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The RA NA President Alen Simonyan delivered a speech at 2022 Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The works of the Session launched on January 24 were held with the immediate participation and in online format, including speeches, discussions and disputes.

Tiny Kox was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at the opening of the Session.

Beginning his online speech “The Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Armenia,” the RA NA President congratulated the newly elected President of the Assembly.

The RA NA President highlighted the positive assessment of the progress of democracy in Armenia by the Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe. He has stressed that Armenia prioritizes developing democratic institutions and the rule of law, promoting human rights, and fighting corruption.

Alen Simonyan underlined that over the past three years, Armenia had twice reaffirmed our commitment to democratic values - in 2018, through the non-violent, Velvet Revolution, and in 2021 after the devastating 44-day war. He drew the attention of the attendees to the fact that Armenia passed a crucial test for democracy and the rule of law when it successfully conducted parliamentary elections on June 20, 2021.

The NA President spoke from the high tribune of the Assembly about the grave consequences of the 44-day war unleashed against Nagorno Karabakh. According to him, the biggest challenge for us remains security. Alen Simonyan emphasized that the Armenian people and our democratic achievements had been under constant threat since September 2020. The Head of Parliament has emphasized that only peace can guarantee long-lasting security and stability, and accomplishing this objective depends also on other countries in the region and the support provided by European institutions. In this context he has underscored the role of the OSCE and the Council of Europe, approving that we must reach a just and lasting resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, including the safe return of Armenian prisoners of war and other captives.

Alen Simonyan has informed his European counterparts that they continue to implement reforms to fortify the electoral process. A new round of discussions in the framework of the newly established Constitutional Reforms Council has launched.

In his speech the NA President also touched upon the improving the judiciary and the anti-corruption policy.

A number of debates on “Recent challenges to security in Europe: what role for the Council of Europe?” were on the agenda at January 27 during the Session. The counterparts in online format addressed the agenda items regarding the role of the mass media in times of crisis, the human rights, democracy and pandemic.