Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia Chairman Artur Atabekyan has received a delegation led by Lilja Gretarsdottir, head of the Human Rights and Justice Cooperation Department at the Council of Europe, the Judicial Department said in a statement.

Welcoming the delegation, Atabekyan expressed gratitude to the Council of Europe for its support provided within the framework of the “Support to the Implementation of Judicial Reforms in Armenia” programme.

He highlighted effective cooperation in developing legal regulations on appeal procedures for decisions of the Supreme Judicial Council, as well as the provision of expert opinions and professional consultations aimed at improving court administration procedures, describing them as a significant contribution to the efficient organisation of justice and the institutional development of the judicial system.

The sides also discussed reforms aimed at reducing court workload, implemented with the substantial involvement of Council of Europe experts and programmes, along with related statistics.

In this context, particular attention was paid to the prospects for developing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, with emphasis on the institution of mediation.

The meeting also addressed priorities and future directions to be included in the new Council of Europe-Armenia Action Plan currently under development.

Discussions further focused on the digitalisation of the judicial system and the use of artificial intelligence, regulations on personal data protection and data anonymisation in courts, as well as the importance of developing new comprehensive solutions aimed at easing the burden on courts.

At the request of the European delegation, Atabekyan presented ongoing efforts carried out with international partners to strengthen public trust in the judiciary, centred on cooperation between the judicial system, civil society and the media. He also stressed the importance of fostering an inclusive environment through dialogue with civil society.

At the end of the meeting, the participants underlined the need to develop a new action programme in the format of a working discussion within a short timeframe.

The meeting was also attended by Anahit Abrahamyan, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Maxime Longangue, First Deputy Head of the Judicial Department Arshak Vardapetyan, and Deputy Director of the Council of Europe’s Programme Division on Legal Reforms and Human Rights Cooperation Lilit Daneghyan.