Future of Democracy is Fermenting in Armenia. 2020’s Prospects

PACE Vice-President John Prescott

What will democracy be like in 2020? the answer to this question are trying to find today launched the Council of Europe “For the Future of Democracy” forum participants.

This year’s forum aims to find strategic ways to strengthen democracy and good governance for the European territory, while taking into account the regional and global challenges.

During the three-day forum a number of issues will be discussed, as the legal basis of European influence on the formation of democracy, whether there should have a right to democracy, democracy and global governance, democratic political culture and so on.

The forum was convened in 2005 and heads the Council of Europe member states on the basis of the decision of the summit and is considered the organization’s most important annual events.

The opening ceremony of the Forum Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said that it is not accidental that the event is organized in Yerevan. Armenia, Sweden and Spain, a joint initiative with the Council of Europe in Yerevan organizing this significant event, Armenia has brought its contribution to the development of democratic processes in Europe.

RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian

“After the Second World War, the future of the sense of responsibility was that led to time leaders filling European stability, development and peace so strong grounds for putting the necessary process and then found the drug, which proved the viability of the time, the ideas of freedom and democracy are able to overcome the atmosphere of distrust, to destroy the walls stone to prevent war and ensure a development perspective,” said Nalbandian, the end of the Cold War eliminated before the existing gap, the Council of Europe member states and societies to adopt the common values and objectives: the field of democracy within the framework of various international organizations developed criteria a general system of course, the Council of Europe, its comprehensive nature and significance, an important place among such institutions. In the meantime, the implementation of these standards, if the adhere to the forum title, continues to serve as a challenge within the Council of Europe.”

Armenia will soon be coming August, the 10th anniversary of accession to the Council of Europe.” Armenia continues to implement its commitments, advanced democracy, the rule of law and human rights and fundamental freedoms of society based on the path of construction,” said Nalbandian.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremich

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Zoran Petrov notes that perfect society and there is no regime said a democratic process to take the right way to conduct political dialogue with the voters: “Before 2020, our goal should be to strengthen democracy and the idea of European Union countries,” says Petrov.

PACE Vice-President John Prescott also notes that the Council of Europe’s first political projects that aims to unite European countries and has such a diverse membership.

“Forum is ambitious, but also important aims: consider the future and to determine what should be a democracy for ten years,” says Prescott said a deep social crisis has shown that democracy and reform must be strengthened from within. “Democracy is not perfect, it must be modified and adjusted to realities of the time.”

ANC’s protest in front of Government House Reception

As a modern democracy to challenge Prescott points to climate change. “21st century must focus attention to quality of life and nature respect.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremich also enumerated the achievements that Serbia had to establish democracy. Jeremich notes that the Serbian parliament was the first in Europe that actually apologized to his country’s faults: “Democracy gave us strength to look at the past and accept our mistakes,” says Jeremich, adding that 2020 was expected to complete victory of democracy.

Challenges of the future of democracy and professionals considering the Government House receptions for today welcomed the ANC demonstrators. They were demanding freedom for political prisoners: “They say that country folk, we are discussing the future of democracy, then political prisoners should not be in such a country,” says one of the rally participants.

MP Armen Rustamyan says that those who did not allow the protesters submit a letter to representatives of international organizations, once again proved that they are far from democracy. “Rustamyan says that his conviction before the protest letters have been delivered foreign participants in today’s forum.”

Rustamyan says that there are all the democracy-threatening challenges that the professionals present. It is still neither a representative democracy nor especially participating.

According to him, democracy must be not only objective but also a means of establishing an effective management system for the understanding of which, however, is still in Armenia.