Armenian delegation to participate PACE summer session in Strasburg

PanARMENIAN.Net - The National Assembly delegation chaired by the NA Chairman Hovik Abrahamyan leaves for Strasbourg to attend Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe PACE summer session held in Strasbourg on 22-26 June 2009, NA Public Relations department reports.



The parliamentary delegation includes Chief of Staff of the National Assembly Gegham Gharibjanyan, Head of the Armenian delegation to PACE Davit Harutyunyan, members of the PACE delegation Naira Zohrabyan, Armen Rustamyan, Hermine Naghdalyan, Zaruhi Postanjyan, Grigor Margaryan, Armen Melikyan, Artsruni Aghajanyan, other officials.



A biennial debate on "the state of human rights in Europe", focusing on the need to eradicate impunity and the progress of the Assembly's monitoring procedure, is a highlight of the summer session of PACE. The first ever PACE Human Rights Prize is due to be awarded at a ceremony on this occasion.



Irish President Mary McAleese and Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor will address the parliamentarians. Other speakers include the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Žbogar, and Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis.



The election of the new Secretary General of the Council of Europe is on the draft agenda. The Assembly will adopt its agenda at the opening of the session. There has also been a request for an urgent debate on the process for electing the Secretary General.



The Assembly will debate a proposal that its Bureau restore Special Guest status to the Belarus Parliament, and will discuss the latest in a series of reports on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia.



Parliamentarians will also discuss the challenges of the financial crisis to the world economic institutions, as well as the activities of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 2008, with a statement by its President Thomas Mirow.



They are also due to decide on the establishment of a "partner for democracy" status with the Assembly, aimed at the parliaments of neighboring countries who wish to espouse Council of Europe values.



Finally, the Assembly will consider a challenge to the credentials of the Ukrainian delegation on substantial grounds, made by 20 members of the Assembly.