On April 11, Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan received the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees, David Best, who is in Armenia on the occasion of the official launch of the CoE's comprehensive package for strengthening the rights of refugees of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Deputy Foreign Minister commended the CoE response comprehensive package developed following the fact-finding visit of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees to Armenia in October 2023, and which was incorporated in the Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan 2023-2026.

Paruyr Hovhannisyan underlined the value of the comprehensive assistance package provided by the CoE to the Armenian authorities, taking into account that addressing social, health, education, housing, employment, mid-term and long-term needs of the Nagorno-Karabakh refugees is one of the priorities of the Armenian government.

The Deputy Foreign Minister stressed the need for the international protection of the rights of the forcibly displaced population of Nagorno-Karabakh, including under the CoE Convention system.

Paruyr Hovhannisyan briefed his interlocutor on the security situation around Armenia, the consequences of the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, ongoing challenges and Armenia's efforts to establish lasting peace in the South Caucasus.

Note: The Council of Europe Comprehensive Package for strengthening the Rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees was developed to address the consequences of the ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023. The CoE Comprehensive Package, with a budget of €2.8 million, was included in the Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan 2023-2026. It provides expert assistance to the Armenian authorities to address the social, health, education, housing, employment, mid-term and long-term needs of the forcibly displaced population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The project started in early 2024 and was officially launched in Yerevan on 11 April 2024.