“Our staff are closely monitoring the situation in all countries, including Armenia”: head of Council of Europe Congress

“We are monitoring the situation in Armenia using the same mechanisms as with any other Council of Europe member state. There are no double standards here.” This was stated to Alpha News by Gunn Marit Helgesen, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, in response to a question about the Congress’s role in upholding democracy and respect for human rights amid the evident democratic backsliding in Armenia.

In particular, last month a report was presented at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that noted violations in the areas of democracy and human rights, including the persecution of opposition figures. Many opposition leaders are currently in custody.

“We have the same tools as with any other member state. First of all, if necessary, we send a fact-finding mission to examine the situation on the ground. Of course, if elections are held, we ask to be invited to observe the voting. We act in accordance with established procedures. If mayors or other elected local representatives end up in prison without a court decision, we certainly respond.

Our approach here is the same as, for example, in Türkiye or other countries where the law is violated or commitments to the Congress are not fulfilled. As for whether we plan to intervene and gather more detailed information about what is happening, this issue is not on the current agenda. However, as soon as information emerges that requires our intervention, we will certainly discuss the issue.

No final decision has been made yet, as we always need reliable information about how events are developing. If a visit becomes necessary, a decision will be made accordingly. The next meeting of the Bureau will take place in December. But at the moment, I have not received any information about any specific measures regarding Armenia. However, our staff are closely monitoring the situation in every country. They work very conscientiously. So if any action needs to be taken, we will make decisions within the relevant bodies,” Helgesen noted.

According to the politician, if PACE or the Council of Europe has proposals or reports assessing the situation, the Congress of the Council of Europe always takes them into account.

“As for our interaction with the Parliamentary Assembly, we take the reports it prepares into account when assessing the situation. Of course, we seek close cooperation with the Council of Europe. If they have proposals that we should take into account, we certainly consider them. However, the Parliamentary Assembly works mainly at the national level, while we deal with local and regional governance. It’s worth noting that our cooperation has recently become much more active than in previous years. You could say it has become very close. When I visit the Committee of Ministers, we discuss our shared concerns about the situation in various countries if very negative trends are observed there,” Gunn Marit Helgesen said.