Armenian National Assembly Vice-Speaker Ruben Rubinyan from the ruling Civil Contract Party met with a delegation led by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic-Buric on Friday, the press service of the Armenian parliament informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Ruling party MP Eduard Aghajanyan and opposition Armenia bloc MP Armen Gevorkyan also attended the meeting.

Rubinyan praised the cooperation with the Council of Europe, as well as its support for the process of democratic reforms underway in Armenia.

"Consistent reforms have been implemented in Armenia in the sphere of strengthening of democracy, which were implemented with the support of the Council of Europe," the Vice Speaker said.

He also pointed to the unresolved humanitarian issues of 2020 as a result of the aggression against Karabakh. The representative of the National Assembly also brought to the attention of the guests the issue of the fate of the Armenian prisoners of war and other people held in Azerbaijan. Rubinyan expressed hope that the Council of Europe would be more resolute with respect to repatriating the captives.

Rubinyan also spoke about the anti-Armenian and bellicose rhetoric of the Azerbaijani authorities, noting that provocative statements against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh continued. He said that the Armenian historical, cultural and spiritual heritage is under threat in the territories under Azerbaijani control.

According to the CoE Secretary General, the process of democratic reforms in Armenia is noticeable.

The sides highlighted the full implementation of the Armenia-Council of Europe 2019-2022 Action Plan, which covers a wide range of issues vital to any democracy.