Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan meets Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Mathieu Mori

Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan received the delegation led by Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Mathieu Mori, comprising Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Maxime Longangué and Deputy Head of the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Niall Sheerin.

The Deputy Minister highly appreciated the co-operation with the Congress and the commitment of the institution to support reforms in the areas related to local self-government bodies in the Republic of Armenia. Presenting the scope of co-operation between the Congress and the government agencies of the Republic of Armenia, Mathieu Mori expressed gratitude for the results of co-operation in the subtext of decentralisation and territorial administration reforms at a high level. Mori also introduced a new function assumed by the Congress — the mechanisms to support proper execution of court judgments of the European Court of Human Rights at the level of local governance. The parties also discussed the role of the Congress within the scope of the Sixth Evaluation Round "Preventing corruption and promoting integrity at the sub-national level" (in local self-government bodies), which is just being launched by the Council of Europe Group of States on Combating Corruption (GRECO). Mori emphasised the active involvement of the Congress in the development of the GRECO evaluation methodology, as well as in the activities for assistance arising from the recommendations contained in the reports in the future.

During the meeting, the reforms carried out to prevent corruption within local self-government bodies and the actions planned under the 2023-2026 Anti-Corruption Strategy were also touched upon. In particular, Karen Karapetyan presented the legislative amendments made to clarify the incompatibility requirements for members of the Council of Elders, and highlighted the importance of introducing the Rules of Conduct for members of the Council and active mechanisms for oversight over the Rules of Conduct within the scope of the Anti-Corruption Strategy.

The parties also attached importance to continuation of the reforms being carried out in this direction in order to ensure introduction of the current European standards in the field in Armenia. The representatives of the Council of Europe expressed willingness to assist in raising awareness and developing the capacities of territorial administration and local self-government bodies required within the scope of the mentioned actions.

Other topics of mutual interest were also discussed, including the role of civil society in local self-governance and the reporting mechanisms under the European Social Charter.