Strasbourg, 26.05.2011 - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) co-rapporteurs for Armenia, John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) and Alex Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD), welcomed the general amnesty that was adopted by the parliament on proposal of the President of Armenia. The rapporteurs noted that this amnesty will result in the release of all persons that are still in prison in relation to the events of March 2008. “The release of these persons and the renewed investigation in the 10 causalities that occurred during the March 2008 events remove the last obstacles for the normalisation of the political climate and open the door for the start of a constructive dialogue between the authorities and opposition. This is a very positive development for Armenia,” the co-rapporteurs stressed. The rapporteurs were heartened by recent statements of Levon Ter-Petrossian, in which he clearly stated the readiness of his movement to engage in a dialogue with the authorities. “These positive developments and the constructive attitude of both authorities and opposition bode well for the democratic development of - and human rights situation in - the country and will hopefully be confirmed by genuinely democratic elections in 2012. We will pursue our efforts and will continue to co-operate with all political forces to make that a reality,” they said. Mr Prescott and Mr Fischer intend to visit Armenia this summer for the preparation of their report on the Functioning of Democratic Institutions that they will present to the Assembly in October 2011.

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