On November 4, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Armenia, the Head of the Finnish Delegation to PACE Kimo Kiljunen and the Head of Swedish Delegation Boriana Åberg.

During the meeting, the interlocutors commended the effective cooperation between Armenia and the Council of Europe (CoE). Ararat Mirzoyan highly appreciated the support provided by the Council of Europe for the strengthening of democracy, ensuring the rule of law and promoting protection of human rights in Armenia, underlining that the Council of Europe is one of Armenia’s important partners in the implementation of reforms in these areas.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia highly valued the statements and calls for cessation of military hostilities by various CoE bodies, in particular the co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee, as well as of the Commission from the very first days of the 44-day war.

The Armenian side stressed that upon joining the Council of Europe both Armenia and Azerbaijan committed themselves to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict exclusively by peaceful means, while the war unleashed by Azerbaijan is a clear violation of the obligations undertaken within the Council of Europe.

The humanitarian issues resulting from Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh were also touched upon. In this context, the Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed the need for unhindered involvement of international organizations, including the relevant CoE bodies in Artsakh.

Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the need for unconditional repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and other captives. In this regard, Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the current discussion on Armenian prisoners of war at the PACE plenary session in April 2021, and the adoption of a report on the humanitarian consequences of the war in September 2021.

The importance of preserving the Armenian religious and historical-cultural heritage of Artsakh in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan was also stressed.