I am hopeful that the European Union and Member States will give an adequate assessment of the actions of Azerbaijan; Grigor Minasyan receives EU Ambassador Vassilis Maragos

Today, Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan received Ambassador of the European Union Vassilis Maragos.

Taking into consideration the security situation in the region and the subsequent large-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Minister expressed hope that both the European Union and the Member States of the Union will give an adequate assessment of the actions of Azerbaijan and will strictly condemn them.

Ambassador Maragos expressed gratitude for the reception and emphasised that the European Union is extremely concerned about the military escalation. The Ambassador stressed the need for the immediate termination of military operations and expressed hope that the situation will be settled as soon as possible and that favourable conditions will be created for further negotiations targeted at settlement. Maragos mentioned that the delegation is closely following the developments of the situation and is in constant contact with the Ambassadors of the EU Member States.

Touching upon the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Grigor Minasyan attached importance to the role of the EU Civilian Observation Mission from the perspective of reduction of escalation and increase of border security.

The Parties also touched upon the co-operation with the EU in the justice sector, the outcomes achieved within the framework of the co-operation and the programmes that are being predetermined. Ambassador Maragos particularly mentioned that the reforms in the justice sector are not just limited to the judicial and legal sector, but also apply to almost all the sectors of public administration.

The parties summed up the programmes implemented through joint efforts and the ongoing programmes, as well as the agenda of judicial and legal reforms being implemented by the Ministry of Justice. In particular, the achievements of both parties in the area of reforms in the legislative sector and development of institutional capabilities were highlighted, the introduction of alternative measures of restraint of the Probation Service — institutions of house arrest and administrative control, introduction of alternative measures for settlement of disputes, the digitalisation agenda and a number of other sectors were touched upon. The EU Budget Support Programme for "Support to Justice Sector Reforms in Armenia" and its exceptional importance in the process of ongoing judicial and legal reforms, was particularly touched upon.

The parties discussed issues regarding the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) concluded between Armenia and the European Union, as well as the expansion of co-operation and strengthening of control mechanisms within the scope of the Agreement. In this context, the Minister and the Ambassador considered the future actions, in particular the issues on organisation of the regular sessions of the CEPA Committee and the Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security.

During the meeting, the parties also considered the opportunities for further development of co-operation and other issues of mutual interest.