Armenia considers struggle against xenophobia among priorities of its CE ministerial committee chairmanship

YEREVAN, October 21. /ARKA/. Struggle against discrimination and xenophobia is among Armenia’s top-priority objectives at the period of the country’s presidency at the Ministerial Committee of the Council of Europe, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandayn said at the high-level conference on combating racism, xenophobia and intolerance in Europe launched today in Yerevan. 

The presidency was handed over to Armenia on May 16, 2013 and will last until November 13. 

The great number of European organizations’ representatives attending this conference shows the gravity of this problem in European countries, Novosti-Armenia reports.  

The news agency quoted Nalbandyan as saying that nowadays, when information is increasingly becoming available for millions of people, the importance of the struggle against discrimination and xenophobia is growing and attempts to sow the seeds of dissension and hatred are strong challenges. Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, who spoke at the conference as well, said that protection of minorities’ rights by representatives of the majority is the key principle in combating with intolerance and discrimination.  

He said very often clashes triggered by intolerance grow into wars. That is why ethnic, religious and sexual minorities should be protected, he concluded.  

Nalbandyan and Jagland spoke in presence of a group of activists who broke into the hall to protest against holding this event in Armenia whose authorities show no sign of tolerance toward their opponents. 

Jonas Gunnarsson, a member of the PACE Committee on Equality and Non-discrimination, ambassadors and high-ranking officials as well as international and independent experts and representatives of international organizations are taking part in the forum. ----0----