Armenia has been a member of the Council of Europe, an international organization that focuses on strengthening democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across Europe, since 2001. [1] [2]
Armenia has been a member of the Council of Europe, an international organization that focuses on strengthening democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across Europe, since 2001. [1] [2]
Article 4 of the Council of Europe Statute specifies that membership in the Council of Europe is open to any European country, provided they meet specific democratic and human rights standards. [3] Armenia became the 42nd member state of the Council of Europe on 25 January 2001. [4] Armenia has been allotted 4 seats in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the parliamentary wing of the Council of Europe.
Armenia is also a member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Group of States against Corruption, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Eurimages, the Pompidou Group, and the Venice Commission; an advisory body of the Council of Europe. [5]
On 25 January 2021, Ara Ayvazyan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs stated, “By acceding to the Council of Europe, Armenia joined the family of European states, with whom it shares common history, values, and ideals, as well as a vision of a future Europe, where fundamental rights and freedoms are protected for all, without distinction or discrimination,” in a statement on the 20th anniversary of Armenia's membership to the Council of Europe. [6]
Since 2005, Armenia has benefited from co-operation programs of the Council of Europe's Action Plans. [7] Past and current programs, backed by the European Union, aim to enhance the independence and accountability of the justice system, ensure free and fair elections, protect minority rights and labour rights, promote gender equality and freedom of expression, strengthen child welfare, tackle domestic abuse, reform the penitentiary system, combat corruption, and contribute to the implementation of the goals set out in the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, which was finalized in 2017. [8] [9]
As stated in the 2019–2022 Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia, "the Council of Europe and Armenia will continue co-operation to improve existing legislative frameworks, to ensure their effective implementation and to enhance the capacities of national institutions in bringing the country’s legislation and practices closer to European standards in order to promote human rights, strengthen the rule of law and ensure democratic principles of governance." [8] [10] The 2019–2022 Action Plan budget was €18,9 million. [11]
On 27 January 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, adopted a resolution praising Armenia's commitment to democratic reform. The Assembly welcomed the marked improvements made in electoral, judicial, and legislative reforms achieved since the 2018 Armenian revolution. [12]
As of January 2022, Armenia has signed 83 Council of Europe treaties, including: [13]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) enforces the European Convention on Human Rights. [15] Armenia is a contracting party of the convention. The jurisdiction of the court has been recognized by all 47 members of the Council of Europe, including Armenia. An Armenian citizen, group of individuals, or the state itself, may lodge an application to the court. In 2015, Armen Harutyunyan was elected as a judge to serve in the ECHR.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. Armenia held the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, for the first time, between May – November 2013. The main goals of the Armenian chairmanship were to combat racism and xenophobia in Europe, promote European values through intercultural dialogue, and foster democratic societies. [16]
The Council of Europe's budget, for 2022, is €477 million. The contribution of Armenia is €540,141. [4]
The Council of Europe maintains a representative office in Yerevan. [17] [18] Armenia maintains a Permanent Mission in Strasbourg, France. [19] On 2 December 2021, Arman Khachatryan was appointed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as Armenia's permanent representative to the Council of Europe. [20] [21] Following his inauguration, Khachatryan stated that, "The Armenian government highly appreciates the support provided by the Council of Europe in the field of democratic reforms, ensuring the rule of law and protection of human rights". Khachatryan reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Armenia to deepen the agenda of cooperation with the Council of Europe. [22]
Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the Council of Europe called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately stop the renewed escalation of hostilities. The Council of Europe released a statement supporting both sides to seek a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through mediation by the OSCE Minsk Group. [23]
On 9 June 2022, the president of the Venice Commission Claire Bazy-Malaurie visited Armenia and met with President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan. President Khachaturyan stated, "The Council of Europe has a special significance for Armenia as Armenia is cooperating very closely with the structure since independence, and the CoE is one of the key partners of Armenia." In return, Bazy-Malaurie said that "Armenia is a stable and reliable partner of the Council of Europe." [24]
On 16 June 2022, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić paid an official visit to Armenia to mark the 20th anniversary of Armenia's accession to the Council of Europe. Burić held meetings with several representatives, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. [25]
On 16 February 2023, the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 was officially launched during a ceremony held in Yerevan. The action plan will focus on the advancement of human rights, protection of women's rights and minority rights, fighting corruption, judicial reform, aligning Armenian legislation to European standards, among other goals. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated, "The action plan is a key instrument in the ambitious reforms agenda of the Armenian government aimed at the further development of democratic institutions in line with European standards, establishment of an independent judiciary and strengthening of anti-corruption institutions." The Foreign Minister reaffirmed the Armenian government's commitment to the principles and values of the Council of Europe, which are stipulated in the Armenian government's program. The allocated budget for the action plan is €19 million. [26]
The politics of Armenia take place in the framework of the parliamentary representative democratic republic of Armenia, whereby the president of Armenia is the head of state and the prime minister of Armenia the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and the Government. Legislative power is vested in both the Government and Parliament.
The Council of Europe is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it brings together 46 member states with a population of approximately 675 million as of 2023; it operates with an annual budget of approximately 500 million euros.
The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall, at a time of urgent need for constitutional assistance in Central and Eastern Europe.
Armenia and the European Union have maintained positive relations over the years. Both parties are connected through the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was signed in 2017. Former Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan expressed confidence that the new partnership agreement would "open a new page" in EU–Armenia relations. Meanwhile, the former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini concluded in June 2019, that Armenia–EU relations are on an "excellent" level.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Armenia:
Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1998, which was shut down a year later for libel. He was sentenced for one year for defamation against then Minister of National Security Serzh Sargsyan. He edited the newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak from 1999 to 2012. A supporter of Armenia's first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, he was highly critical of second president Robert Kocharyan, Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan, and their allies. Pashinyan was also critical of Armenia's close relations with Russia, and promoted establishing closer relations with Turkey instead. He led a minor opposition party in the 2007 parliamentary election, garnering 1.3% of the vote.
The Constitutional Court of Armenia is the highest legal body for constitutional review in Armenia. It is responsible for supervising the constitutionality of laws and other legislative instruments. The law of the constitutional court is defined in the Armenian constitution and by statute. The court, established in 1995, is located in Yerevan.
Vahagn Garniki Khachaturyan is an Armenian politician who is the 5th and current president of Armenia. He served as Mayor of Yerevan from 1992 to 1996 and as the Minister of High-Tech Industry from 2021 to 2022.
Alvina Gyulumyan is an Armenian judge born in the village of Shaumyan in Azerbaijan's Dashkesan region and currently Judge at the Constitutional Court of Armenia. From April 2003 to 1 November 2014 she was the Judge of European Court of Human Rights in respect of Armenia. According to the Decree of the President of Armenia on 23 April 1998, Alvina Gyulumyan was awarded The High Judicial Qualification of a Judge. Alvina Gyulumyan is married and has one daughter A.S.
Civil Contract is a centrist political party in Armenia. It has been the ruling party of Armenia since the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election, which occurred following the 2018 Armenian Revolution that brought the party's founder, Nikol Pashinyan, to power as prime minister.
Snap parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on 20 June 2021. The elections had initially been scheduled for 9 December 2023, but were called earlier due to a political crisis following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War and an alleged attempted coup in February 2021.
The My Step Alliance was a political alliance in Armenia formed by the Civil Contract party, the Mission Party and various independent representatives of civil society. It was formed in August 2018, before the 2018 Yerevan City Council election. The leader of the alliance was the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Despite its dissolution as a national party in May 2021, the My Step Alliance operated in the Yerevan City Council until the end of its mandate in September 2023.
Naira Zohrabyan is an Armenian politician who was a member of the National Assembly of Armenia for the Prosperous Armenia party.
The Armenia–EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement or CEPA is a partnership agreement between the European Union and Armenia. The agreement advances the bilateral relations between the European Union and Armenia to a new, partnership level and regulates cooperation in political and economic sectors, while enhancing trade relations. The agreement develops these areas further, providing a long-term basis for integrating and strengthening EU–Armenia relations. The agreement is also designed to bring Armenian laws and regulations gradually closer to the EU acquis.
Armenia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have maintained a formal relationship since 1992, when Armenia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. Armenia officially established bilateral relations with NATO in 1994 when it became a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme. In 2002, Armenia became an Associate Member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
The 2022 Armenian protests were a series of anti-government protests in Armenia that started on 5 April 2022. The protests continued into June 2022, and many protesters were detained by police in Yerevan. Protestors demanded Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan resign over his handling of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. On 14 June 2022, the opposition announced their decision to terminate daily demonstrations aimed at toppling Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after failing to achieve popular support.
The Permanent Representation of Armenia to the Council of Europe is the diplomatic mission of Armenia to the Council of Europe (CoE). It is headquartered in Strasbourg, France.
Armenia–OSCE relations began when Armenia joined the OSCE's predecessor, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), on 30 January 1992. The CSCE transformed into the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) shortly afterwards in 1995.
Europe in Law Association (ELA) is a human rights non-governmental organization in Armenia. It was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Yerevan.
Yerevan City Council elections were held on 17 September 2023. The Yerevan City Council comprises 65 members, including the mayor and the first deputy mayor, elected through a proportional electoral system. City Council members are elected for a five-year term.
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