The decision to admit Armenia to the Council of Europe...

The decision to admit Armenia to the Council of Europe was right, Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] Lord Russell-Johnston told the Armenian parliament.
He said that stable progress could be observed in Armenia, and noted the importance of bringing Armenia's legal base into line with Council of Europe requirements, "without which it is impossible to judge how successful democratic processes are".
Lord Russell-Johnston said it was important to abolish capital punishment completely. He said that it was important to do this to protect democratic interests even towards the criminals who committed the terrorist act in the Armenian parliament on October 27, 1999.
"MPs do not always have to listen to their voters, which however demands courage," Johnston said, noting that he himself had once fought against capital punishment and had had to encounter "powerful criticism".