YEREVAN. – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has great expectations from Armenia’s presidency at the Council of Europe (CoE) Ministers’ Committee.

PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon noted the aforesaid during the PACE Bureau and Standing Committee session, which is being held Friday in Armenia’s capital city Yerevan (PHOTOS).

Reflecting on his visits to the countries in the region, he noted that all three South Caucasus countries have registered progress in terms of respect toward democratic values and fundamental European values. But he did not wish to make a comparison among the countries. 

As per the PACE President, it is necessary to understand the specific situation, and to consider the cultural peculiarities and the past of each country.       

“The Council of Europe stands ready to assist the states, but the willingness of the states to go on that path is indispensable,” Mignon said. 

He also noted that CoE is prepared to assist in the settlement of frozen conflicts. In this connection, he recalled that even though the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is within the format of the OSCE Minsk Group, CoE and PACE are prepared to assist as much as they can.     

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am