The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Theodoros Roussopoulos carried out an official visit to Armenia, where he met with the country's state and political leadership, according to an announcement on Thursday.
The visit took place in the context of Roussopoulos' initiatives to enhance dialogue with the member-states, support democratic institutions and promote the values of the Council of Europe (CoE).
During the visit, he met Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and members of the Armenian representation at PACE. In addition, in a lecture given at Yerevan State University, he spoke to students about the role of the CoE in defending democracy, the rule of law and human rights in its 46 member-states.
The talks during these meetings focused on the progress of institutional reforms in Armenia, enhancing the independence of justice, protecting human rights and the battle against corruption. Roussopoulos expressed satisfaction with the continuous progress recorded in these areas, as confirmed by the latest PACE resolution and report on Armenia. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of maintaining democratic dialogue between the ruling majority and the opposition at a time of strong political polarisation, as recognised by the relevant CoE agencies.