Madam Director General,
Distinguished Ambassadors and representatives of international organizations, distinguished participants of the Conference, I am pleased to welcome you on the occasion of the Conference dedicated to the launching of Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan for 2012-2014.

Since the first day of Armenia’s independence, the European vector has been one
of the priorities of our foreign policy. It is a natural choice of our society, based on our people’s identity and values. Our steps undertaken towards the rapprochement with Europe are getting more intensive and I should note with satisfaction that it brings considerable results.

I think you would agree that in the recent 20 years we have had a long way, and as a result we have a country where democracy, human rights and rule of law have become an integral part of our public life and government policy.

We still have a lot to do and in this regard, we highly assess and stress the interaction in the frames of the Council of Europe and OSCE, as well as the cooperation with the European Union and its member-countries.

We appreciate the support provided by our friends and partners to our country in smooth implementation of the reforms in our country.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Joining the Council of Europe, Armenia has become a part of a comprehensive and diverse democratic family in Europe, a family which unites various countries, peoples and cultures. The strength of each family, in particular a family with such diversity, depends on as the ability to listen to each other’s problems, so on the similarity of commitments, based on mutual respect and confidence.

The Armenia- Council of Europe New Action Plan for 2012-2014 and its full implementation is important for Armenia. It reflects the Armenian Government’s priorities and Armenia’s international obligations for the coming years in the spheres of human rights, rule of law and democracy.

It is aimed at supporting Armenia to implement its obligations as a member of CoE member-country, in particular to continue the reforms in the spheres of judicial and criminal systems and education, to promote media freedom and to protect children’s rights, to deepen local democracy and to improve electoral legislation and practice. A part of the project would be jointly implemented by the financial support of the Council of Europe and European Union, which should give an additional value to the democratic reforms implemented in Armenia, accelerating the implementation of democratic reforms and giving a new quality to them.

I would like to pay a special attention to the relations of Armenia with the European Union. Last week, Armenia hosted the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy. In this regard, during the meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the sides recorded the existing visible progress in the relations between Armenia and the European Union in a number of directions and reaffirmed the commitment to maintain their positive dynamics and to develop cooperation. The President of the Republic of Armenia reaffirmed Armenia’s determination to implement extensive reforms aimed at the further democratization of Armenia, reinforcement of rule of law, significant improvement of social-economic situation and raising of the efficiency of government system.

There is a considerable progress in the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union, particularly we plan to end the negotiations over the Armenia-EU Association Agreement and visa regime facilitation in the near future. The negotiations over the creation of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Zone were launched.

Human rights, rule of law and democracy related issues are an important part of the EU-Armenia agenda. The European Union often asks the Council of Europe for expertise in those spheres and today it is not accidental that the “Facility” project is successfully implemented in the frames of the EU Eastern Partnership. The project is related to the electoral standards, juridical reforms, cyber crimes and fight against terror.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Democracy is a living organism with its national, regional and universal features, which are continually developing. Our societies are changing, the perception of democracy is changing, and the challenges are changing, as well. It depends on our joint effort to what extent the Council of Europe would serve as an important political stage for pan-European thorough debates.

In May of 2013, first time Armenia would take the presidency over the Council of Europe. It is a great honor and obligation for us, and we would do our utmost to carry out this important function successfully.

Concluding my speech, I would like to thank all our partners for interested cooperation and support.

I wish success to the Conference dedicated to the launching of Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan for 2012-2014 and I hope that through our joint efforts we would be able to fully implement it.

Thank you.