Dear Mrs. Batoyan,

Dear Mrs. Vutova,

Dear ladies and gentlemen, 

Two weeks ago, in Yerevan, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe officially launched the Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan 2019-2020, which is an important tool to strengthen our capabilities and approximate our legislation with the European standards. 

The judiciary reforms component of the Action Plan has been launched this April, which is one of the priority directions of our Government. It will support the reforms of the judiciary system in Armenia. And today we announce the launch of the Project on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. 

Armenia, as a carrier of universal values, including the principles of the Council of Europe, is committed to promoting them both at national and international levels. We highly value the advancement of women’s rights in social life and first of all in democratic processes. The success of the Velvet Revolution, in which Armenian women and girls had an active participation, attests to that. 

This experience reiterates the key role of women in the social and political life of the state and society, and at the same time, it emphasizes the importance of ensuring the safe moral and physical environment for women, equal rights and opportunities. This is a priority of the program of the Government of Armenia.

In January 2018 Armenia signed the European Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (The European Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is also referred to as Istanbul Convention as it was opened for signature in Istanbul in 2011). At the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Convention is currently in the process of ratification. Since last year, the Law on the Prevention of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence has also come into force.

I am hopeful that this new Project on preventing violence against women and domestic violence, will pave a way for the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Convention, as well as for introducing the Convention's provisions and practical tools into national legislation and practice.

It is also worth mentioning that another program on women’s access to justice is being implemented by the Partnership for Good Governance - an EU funded subsidiary project. 

The Foreign Ministry highly appreciates our partners’ support to the Action Plan. In this particular case, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Liechtenstein contributed to the funding of the Women's Violence Prevention Program.

We are committed to improving the success of funding and effective implementation of the previous phase of the Action Plan. The newly launched Action Plan provides over 50% funding of the already set budget (EUR 19 million).

In conclusion, I wish effective cooperation to the government agencies and institutions involved in the Preventing and combating violence against women.

I thank you.