Mr. Chairman,

As we mark 60 years of the Council of Europe we look back at those really special years – for the first time in their history, peoples of Europe were united around developing and consolidating shared values of democracy, human rights and rule of law. This process became truly irreversible within the past two decades when a fundamental transformation in our continent created the basis for the elimination of dividing lines.

The Council has been established on the foundations of a common heritage of Europe. Obviously, this common heritage stems from the indispensable contribution of our histories and our cultures. It is in this diversity of national experience that we build the common base of our values and it is in this spirit that we promote our dialogue as profound factors to sustain our common values within the whole of Europe.

Over sixty years this Council developed a solid platform for a political dialogue between the nations of Europe. It has established necessary modalities to promote people to people contacts. It has become a forum for cooperation at all levels, involving local, regional and parliamentary dimensions. Perhaps most importantly, through its legal frameworks and vast experience the Council developed a significant standard setting monitoring potential. The Commissioner of Human rights, the Human Rights Court, the treaty monitoring and advisory bodies and mechanisms of the Council are essential institutions within the Organization.

Mr Chairman,

Sixty years ago this Council emerged in order to unite the people of Europe around the shared values of democracy and freedoms, and to promote security for its citizens and peace between its nations. Regrettably, this continent has not been freed entirely from the devastation of conflicts. The legitimate concerns of the people of Nagorno Karabagh for security have been at the heart of insisting on their internationally accepted legal right to self-determination. Indeed, their very physical security has been at stake as a result of the conflict in the beginning of the last decade.

In the international arena Azerbaijan consistently misinterprets the essence of the Nagorno Karabagh problem, trying to conceal the ethnic cleansing and its policy of violence conducted against the people of Karabagh in 1988-1991. Consequently, these actions developed into open aggression and large-scale hostilities against the people of Karabagh, involving mercenaries closely linked to terrorist organizations, and which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians.

Over the past fifteen years Armenia spared no effort to exert its influence and, indeed, to engage directly in the process of negotiations to find a durable and just resolution of the conflict in Nagorno Karabagh. The problem could have been solved as early as 2001, after the Paris and Key West talks, when we were very close to the resolution, had the Azerbaijani side not backtracked from the agreements.

Even today, we would have been closer to the resolution if the co-chairs did not spent months trying to convince the Azerbaijani side to negotiate on the basis of the proposals put forward in 2007, in this very city, and known as the Madrid document the very existence of which Azerbaijani side had denied for months.

Nevertheless, the latest meetings of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents, the Moscow Declaration, the declaration of the OSCE Ministerial and Statement made by the Foreign Ministers of the co-chair states in Helsinki, are signs of progress in the peace process for which the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs has proven to be the effective and credible format.

We are hopeful that a necessary degree of a political will from Azerbaijan and denunciation of the war as an option, as well as rejection of war propaganda and incitement to hatred towards Armenia and Armenians will eventually be demonstrated in order to bring the process to its successful completion. While the Council of Europe is not equipped to address issues of conflict and is not mandated to engage in the Nagorno Karabagh peace process, it however, has potential capacity to help promote people to people contacts and therefore assist in establishing an environment which will help to achieve durable peace.
The people of Nagorno Karabagh deserve the same degree of attention and assistance, of embrace as any other people of Europe. This is an issue to reflect upon, especially within an Organisation established to promote common values.

Mr. Chairman,

The founding fathers of the Council would take great pride in the present Europe of open borders, of peaceful and secure Europe. Over the past year, following the initiative of the Armenian President, together with our Turkish neighbours and with the help of our Swiss partners we have advanced towards opening one of the last closed borders in Europe and normalization of our relations. We wish to be confident that the necessary political will can eventually leave behind the past mentality.

We have been most encouraged by the support of the international community, and of our European partners in particular. We are well aware of the fundamental and positive implications of the establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations and of the opening of the borders for the security and stability of the region, and of Europe as a whole.

Mr. Chairman

The developments in the aftermath of the presidential elections of last year challenged our political stability. However, our democratic foundations have proven resilient to such challenges. The Council of Europe has invested considerable effort to the consolidation of our democratic institutions. It has been most instrumental in assisting to determine the course of our actions and detecting wise and durable solutions. Our progress in the last months stands proof of the worthiness of these efforts. The Armenian authorities undertook a widespread legislative reform mainly aimed at ensuring better protection of rights and freedoms. And we are determined to continue and to deepen this process of democratic profound reforms.

Mr Chairman,

The 47 member states of the Council of Europe represent a remarkable example of diversity of a democratic process within one framework of integrity and universality of the values of democracy. We all benefit from learning and sharing experience. In this regard we have established a valuable forum for addressing these issues -- the Forum for the Future of Democracy which Armenia embraced at its very inception, and we now look forward to welcoming its sixth session in 2010 in Yerevan.

The principles and values that we promote within the Council of Europe are indeed universal in their nature. At the sixtieth anniversary of the Council of Europe it is noteworthy to recall that last year we have also celebrated the 60th anniversaries of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. We are also celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the European Court of Human Rights. It is also remarkable, that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights has significantly influenced the future European Convention on Human Rights and fundamental freedoms, while the latter has helped promote the other instruments of the International Bill of Human Rights. Due reflection on this profound history should inspire us to promote the visibility of the Council of Europe internationally, and in our global organisation, the United Nations in particular. We would therefore encourage the present and all future presidencies of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to take a proactive stance at the international level to make this organisation recognisable and visible globally.

Finally, Mr. Chairman,

This statement would be incomplete if I do not express my profound appreciation of your chairmanship. The past six months have been critical in promoting the institutional strength of the Council. The Spanish chairmanship has definitely been a success, on which I congratulate you. I also extend my support to our Slovenian colleague who assumes the chairmanship today. We look forward to assisting our Slovenian friends in every way possible in this respect.

Thank you.