Armenia can’t ratify the Istanbul Convention, even if it wants to. The Convention hasn’t given an unequivocal response to it since there are certain provisions that contradict the Constitution of Armenia. This is what Manvel Grigoryan’s attorney Levon Baghdasaryan told journalists today.

He particularly explained that the Istanbul Convention doesn’t comply with Article 3 of the Constitution of Armenia which is not subjected to amendment. “The Istanbul Convention must be observed and considered reasonably, and then there can be a relevant evaluation,” Grigoryan said.

He also stated that the opinions of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe are major advisory opinions that need to be taken into consideration. “However, unfortunately, Armenia isn’t learning lessons from the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. As in the past, Armenia’s judiciary is still under the control of the government and is causing problems for Armenia at the European Court of Human Rights,” the attorney said.