The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia participated in the High-Level Event entitled “Reinforcing Democracy in the face of Contemporary Challenges”

On May 5, within the framework of the "Yerevan Dialogue" forum, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan participated and delivered a keynote address at a high-level event entitled "Reinforcing Democracy in the face of Contemporary Challenges". The event was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the accession of Armenia to the Council of Europe.

At the event, Director of the Office of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Stefano Piedimonte Bodini also delivered remarks.

The Deputy Foreign Minister noted that by joining the Council of Europe in 2001, Armenia made a civilizational choice in favor of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Deputy Minister Abisoghomonyan presented the ongoing reforms in Armenia, particularly concerning the strengthening of democratic institutions, justice, good governance and the protection of human rights, emphasizing that the driving force behind this progress is public demand.

The Deputy Foreign Minister highlighted the vital role of the Council of Europe in building peaceful, just and inclusive societies, as well as in identifying and adequately responding to threats against democratic security.

The panel discussion, held during the high-level event and moderated by Professor Loukas Tsoukalis, featured Sari Rautio, Director General at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Sona Ghazaryan, Member of the National Assembly of Armenia, Angeliki Kourri, Policy Officer of the Oxygen for Democracy organization of Cyprus, Simon Papuashvili, Program Director at the Belgian organization International Partnership for Human Rights and Camille Grenier, Executive Director of the Forum on Information and Democracy in France. The speakers addressed the challenges of protecting democracy and promoting the rule of law in the face of hybrid threats and the risks of foreign interference aimed at democratic states.