The meeting of the Standing Committee (*) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will be held in Yerevan on Friday 31 May 2013 under the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. On this occasion, PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon will hold high-level meetings with the President of the Republic Serzh Sargsyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian.

After the opening of the Smeeting by PACE President, the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly will address participants. The parliamentarians will then hold an exchange of views with the Armenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, chairing the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for a six-month period beginning on 16 May. The discussions will focus on Armenia’s priorities during its Chairmanship and other issue. (more)

After Yerevan elections: Congress urges Armenian authorities to seize the opportunity of the Council of Europe Chairmanship to increase voters’ confidence

A 12 member-delegation of the Council of Europe Congress composed of representatives from nine European countries including three members of the EU Committee of the Regions has observed the elections for the Yerevan Council of Elders on 5 May 2013. At a press conference in Yerevan, the Head of the delegation and Rapporteur, Stewart DICKSON (UK, ILDG), presented preliminary conclusions following the observation of this vote by which also the Mayor of Yerevan was elected.

Congress Rapporteur Dickson stated that, with the exception of individual incidents in a few polling stations, the elections were carried out in a calm and orderly manner and that the vote was technically well prepared, although the. (more)

A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe headed by Rapporteur Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG) and including three members of the EU Committee of the Regions will carry out a mission in Yerevan, Armenia to observe the elections for the Avagani (Assembly) of the City of Yerevan, scheduled for 5 May 2013.

The delegation will meet with representatives of the government, namely Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Territorial Administration, Armen Gevorgyan, the incumbent Mayor of Yerevan, Taron Margaryan, as well as election candidates and representatives of the Central Election Commission.

Meetings are also scheduled representatives of the Armenian delegation to the Congress, media, civil society and the international community.

On election day, the delegation will be deployed in different polling stations in th. (more)

According to the PACE, the presidential election held in Armenia on 18 February 2013 “was generally well-administered and was characterised by a respect for fundamental freedoms”, thus constituting an improvement over the previous presidential election in 2008. In her report, Karin Woldseth (Norway, EDG), head of the mission which observed the election, welcomed in particular the fact that the candidates were able to campaign without hindrance, that the public media provided balanced coverage and that election day was calm and peaceful.

The report approved today by the Assembly does point out, however, that “a number of shortcomings” were observed, in particular “abuse of administrative resources” and “interference in the election process by candidate proxies and supporters”. In addition, the Assembly regretted that voters saw thei. (more)

In the framework of Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland’s visit to Armenia, on 17 April a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian on the establishment of the Council of Europe Office in Armenia and its legal status.
 
Secretary General Jagland visited the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan on 18 April and met the staff of the Office.