President receives Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the President of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission), Gianni Buquicchio, who has arrived in Armenia to take part in an international conference held by the RA Constitutional Court.

The Armenian president welcomed the guest and expressed satisfaction with the fact that Armenia’s many years of effective cooperation with the commission headed by Mr. Buquicchio has been useful for the country.

Serzh Sargsyan thanked those members of the Venice Commission who cooperated with and provided qualified professional support to the Specialized Commission on the Constitutional Amendments under the President of the Republic of Armenia during the development of the Draft of Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia. Developed through joint efforts, a few days ago that document was approved by the RA National Assembly. The president attached importance to Mr. Buquicchio’s messages which had been addressed to the National Assembly on the occasion of the parliamentary discussions on the Draft of Amendments to the Constitution.

Gianni Buquicchio, too, spoke highly of the level of cooperation with Armenia and stressed that as a neutral, impartial and a non-political body, the Venice Commission’s only task is to ensure true democracy. He also expressed the hope that the referendum will be free, fair and transparent, and the subsequent document will be a major step towards further democratic consolidation.

At the meeting, the interlocutors discussed some other issues pertaining to further steps with regard to the constitutional amendment process.