Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, addressing a panel discussion at the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policies in Paris today, said that while no one should be appointed to top leadership positions solely because they are women, men must accept the fact that women are their equal partners and can play an equal role in leading society.

The two-day conference, which begins today, aims to strengthen and expand international coalitions, which are essential to preserve women’s rights and spur new progress for gender equality.

“I firmly believe that no one in the world should be appointed or promoted to a leadership position simply because they are women. And you know what, the “boys’ club” needs to accept that women are their equal partners and can play an equal role in leading society,” Mirzoyan said, asking that women not judge him too harshly for his viewpoint on the matter.

Mirzoyan added that he views such appointments , basically affirmative action policies, as extreme measures to resolve past discriminatory practices.

Mirzoyan boasted that Armenia’s foreign ministry staff is comprised of 44% women.

“This is almost ideal equality. Although I must admit that this does not apply to the entire system. When it comes to ambassadors, we still do not have equality there, so we need to fill that gap,” he said.

Mirzoyan added that Armenia has the willpower to close the gender gap and that the country’s population welcomes more women attaining leadership positions.

“I would like to draw attention to one indicator: the Global Gender Gap Index. According to this year’s data, Armenia has closed 73.1% of the gender gap. Although this is not yet an excellent result, it is nevertheless evidence of positive progress,” he said, noting that Armenia’s health and education ministries have women in top positions.

Mirzoyan confessed that some top government agencies remain the purview of the traditional “men’s club”, noting that his daughter and most young people in Armenia find it puzzling why a person should be treated differently based on their gender