On May 21, the 131st online Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe took place, at which Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian participated in and delivered remarks.

In his speech Foreign Minister of Armenia highly appreciated the role of the Council of Europe in the development and the strengthening of the democratic institutions in Armenia and stressed that Armenia remains committed to the ideas and values of the Council of Europe.

Touching upon the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh in 2020, Acting Minister drew the attention of the member-states of the Council of Europe on mass violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan during the war, cases of humiliating treatment towards Armenian prisoners of war and other captured civilians, the issues regarding the protection of historical and cultural sites of Artsakh and the unimpeded access of international organizations to Artsakh. In this context, the Acting Foreign Minister stressed that the lack of adequate response of the international community emboldened Azerbaijan to implement the same policy towards Armenia.

In conclusion, Acting Foreign Minister Aivazian noted: “Unless we reinvigorate our efforts in ensuring democratic security throughout Europe, and particularly for those living in areas of conflicts and confrontations, our overarching goal of greater unity in Europe would remain illusory”.