Zohrab Mnatsakanyan participated in the Meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

21 November, 2018

On November 21, Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan took part in the 1329th Meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, in which the Chairmanship of the Organization was transferred from Croatia to Finland.

During the meeting Zohrab Mnatsakanyan delivered a speech, expressing his gratitude to Croatia for having a successful Chairmanship. Referring to the priorities of the Croatian Chairmanship, the Head of the MFA emphasized the importance of the fight against corruption and the active efforts exerted in this direction by the new Government of Armenia.

In his speech the Acting Foreign Minister noted that he represents a Government which came to power out of a democratic, powerful movement: the Velvet Revolution. But the transformation did not happen in just one month. It was the result of the consistent strengthening of the democratic capacity of the public that involved all segments of society. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said that this was also the result of the cooperation with the Council of Europe, with the partners in the Council of Europe.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan commended the works of the Croatian Chairmanship aimed at the protection of the cultural heritage. The Acting Minister attached great importance to the need for the CoE member countries to work together in that area. In this context he added: “We have been witness to considerable and irreversible damage inflicted to cultural heritage, including Armenian cultural heritage in various parts of the world”.

The Acting Foreign Minister noted that on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe, at the time when the world faces the daunting challenges of the crisis of multilateral cooperation, it becomes the collective duty of the countries to work out powerful messages to demonstrate that this organization is relevant and is active. In this context the Acting Minister expressed his support to the Chairmanship of Finland in the upcoming 70th jubilee year and expressed special gratitude to the Secretary General for his strong commitment towards the Organization.

 

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