On March 18, 2026, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan, participated in a workshop dedicated to the latest developments in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, entitled “Reasonable timeframes and the role of the judicial power, as well as the extradition process.”

The workshop is organized by the Council of Europe within the framework of the 2023–2026 Action Plan for Armenia titled “Continued Support to the Effective Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in Armenia.”

The workshop was also attended by the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Maxim Longangne, the President of the Court of Cassation of the Republic of Armenia Lilit Tadevosyan, the Head of the 3^rd Division  of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights under the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law Pavlo Pushkar, a lawyer of the same department Armen Mazmanyan, as well as judges of the Court of Cassation, representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, staff of the Office of the representative of Armenia for International Legal Matters, and others.

Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan welcomed the initiative of the Council of Europe to organize a workshop on a relevant topic and stated: “My conclusion regarding the relevance is based on the summarized data of the Prosecutor’s Office’s work in the field of international legal cooperation for 2025, according whereto 81 extradition requests were submitted by the competent authorities of the Republic of Armenia during the past year. Of the submitted requests, 22 were granted, 13 were rejected, 46 are currently under consideration, and 6 requests submitted in previous periods were also granted.

“I would like, in particular, to refer to the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On Legal Assistance in Criminal Proceedings” adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on November 15, 2024, in the drafting whereof the Prosecutor’s Office actively participated.

The law, inter alia, regulates the procedures and conditions for cooperation with foreign partners by the Prosecutor General’s Office, which serves as the central authority in criminal proceedings at the pre-trial stage, and by the Ministry of Justice, which serves as the central authority in cases at the judicial stage or in matters related to the enforcement of judgments.

The law also clearly regulates the procedures and timeframes for arresting and detaining wanted persons in the Republic of Armenia who have committed crimes in the territory of a foreign state, the mechanisms for judicial review of adopted decisions, as well as the procedures and conditions for involving a lawyer and an interpreter.

As in any case of legal regulation, it is very important to pay special attention to the specific features of the application of the legal act. Therefore, this workshop is timely.

Considering that decisions on permitting extradition are also subject to judicial control, discussions in this format are very important, taking into account, on the one hand, the current dynamics of international crime, and on the other hand, the need to protect fundamental human rights.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to emphasize our stable, consistent, and effective cooperation with the Council of Europe’s program for Armenia for 2023–2026, titled “Continued Support to the Effective Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in Armenia”.

Once again, I express my gratitude to the large family of the Council of Europe for organizing this event, as well as for the consistent, stable and effective cooperation. I also extend my appreciation to the speakers and the expert of the workshop for their participation and the time they have devoted. I wish all of us productive and engaging discussions, the results whereof, I am confident, will lead each of us to important conclusions.”

The purpose of the workshop is to create a joint platform for judges and experts of the Court of Cassation, representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office and staff of the Office of the representative of Armenia for International Legal Matters, in order to promote constructive dialogue, discuss existing issues with representatives of the Council of Europe’s Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and international experts of the Council of Europe, and propose effective solutions.