On May 17, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan participated in the 133rd ministerial session of the Council of Europe and delivered a speech.

The full speech of Minister Mirzoyan is presented below.

"Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our organization, the Council of Europe. Seventy-five years after its establishment, the Council of Europe remains one of the most important international organizations for human rights and the rule of law.

Given that we are going through a difficult period where the threshold for violating fundamental principles, including the norm of non-use of force, is disturbingly high, we must reaffirm the values ​​that have guided this organization for the past three-quarters of a century.

Unfortunately, this does not apply to all member states in the context of domestic democratic institutions and relations with other countries. In this sense, after the Reykjavik summit, significant human rights and humanitarianism developments have occurred in the Council of Europe's geographical area, particularly in the South Caucasus.

Following a nine-month siege in September 2023, the world witnessed the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan's military attack, which was recorded by the results of the fact-finding visit of the Commissioner for Human Rights in October 2023.

With the help of the international community, the Armenian government was able to meet the short-term needs of the refugees. Another urgent humanitarian issue is the release of prisoners of war and civilians illegally held in Azerbaijan.

At the same time, we must also note the positive developments. In April, Armenia and Azerbaijan finally started demarcation work based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, which many states and international organizations, including the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, welcomed.

After the last meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan on May 10-11 in Almaty, Armenia reaffirms its commitment to achieving stable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus based on the mutual recognition of territorial integrity, as recorded in the Alma-Ata Declaration, the demarcation of the state border, and the process of unblocking regional channels under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of both countries, based on the principles of equality and reciprocity.

We believe that the Council of Europe, through its system of conventions, has a vital role in ensuring Europe's democratic security and protecting the rights of all people living in its geographical area.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Liechtenstein for its commitment to promoting the work of the Committee of Ministers and wish Lithuania all the best for the next presidency."