COUNCIL OF EUROPE WILL CONTINUE TO ACCOMPANY ARMENIA IN THE CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY

armradio.am
05.11.2007 17:17

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis today made
a speech at the Yerevan State University. "Six years ago, Armenia
decided to build its European future on the basis of a commitment to
common values and principles, and through the promotion of dialogue
and co-operation, restoring mutual trust and confidence in a common
future for the country and for the South Caucasus region. The Council
of Europe has been and will continue to accompany Armenia in the
consolidation of democracy. The active participation of your country in
the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities as well as specialized bodies such
as the Venice Commission and the Group of States against Corruption,
known as GRECO, opens many opportunities to speed up this process,"
the Secretary General said.

"At the time of joining the Council of Europe, Armenia faced many
economic and social difficulties, and the state of democracy was not
up to Council of Europe standards. That is why Armenia was asked to
undertake a number of important commitments with a view to bringing
the national legislation and practice into line with these Council
of Europe standards.

Any objective observer must agree that in the past six years, there
has been some progress. But it must also be frankly admitted that much
remains to be done," Mr. Davis stated, laying particular emphasis on
constitutional reform, which has changed the institutional set-up of
the country and its political life.

"This is the most important achievement of the co-operation between
Armenia and the Council of Europe – an achievement which lays the basis
for further democratic reforms. For my part, I can assure you that the
Council of Europe will continue to provide all the assistance you need
to implement these reforms. Constitutional reform had a positive effect
on the implementation of many of Armenia’s commitments to the Council
of Europe, including: an elected mayor for the city of Yerevan; a Human
Rights Defender elected by Parliament; a more balanced separation of
powers; improved safeguards for the independence of the judiciary;
the abolition of administrative detention; the right for citizens,
political parties, human rights defenders and local authorities
to apply to the Constitutional Court; a new and more independent
regulator for broadcasting," Mr. Davis stated.

Nevertheless, the CoE Secretary General declared that Armenia must
improve its political culture. Both the government and the opposition
must learn to respect each other and talk to each other," he said.

Terry Davis noted that independent observers still noted shortcomings
in the actual conduct of elections, but there were some encouraging
signs at the last parliamentary elections in May this year, and as a
result there was a generally more positive assessment by international
observers. He expressed hope that that these positive trends will be
confirmed in the presidential elections in 2008.

The second precondition is an independent and efficient judicial
system, the Secretary General said. "One of the most significant
achievements of Armenia in the last two years is that the revised
Constitution clearly states that the independence of judicial bodies
is guaranteed by the Constitution and legislation instead of simply
being guaranteed by the President of the Republic as was the case
before," he stated.

According to Mr. Davis, the third precondition for a genuine democracy
is an effective fight against corruption. "Armenia has been a member
of the Group of States against Corruption (known as GRECO) since 20
January 2004, and both the key Council of Europe treaties – the Civil
and Criminal Law Conventions on Corruption – have been ratified by
Armenia. However, the report by GRECO, published in March 2006, noted
some major problems and made no fewer than 24 recommendations to the
Armenian authorities in order to help them to improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of the fight against corruption. Clearly, a lot
remains to be done in this very important field of activity."

The CoE Secretary General stated there are two more items on the
list of areas where we would all like to see further progress: the
penitentiary system and what is known as the alternative service for
conscientious objectors.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress