Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), Alain Berset, in Strasbourg, France, the PM’s office informs.

The Secretary General of the CoE welcomed the Armenian premier’s visit to Strasbourg, and underscored the active and effective cooperation between the CoE and the Armenian government. According to Berset, this cooperation has contributed to the promotion of institutional reforms in Armenia in all domains. He expressed confidence that the programs envisaged within the framework of bilateral cooperation will continue to be successfully implemented in the future, too.

In turn, PM Pashinyan thanked for the warm welcome, and noted that this visit, six years after his first visit in 2019, takes place at an important time. According to the premier, Armenia, having overcome the difficult challenges of the last five years, is at a turning point in its development. He emphasized that Armenia considers the CoE a strategic partner for democratic development, and highlighted the role of this organization in the strengthening of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Subsequently, the parties lauded the effective implementation of Armenia-CoE cooperation, discussed bilateral agenda matters, and reflected on the process of democratic reforms in Armenia.

Separately, Alain Berset welcomed the initialing of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and expressed hope that the new reality created in the South Caucasus with the establishment of peace will open up broad development opportunities in the region.