The 123rd meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) got underway today in Yerevan under the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.

The Standing Committee, which acts on the Assembly’s behalf between plenary sessions, is made up of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, the chairpersons of political groups, the chairpersons of national delegations and the committee chairpersons, totaling some 60.

The themes on the agenda include promoting alternatives to imprisonment, parental leave as a way to foster gender equality, and budgets and priorities of the Council of Europe for the biennium 2014-2015.

After PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon opened the meeting, the participants welcomed RA National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan.

Addressing the meeting, Abrahamyan noted that intolerance is a serious challenge facing Europe.

He continued, “Armenia is part of European civilization with its past and present, with its commitment to establish democracy, ensure rule of law, protect human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Mr. Abrahamyan said, adding that “with this understanding Armenia joined the Council of Europe in 2001, reconfirming its historic and cultural adherence to all-European values.”

Abrahamyan was followed by RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan who stated, “In the next six months, Armenia will be at the top of the list in terms of our efforts to promote European democracy.”

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 issues in the framework of the Assembly’s ongoing political dialogue with the Committee of Ministers.

Furthermore, a current affairs debate on “The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, 25 years later: the Council of Europe’s possibilities to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan” has been requested by the PACE United European Left (UEL) Group.