Welcoming speeches were delivered by Mr Shavarsh Kocharyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Mr Artak Zakaryan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and YSPS alumnus, Dr Edgar Ghazaryan, Governor of Vayots Dzor Region, YSPS alumnus and Mr Artem Yerkanyan, one of the famous political analysts of Armenia and YSPS alumnus.

The inauguration ceremony was followed by the presentation of the Armenian version of the Report of the Group of Eminent Persons of the Council of Europe “Living together. Combining diversity and freedom in 21st-century Europe”.

In the summer of 2010, the Council of Europe established a Group of Eminent Persons, chaired by Joschka Fischer to prepare a report on “Living together in 21st century Europe” which addresses the challenges arising from the resurgence of intolerance and discrimination in Europe. The report examines diversity and freedom in Europe and makes a series of specific recommendations for “Living together” in open European societies. This report has been widely presented at high-level meetings throughout Europe and, as part of the events linked to Armenia’s current presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, has been translated into Armenian by the Yerevan School of Political Studies. This publication was launched in the presence of Ms Naira Avetisyan, Deputy Head of the CoE Office in Yerevan and Mr Shavarsh Kocharyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

Just after the launching ceremony and the presentation of the Report, School’s participants had the opportunity to listen to and to discuss with Mr Tigran Sargsyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and Mr Tigran Jrbashyan, a well-known Armenian economist and Developments Director of “Ameria” Bank.