On May 24, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan received Giuseppe Galati and Yuliya Lovochkina, Co-Rapporteurs on Armenia of the PACE Monitoring Committee.

Welcoming the guests, Foreign Minister noted that as the former Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Council of Europe, he has a feeling of affinity when receiving the PACE delegation. Foreign Minister underlined: "The Council of Europe is an important partner of Armenia on the path of deepening democracy and building civil society institutions."

Expressing gratitude for the reception, members of the PACE Monitoring Committee congratulated Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on his appointment as Foreign Minister and wished him success in this responsible mission. It was noted that within the framework of the visit to Armenia a number of meetings are scheduled with representatives of executive, legislative and judicial authorities, as well as with civil society representatives and experts.

In the course of the meeting the sides touched upon the developments in Armenia, the issues related to implementation of reforms aimed at strengthening democracy, and to increasing the level of human rights protection.

The interlocutors had a discussions on the PACE activities.

Minister briefed the Co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee on the efforts towards a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. In this context, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan reaffirmed Armenia's commitment to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He emphasized that for the success of the process it is important to ensure an environment conducive to peace.