Armenia has become the 40th member of the Council of Europe’s Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs (Pompidou Group).

The Government’s decision takes effect from 1 January 2020. Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe, sent the official letter to this effect to the Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić on 7 January 2020.

The Pompidou Group is the Council of Europe’s drug policy co-operation platform established in 1971 at the initiative of the then French President Georges Pompidou. It promotes a balanced approach in the response to drug use and illicit trafficking in drugs, supporting both demand and supply reduction. The Pompidou Group offers a forum for open debate, exchange of experiences between its member States and, as a platform for science and evidence-based innovation, it links policy, research and practice.