February 26, 2021
Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejčinović Burić
Following an announcement Thursday by Armenia’s military leaders who called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Council of Europe’s secretary-general called on all parties in Armenia to exercise restrain as Armenia’s domestic political crisis deepens.
“I have been closely following recent developments in our member state Armenia and I call for calm, restraint and responsibility,” said Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejčinović Burić in a statement on Friday posted on the council’s official website.
“All political disagreements should be discussed and resolved in a peaceful manner, around an inclusive negotiating table involving civilian representatives of society and in line with the principles of democracy and the rule of law,” added Burić. “The Council of Europe remains at the disposal of the Armenian authorities and civil society to provide assistance in this respect.”
The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe assigned to Armenia Sweden’s Boriana Aberg and Finland’s Kimmo Kiljunen also expressed their concern over the ongoing developments in Armenia.
“We are extremely concerned by recent developments in Armenia. In particular, we found the statement issued yesterday by the office of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, calling for the resignation of a democratically-elected government, to be unacceptable,” they said in a statement.
“We call upon all political forces and state actors to fully respect democratic principles and the Constitution of Armenia, and to take all necessary steps to immediately de-escalate the current situation,” they added.
“Armenia is going through a very difficult phase in its recent history and – more than ever – needs calm, restraint, wisdom and unwavering support for democratic principles by all concerned in order to resolve the political crisis it is facing,” they said.
