YEREVAN. – The rally against the ratification of the Istanbul Convention ended today in front of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan.

Protesters ended the event by releasing a symbolic blue smoke into the air. The founder of the VETO movement, Narek Malyan, announced: "We will raise blue smoke from here to make our European guests more clear about what we don’t and what we dislike.”

Today the National Assembly held a joint debate with the deputies and high-ranking representatives of the Council of Europe regarding the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. The discussion was closed. The meeting was attended also by the Vice-President of the Venice Commission Veronika Bílková, and Marceline Naudi, head of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO).

At the same time, the "Kamq" movement was protesting against the ratification of the Istanbul Convention outside the National Assembly, after which a march was held in the streets of Yerevan. Narek Malyan's VETO initiative and activist Narek Samsonyan also joined the protest action against the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in front of the CoE office.