Within the framework of the Armenian Platform for European Prosecutors’ Dialogue, and on the occasion of the Prosecutor’s Office Employee Day and the 108^th Anniversary of the Prosecutor’s Office, on July 1, 2026, Yerevan hosted the opening of a two-day high-level international conference titled: “Following The Illicit Money: Prosecution, Recovery, Management And Enhancing Victim-Centred Responses In Criminal Justice.”

The event, organized jointly with the Prosecutor General’s Office, is implemented within the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe programs co-financed under the “Partnership for Good Governance” and executed by the Council of Europe, including “Enhancing national capacities for effective prevention and fight against economic crime in Armenia” and “Support to the justice reform in Armenia.”

Following the success of annual high-level prosecutorial conferences held in Armenia between 2023–2025, the Armenian Platform for European Prosecutors’ Dialogue was established. More than ten countries’ prosecutors, senior justice officials and international experts arrived in Armenia to participate.

The event was attended by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan, senior representatives of the executive and judicial branches, Director of the Council of Europe Directorate for Security, Integrity and Rule of Law Hanne Juncher (online), EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos, accredited ambassadors in Armenia, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Maxime Longangué, Deputy Director of the Cooperation Programmes Division within the Council of Europe’s Department for the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice, and Legal Cooperation Standards Lilit Daneghyan, senior law enforcement officials, and delegations from Lithuania (Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė), Estonia (Prosecutor General Astrid Asi), Latvia (Prosecutor General Armīns Meisters), as well as delegations from Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Italy and Poland.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated participants on Prosecutor’s Office Employee Day, emphasizing that holding the event in an international conference format enables reflection on prosecutorial work and exchange of experience. He stated that law and justice are evolving and that international cooperation is essential for strengthening justice in Armenia.

Nikol Pashinyan added that in our legal mentality and social psychology, this issue exists: justice and the justice system have a gap in legitimacy, meaning with the people. According to the Prime Minister, it is not the perceptions and desires of the people that should automatically be expressed as justice and justice system, but rather justice and justice institutions should be constrained by law and the protection of interests. However, according to Nikol Pashinyan, this formula has not actually been successfully implemented in Armenia: “We must pursue solutions to these problems in two directions. First, through the full establishment of the legitimacy of our constitutional order — meaning a constitutional order established by the free will of the people. And second, in the field of legal and jurisprudential education, we need serious reforms and changes.” In this context, the Prime Minister emphasized the development of legal and juridical education in Armenia in line with global and local developments. He also stressed the need to respond to public questions regarding justice.

The Prime Minister once again congratulated all prosecutors on their professional holiday and expressed gratitude to them for their work. In conclusion, he expressed support for all prosecutors who consider the agenda of establishing justice in the Republic of Armenia as their own, according to the logic that justice and justice system itself must stem from legitimacy and sovereignty, which belongs to the people of Armenia.

Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan congratulated participants on the 108^th anniversary of the Prosecutor’s Office and Prosecutor’s Office Employee Day, expressed her gratitude to them for accepting the invitation, and stated:

“For the fourth consecutive year, Armenia has hosted high-level conferences in the format of bringing together prosecutors from Council of Europe member states, senior representatives of law enforcement systems, international partners and leading experts.

With the proposal and support of our partners from Council of Europe, we have undertaken the institutionalization of these conferences held in Armenia. The idea of the platform, which we are launching today, was born during the summary of the results of the previous conference. The philosophy of the platform gave it its name — the Armenian Platform for European Prosecutors’ Dialogue — aimed at exchanging experience, fostering professional cooperation and promoting trust-based discussions on common challenges.

The agenda of this first conference within the platform is relevant not only for Armenia but also for the European region.

New manifestations of financial crime, criminal schemes involving artificial intelligence and crypto-assets, effective mechanisms for detecting, recovering, and managing illicit assets, as well as ensuring full protection of victims’ rights in criminal justice, are the core of our agenda for the next two days.

It is symbolic that this conference begins on the 108^th anniversary of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia. For more than a century, the mission of our institution has remained unchanged — to serve the law, protect state interests and enhance the rule of law.

I would like to express my gratitude to the European Union and the Council of Europe for their long-standing, reliable, and effective cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia. The joint programs have played an important role in developing prosecutors’ capacities, introducing European best practices and expanding institutional cooperation.

I am confident that the Armenian Platform for European Prosecutors’ Dialogue will become a cornerstone of our shared goals — effective justice, strong international ties, trust-based cooperation and ultimately the enhancing of the rule of law.”

According to Hanne Juncher, Director of the Council of Europe Directorate for Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, the initiative initially started as a separate project, but over time the annual conference in Armenia has become a stable platform for dialogue among prosecutors and justice professionals of Council of Europe member states. She noted that Armenia’s recent reforms in anti-corruption and anti-money laundering systems are reflected in GRECO and MONEYVAL evaluations, including the recently completed 6th evaluation round.

EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos stated that the European Union highly values its partnership with Armenia in justice reforms and enhancing the rule of law, adding that Armenia has made significant efforts to modernize its legal and institutional framework and align with European standards.

During the two-day conference, participants will discuss financial crime investigations and prosecution, detection, freezing, management and confiscation of illicit assets, and victim-centered justice.

Special attention will be paid to new manifestations of financial crime, including fraud involving artificial intelligence, criminal schemes using crypto-assets, as well as effective mechanisms for detecting and investigating money laundering and corruption crimes.

Discussions will also cover models for managing illicit assets, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights regarding illegally acquired property, and international best practices in protecting victims of crime.

The conference is expected to contribute to strengthening the capacity of participating states in combating financial crime, recovering illicit assets, and enhancing international cooperation, as well as strengthening professional ties and partnerships.