PACE Monitoring Committee to discuss suspended talks in Armenia
On September 8, the co-rapporteur for Armenia of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD) and John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) will make a report on their fact-finding visit to Yerevan (20 July 2011) during a meeting of PACE Monitoring Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee).
Consideration of a draft report and adoption of a draft resolution on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia is planned during the meeting.
The resolution is likely to be involved in the agenda of the PACE fall session (3-7 October 2011). The issue was last debated in Strasbourg in June 2009 when the PACE delegates adopted Resolution 1677 on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia.
During his last visit to Yerevan (19-21 July) Axel Fischer hailed the evolving dialogue between the ruling coalition in the National Assembly and the extra-parliamentary opposition party, the Armenian National Congress.
Speaking at the end of a three-day visit to Armenia, Mr. Fischer said he hoped this would go hand in hand with a similar constructive dialogue between the ruling coalition and parliamentary opposition in the National Assembly. "I am very satisfied with the start of this dialogue, a long-standing wish of the Assembly, which is essential for the ongoing normalisation of the political environment in Armenia. I call on all parties to display maximum flexibility and good faith to make it a success," said the PACE co-rapporteur.
Currently the talks between the coalition government and the main opposition alliance are suspended.
Note that the Monitoring Committee will also discuss the issue of Serbia, with Davit Harutyunyan (Armenia, EDG) being one of the co-rapporteurs.
