YEREVAN. – Armenian National Assembly (NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan on Thursday received PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, who arrived in capital city Yerevan to attend the PACE Bureau and Standing Committee sessions. 

Welcoming Mignon’s first-ever visit to Armenia, Abrahamyan noted that this visit is taking place during a very important development for Armenia: Presidency of the Council of Europe (CoE) Ministers’ Committee, NA press service informs.       

“This is a unique opportunity for Armenia to contribute to the formation of the Council of Europe agenda in the member countries,” the Armenian Parliament leader said.

Abrahamyan also noted that Armenia underscores cooperation with CoE and the latter’s assistance to the country’s ongoing democratic reforms.      

Reflecting on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the NA head stressed that Armenia is determined to continue its efforts to resolve the matter by way of peace.    

“Azerbaijan, however, leads the process to an impasse with its belligerent stance,” Hovik Abrahamyan added.

In his turn, Jean-Claude Mignon drew attention to Armenia’s ongoing democratic reforms. Congratulating Armenia for assuming the Presidency of the CoE Ministers’ Committee, the PACE President noted that Armenia has an historic opportunity to move the CoE political agenda forward, and he assured that he will render his assistance to the implementation of initiatives during Armenia’s presidency.

Reflecting on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mignon noted that this matter needs to be resolved within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, as a result of peace talks, and on the basis of the Madrid Principles.