Co-operation with the Council of Europe
Assuming the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for six months on 16 May 2013, Armenia has declared the promotion of inter-cultural dialogue and the combination of the efforts of the member states of the Council of Europe for the preservation of the cultural heritage as the key issues among the priorities for its chairmanship.
At the invitation of Armenia, the meeting for 2013 devoted to the religious platform of the inter-cultural dialogue of the Council of Europe was held in Yerevan from 2 to 3 September 2013.
On 30 August, the European Heritage Days Programme for 2013 and the Communication Platform were officially launched in Armenia with a solemn ceremony. In 2013, Armenia placed the stained glass work of young painter/designer Arevik Petrosyan at the PACE headquarters.
Joining the Eurimages organisation
Armenia launched the process of joining the organisation in 2006. As a result of the activities carried out between 2013 and 2014, on 16 October 2014, the Eurimages Board Management made a decision to process the application of Armenia to join Eurimages, and Armenia became a full-fledged member of the Eurimages Fund of the Council of Europe starting from January 2016.
The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia, jointly with the Council of Europe Office in Armenia, held a press conference during which the policy implemented by the state and the advantages of joining the programme were presented.
Joining the Cultural Routes Programme
In April 2015, Armenia became a full-fledged member of this Agreement and Programme. Participation in the Programme will promote the strengthening of inter-cultural dialogue and the establishment of new networks for co-operation. The appropriate routes to be set forth for implementation within the framework of the Programme are currently being developed.
COMUS Programme
One of the directions for co-operation with the Council of Europe is the Community-led Urban Strategies in Historic Towns (COMUS) Programme, which was launched on 18 September 2013. With the aim for effective development of urban development strategies with the active participation of local communities and the civil society, the representatives of the authorised bodies of Armenia, within the framework of the COMUS Programme, organised meetings/discussions with the local beneficiaries in the pilot cities of Gyumri and Goris. During the implementation of the Programme, the beneficiaries and coordinators in Armenia also participated in the meetings/discussions abroad.