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On November 23, the RA NA Deputy Speaker, the Head of the RA NA Delegation to PACE Hermine Naghdalyan, the Members of the Delegation Armen Rustamyan, Mikayel Melkumyan, Samvel Farmanyan, Mher Shahgeldyan and Naira Karapetyan met with the co-rapporteurs of PACE Monitoring Committee for Armenia Alan Meale and Giuseppe Galati.

Hermine Naghdalyan thanked the co-rapporteurs for the cooperation with Armenia and the efforts made in the strengthening of democracy in our country.

The NA Deputy Speaker presented the procedure of the reforms following the Constitutional amendments, in particular, the procedures of the debate and adoption of the Electoral Code, noting that the recommendations and the assignments of the OSCE/ODIHR, as well as the Venice Commission had been taken into consideration in the draft law. Mrs Naghdalyan noted that as a result of 4+4+4 format cooperation, an agreement was reached over the main disputable issues between the political forces.

The NA Deputy Speaker also touched upon a number of draft laws put into circulation, as well as the deadlines of the adoption and amendments of a number of laws during 2017. In this context Mrs Naghdalyan talked about the new draft law on Parties and underlined that the draft law is under debate with the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR.

Hermine Naghdalyan has noted that the RA authorities highlight the full implementation of Armenia-Council of Europe Action Plan for 2015-2018 and has added that the draft laws included in the plan are directly or indirectly connected with the obligations of Armenia.

Mrs Naghdalyan presented details to the guests on the local government bodies’ elections held in Armenia in September-October, noting that they had been democratic and competitive.

Touching upon the activities of PACE Sub-Committee on Conflicts between the CoE member states, the Head of the Armenian Delegation has stressed that the Sub-Committee should act carefully and gently. To her conviction, the co-rapporteurs should have their contribution to this.

Alan Meale welcomed the reforms made in Armenia and the harmonization created in the political field as a result of it. “The progress of Armenia to parliamentary democracy is unusual, noticeable and impressive,” Mr Meale noted. He also touched upon the issues concerning the compilation and submission of intermediary and final reports on Armenia.

The issue of the possibility of Armenia passing from monitoring procedure to post-monitoring procedure was discussed. Alan Meale expressed confidence that in the intermediary and final reports they will pre-indicate all the procedures and preconditions, which are necessary to Armenia for passing to post-monitoring procedure.

During the meeting the sides touched upon the judicial-legal reforms and the steps being taken for fighting corruption.