''The issue of participation is included in the priorities of the Congress for 2013-2016 and we reaffirm our conviction that the quality of democracy depends on citizen participation in democratic processes,'' underlined Herwig Van Staa, President of the Congress on 19 June 2013 during the Conference on Participatory Democracy at local level, held in Yerevan.

The conference was organised under the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in close co-operation with the Congress. It addressed in particular the current situation in member states, the role of participatory democracy in improving the efficiency of local authorities and the ways of strengthening participatory democracy at local level. "When defining the priorities for the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, we specifically highlighted the local democracy area, since local democracy is the principal component for the democratic development of society. We will continue to pay attention to the issue of raising the level of citizen participation in the decision-making processes with regard to issues of local and regional concern, stated Mr. Armen Gevorgyan, Vice Prime Minister and the Minister of Territorial Administration of Armenia, reading out the welcoming address of the President of the Republic, Mr. Serzh Sargsyan. 

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Armenia and the Council of Europe