On May 5 Tigran Torosyan, NA Vice President, Head of RA NA Delegation in PACE received Jean-Louis Laurens, Director General of Political Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe. Boyana Urumova, Special Representative of the General Secretary of the Council of Europe in Armenia attended the meeting.

Welcoming the guest, Mr. Torosyan highlighted his visit to Armenia, which is conditioned by the fifth anniversary of the membership to the Council of Europe and Yerevan School of Political Studies (YSPS) on the occasion of the opening of 2006 academic year. To Mr. Torosyan’s conviction, after five years good opportunity is given to sum up the work done and turn into more mature relations, which begins with constitutional essential amendments, one of the important goals of which is conditioned by the elimination of restraints, which didn’t give opportunity to fully fulfill the undertaken obligations in CE. A good ground will be created to make complete the process of Euro Integration through calling upon the given opportunities of constitutional amendments. Mr. Torosyan considered important to clarify the reasons, why the transformation process carried on slower in the former USSR republics than in Central and Eastern European countries. It was noted that in the aspect of civilization the European integration is comparative with national identity modernity for Armenia though these two processes are observed as opposite. It was also noted that still in 1773 a Constitution was elaborated, where these principles have been written, which are fundamental today for the European family. Mr. Torosyan noted that in our region in the aspect of the fulfillment of the obligations of the Council Europe Armenia is leading, and it’s important that our country will also be a country holding elections in conformity to all international standards. In this aspect the 2007 parliamentary and 2008 presidential elections and holding those elections in conformity to international standards are of great importance. In NA President’s conviction, on the plane of multilateral international relations European integration has no alternative for Armenia.

Touching upon the problem of Karabakh conflict, Mr. Torosyan considered important the establishment of intolerance, observing unacceptable the warlike appeals, the campaign of war and hatred. The warlike statements and appeals of intolerance are gradually intensifying, which contradicts the PACE January 1416 Resolution, which recommended Armenia and Azerbaijan take concrete steps aimed at eliminating distrust, establishing tolerance, ruling out warlike appeals, war campaign. The expectations of world community on conflict settlement will obtain legal ground only when Azerbaijan changes that way of working. In Mr. Torosyan’s conviction if international organizations and, in particular, CE wil express clear stance on this issue, Azerbaijan will feel necessary to review its approach.

Mr. Torosyan positivelt assessed the YSPS activity in Armenia and noted that in the aspect of the primary education of political science and development of democratic values in Armenia the school is of great importance.

Jean-Louis Laurens, Director General of Political Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe noted that his visit to Armenia has the goal of getting more information, and he is for the first time in Armenia after joining the Council of Europe. In his opinion the fulfillment of constitutional reforms is of great importance, by which an opportunity was created to make reforms in the judicial, local self-government system, fight against corruption and expand and deepen democracy. Mr. Laurens highlighted the holding of free and fair forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections for Armenia and expressed a hope that Armenia would become the first country in the region, which will hold free and fair elections and enjoy positive assessment.

Mr. Laurens expressed readiness to support Armenia in order to develop political science and fulfill concrete programmes in this direction.

During the meeting other issues of bilateral interest were also discussed.