National Assembly of RA, Armenia
Oct 12 2007

Annual Conference of the Correspondents of the European Centre for
Parliamentary Research and Documentation Begins its Work in the
National Assembly

On October 11 the annual conference of the correspondents of the
European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation began
its work in the National Assembly. The Centre was set up in 1977 by
the decision of the conference of the parliamentary speakers. More
than fifty countries take part in the works of the Centre. The goal
of the Centre is to support the exchange of information, ideas,
experience and researches of common interest between the parliaments,
strengthening of cooperation between the relevant services of the
parliaments of the member states and publication of the researches
done. Members of the Centre are: the European Parliament, the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Union of the Western
Europe, member states of the Council of Europe and countries having
the status of specially invited.

Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly welcomed the
participants of the conference. He said in particular: `I’m glad to
welcome all participants of the regular conference of the European
Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation. I’m sure that
the work of the Centre is extremely important not only for the
European structures, but also for our each country in order to get
introduced with the experience of other colleagues of the European
structures, to exchange information and debate various issues
regarding the parliament. In this sense I’m glad that the regular
conference in Armenia is held, we are always ready to receive in
Yerevan. I would like to stress that issue, which you will debate
after a short while. It is a matter of unique significance: the issue
of human rights in European constitutions. But I would like to draw
everybody’s attention to one circumstance, which I would be glad if
you pay attention in your debates. The protection of human rights is
not only of extreme importance, but also the availability of the
mechanisms in the Constitution is more important, which will enable
to carry out that protection, because the rights can be very well
formulated and complete, but if the citizens of our countries will
not be able to have mechanisms of protecting them and make use of
them in life, then those rights will be directly a nice dream;
nothing else. I would like to inform you that as a result of
constitutional amendments made in Armenia in 2005, we affirmed such
mechanisms in our Constitution. We created an institute of full human
rights, which the National Assembly appoints, and at the same time we
enabled the citizens and Defender of Human Rights to apply to the
Constitutional Court in order to protect the citizens’ rights. I
believe this is an important phase in our country connected with the
issue of the protection of human rights, the results of which we
obviously see during this short period. The Constitutional Court
works rather loaded, and a considerable number of citizens had
positive solutions over their concerned problems in the
Constitutional Court, as well as connected with the protection of
their rights. I think that this is another example, which confirms
the full and complete formulation of human rights, but they become
realistic and viable, when mechanisms and structures of human rights
are affirmed too. Once again I would like to welcome you in Armenia
and wish you productive work to the conference.’

Mr. Wojciech Sawicki, Co-Director of the European Centre for
Parliamentary Research and Documentation, highly assessed Mr.
Torosyan’s work as a head of the Armenian delegation in the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, noting that the
President of the National Assembly has a great contribution to the
process of constitutional reforms in Armenia. Mr. Sawicki stressed
the implementation of the constitutional reforms and establishment of
the Institute of Defender of Human Rights. The compliance of the
legislation with European standards was also highlighted.

Mr. Armen Harutyunyan welcomed the conference participants and
delivered a speech with a report on `Constitutional Guarantees of
Human Rights in Europe,’ touching upon the relations state and
citizen and the problem of the protection human rights. As Mr.
Harutyunyan said it’s not possible to create a civil society only by
laws: it’s necessary to form a culture of democracy, and the best
means for reaching it he considered the education of the young people
with that principle.

Mr. Harutyunyan answered the questions of the conference participants
after delivering his speech. The conference participants were
interested in the applications, complaints received by the Human
Rights Defender in Armenia. They wanted to know whether the courts
needed changes, if there was a problem of the freedom of speech in
Armenia, etc.

In response, Mr. Harutyunyan said that due to constitutional reforms
the citizens of Armenia today have an opportunity to apply with their
problems to the Defender of Human Rights and Constitutional Court.
The applications referred to the social and property problems and
judicial-legal system. The implementation of these reforms in that
system was highlighted. To the conviction of the Human Rights
Defender, in order to gain independence, first of all it’s necessary
to change the people’s way of thinking and culture, what the Office
of Human Rights Defender seeks to do. Touching upon the freedom of
media, Mr. Harutyunyan stressed the possibility of expressing
pluralism, which would promote the development of democracy.