1 / 1

The member of the RA NA delegation to PACE Sona Ghazaryan made a report at PACE Session going on in Strasbourg.

“Honourable Chair, Dear Rapporteurs, Dear Colleagues,

Armenia has a strong reform agenda, and this is clearly reflected in the report. Regardless of the difficulties Armenia underwent and is still undergoing, it is clear that the people of Armenia made the choice. We want to be a democratic state. We need to protect democracy, and it requires everyday protection and strong devotion.

Hence, it is important to state that electoral reforms were conducted properly. The Monitoring Committee welcomed the reforms of the electoral legislation, which were thoroughly discussed with various stakeholders before adoption by the parliament.

It is mentioned in the report that the 2023 elections in Yerevan have been the third consecutive elections after the 2018 and 2021 national elections, which have been assessed by the international community as being free of the irregularities that had tainted many earlier elections.

As my colleagues have already introduced a wide range of reforms, I would like to bring your attention to the reforms regarding the combat against domestic violence conducted by me and my two colleagues from the ruling party.

In Spring 2024, the National Assembly adopted amendments to the existing bill on preventing domestic violence and increasing the effectiveness of the protection of domestic violence victims. The purpose of the amendments was to improve the existing law, introduce the concept of a partner, and criminalize stalking as advised in the Istanbul Convention. Under the bill, the aggravating factors listed in a number of articles of the Criminal Code are reviewed, including factors determined by gender, as well as whether the crime was committed by a partner or ex-partner.

On 3 November 2023, the Armenian National Assembly ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). We are also looking at the ratification of the Rome Statute as another measure that will enable the Republic of Armenia to use the capabilities of the International Criminal Court to ensure external security. As a conclusion, I highlight to note that Armenia stays committed to negotiations of peace.”