Deputy Minister of Justice participated in a conference entitled "Minorities and Minority Languages in a Changing Europe".

On 18-19 June, upon the invitation of Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Vigen Kocharyan participated in a high-level conference entitled "Minorities and Minority Languages in a Changing Europe" in Strasbourg. The conference was organised on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of entry into force of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of the Council of Europe and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

During the conference, issues related to full exercise of the rights of minorities and the importance of Council of Europe standards for ensuring international protection of these rights, application of technological innovation from the perspective of ensuring the rights of minorities and the role of civil society were discussed.

In his speech during the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia highly appreciated the importance of the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages for the protection of minority rights.

Vigen Kocharyan touched upon the achievements and the existing challenges recorded in the area of ensuring and practical application of the main principles set out in the Convention, as well as presented the negative and positive sides of the impact of innovative technologies in the field of protection of minority rights.

The Deputy Minister also presented the current situation in the field of protection of minority rights in the Republic of Armenia, mentioning that the draft Law of the Republic of Armenia "On national minorities" has been developed where the recommendations made in the expert opinion of the Council of Europe are reflected.

Vigen Kocharyan reaffirmed the willingness of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to take all necessary measures for full exercise of minority rights, based on human dignity, rule of law, maintenance of equality and exclusion of discrimination.