EU Supports Prime Minister's Commitments in Justice Sector

The European Union considers Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement on the judicial system made on May 20 as a strong commitment to implementing reforms. This was stated by Piotr Svitalski, head of the EU delegation in Armenia, during a conversation with journalists, emphasizing, “We haven't had the opportunity to discuss this issue in detail with the Armenian government, the Minister of Justice, or others. Nevertheless, politically speaking, as a statement, I think what the Prime Minister mentioned is very clear to us.

It is a very unequivocal and strong commitment towards implementing reforms in the justice sector. Today, the Minister of Justice spoke about vetting, presenting the Albanian model. As you know, the EU has closely worked with the Albanian government to develop the so-called Albanian model, and today this vetting model is receiving support from the EU. This is an opportunity for the Armenian side to consider.”

According to him, as Armenian Minister of Justice Artak Zeynalanyan has pointed out, this reform model has also received support and endorsement from the Venice Commission, specifically being deemed positive. “If the Armenian government wants to go this route, we are ready to support them. But we haven't discussed it yet,” the ambassador added.

Piotr Svitalski further noted that he can once again officially assume the following position: “We are ready to assist Armenia in deeply and comprehensively reforming the justice sector, with technical or consulting support, as well as substantial financial assistance. We greatly support the commitments made by the Prime Minister towards implementing reforms in the justice sector. This is an extremely serious commitment. We never impose anything, but the Armenian government should know that it can trust our support in implementing these reforms based on these principles.”

He pointed out that the EU encourages the Armenian government to develop reforms based on inclusive dialogue with all interested parties.