A MEETING WITH CHAIRMAN OF EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS TAKES PLACE AT CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
Author: Mashurian Sona
Editor: Khachatrian Haroutiun

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting with Jean-Paul Costa, the
Chairman of the European Court of Human Rights, who is in Armenia on
an official visit, took place on October 4 at the RA Constitutional
Court. He will make an opening speech at the 12th Yerevan International
Conference on the subject of international experience of constitutional
courts and human rights defenders’ cooperation in the sphere of
ensuring and protection of human rights to start on October 5. P. Costa
was received by RA President Robert Kocharian.

Gagik Haroutiunian, the Chairman of the RA Costitutional Court, said
that the Constitutional Court has a "long-lasting and traditional"
cooperation with the European Court. This is the first visit to Armenia
paid by J.-P. Costa having assumed his authorities since January. As an
important problem faced by the European Court G. Haroutiunian mentioned
accumulation of nearly 100 thousand non-examined cases, which can be
solved through raising the efficiency of national courts’ activities.

Jean-Paul Costa said that the European Court, which pronounced its
first judgement 50 years ago, has 47 judges at present, one judge from
each Council of Europe member country. He said that only last year the
European Court pronounced 1600 judgements, which exceeds the number of
all judgements pronounced in 1960-1998 two-fold. The European Court
Chairman attached importance to holding of reforms aimed at raising
the efficiency of the Court’s activity. They were included in the
14th protocol attached to the European Convention on Human Rights,
which, however, does not act, as the protocol has not been ratified
by Russia. The activity of the Council of Wise Men consisting of 11
persons within the framework of the Council of Europe also depends
on that document’s coming in force.