From Wednesday to Friday, Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR) Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan met with several members of the European Parliament, European Union (EU) officials, and NGOs in Brussels, and discussed matters about raising Artsakh’s involvement in European programs.

During the meetings, Beglaryan stressed that regardless of political status, Artsakh residents should have the opportunity to participate especially in European programs concerning human rights. He attached importance to the active involvement of both the EU and European NGOs in the promotion of democracy and civil society and the protection of human rights in Artsakh.

Also, the Ombudsman discussed with the representatives of some NGOs the possibilities of further cooperation by achieving specific respective agreements.

To note, the current and former Human Rights Defenders of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan and Ruben Melikyan, respectively, on Wednesday participated in a European Parliament panel discussion, entitled “Armenophobia: Historical and Present-Day Resurgence,” which was organized by the initiative of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy and the Tufenkian Foundation, and with the support of MEP Eleni Theocharous.