MEETING WITH DIRECTOR ON YOUTH AND SPORT OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

National Assembly
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

On November 3 Vice Speaker of RA National Assembly Mr. Samvel Nikoyan
and Chairman of NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture,
Youth and Sport Mr. Artak Davtyan met with the Director for Youth and
Sports of the Council of Europe Mr. Ralph-René Weingärtner . RA
Deputy Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Mr. Arsen Karamyan also
attended the meeting.

Mr. Nikoyan highlighted the problems of their full participation
in the Euro-integration, cooperation of the youth of the Republic
of Armenia, as well as provision and development of international
mobility and inter-cultural dialogue. As the NA Vice Speaker assessed,
the problems of youth have always been at the center of attention of
the National Assembly. One of the NA standing committees is mainly
involved in those issues, though all MPs are related to the issues
of youth in the discussion of the relevant bills.

Mr. Davtyan said that it has already been several sessions that
the draft law on youth is under discussion, which, however, has
been denied because of being of declarative character. The National
Assembly is interested in this issue and it has an aim to pass a law,
which will provide mechanisms of solution of concrete needs of youth.

He expressed hope that the law on youth will be put for debate in
2010 spring session of the National Assembly.

Mr. Ralph-René Weingärtner noted with satisfaction that during two
days he had an impression that the policy of the youth in Armenia
has registered a real and visible growth, which ensures about the
activeness of the youth, care and steps undertaken by the state bodies.

At the meeting the sides also touched upon the local and international
programmes boosting the citizenship, mobility, protection of human
rights, democracy and development of cultural plurality of the youth
within the framework of the policy of the Council of Europe.