

The Director of ODIHR highlighted Armenia's contribution to international efforts to combat xenophobia and intolerance, appreciating in this context the hosting of the conference on “Prevention and response to hate crimes against Christians and members of other religious groups”, jointly organized in Armenia by the OSCE Austrian Chairmanship and ODIHR. Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir also highlighted the holding in Yerevan, two days prior to the conference, of an ODIHR seminar with the participation of civil society dedicated to same issues.

It was mutually noted that the first visit of Ingibjörg Gísladóttir to Armenia after her assuming the post of the Director of ODIHR provides a good opportunity to exchange views on Armenia-ODIHR cooperation issues.

At the meeting the sides touched upon the issues of ODIHR activity, as well as cooperation between the OSCE participating States.