President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has signed the law ratifying the Lanzarote Convention, as reported on the official website of the President of Armenia.

“The Law on Ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, adopted by the National Assembly, was submitted to the President of Armenia for signing on May 12, 2020.

Before adoption of the law by the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court had considered and, upon the decision of March 31, 2020, stated that the commitments assumed by the Convention comply with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.

Armenia has been a member state of the Council of Europe for more than 20 years, has adopted the common values of the Council of Europe and its 47 member states through several conventions, and yet, it has stayed true to and preserved its national values. In this value system, family, children, their safety and health are under the special care of the State, the Armenian Apostolic Church and each and every Armenian.

The President of Armenia has always paid special attention to all issues related to children, prescribing the events aimed at ensuring their education, health, safety and carefree childhood as the main priority. The position of the President of Armenia on the signing of the law on ratification of the Convention is very clear — giving in to certain calls being made in regard to compliance with the Constitution and not signing the law on ratification will mean avoiding responsibility.

In this sense, the President of Armenia has stated several times the importance of care for children, stating that they are the worthiest citizens of the Republic of Armenia, the future of our country, and our love, respect and care for them is expressed through our attitude.

The President of Armenia is certain that the main activities for educating and protecting children starts now. The President calls on all interested bodies, organizations and individuals to cooperate, as well as present their comments and suggestions to the President and implement joint projects.

The President of Armenia will continue to keep the implementation of the Convention in its focus and strictly follow implementation, based on the perception of family and children as the highest values that are characteristic of the nation’s image,” the press release reads.