RA NA delegation participates in Work of First Part of PACE Annual Session

The NA delegation to PACE, led by the Head of the delegation Ruben Rubinyan, participates in the work of the First Part of the Annual Session of the Parliamentary Session of the Council of Europe (PACE) going on in Strasbourg.

The member of the RA NA delegation Sona Ghazaryan gave a speech in the Session.

“ Dear Ms Luz,

Thank you for your very timely and important report.

I would like to thank the organizers of the 4 th Annual Conference of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe and reaffirm Armenia’s strong support for the Observatory’s mission.

Europe and the broader world are navigating turbulent times, facing challenges that echo darker periods in history. The international order and multilateral institutions established after the World War II to promote peace and stability are now under serious strain, as war has returned to Europe and beyond, eroding the foundations of security and cooperation.

We are witnessing a troubling normalization of force, a backsliding of democratic institutions, and a surge of ultranationalism and populism - developments that threaten our shared values sustaining peace in our societies. Adding to this crisis, hate speech and disinformation are gaining ground, often fueled by narratives that manipulate history for political ends.

Armenia is acutely familiar with these challenges. Beyond our security concerns, we confront daily efforts to distort our history and cultural identity. The instrumentalization of history to advance divisive agendas threatens the peaceful coexistence we all seek.

It is absolutely unacceptable to deny historical realities or manipulate and falsify history to justify territorial claims against neighbo u ring countries. History should serve as a foundation for truth, understanding paving the way for reconciliation and not as a tool for advancing divisive or misleading agendas.

Another serious issue I wish to address is the indoctrination of hate speech in state-sponsored history textbooks, which fosters aggression, intolerance, and racism. When educational resources are weaponized to instill prejudiced narratives, they undermine peace and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

It is essential that we counter this dangerous trend by promoting accurate, balanced history teaching that respects diversity and rejects all forms of hatred and discrimination preventing ethnic cleansings, hate motivated conflicts and crimes against humanity.

Identifying these challenges is only the beginning; our responsibility now is to work collectively toward solutions. Building a culture of peace starts with innovative, citizen-centered education that empowers young people to critically engage with history rather than passively accept it. This requires sustained effort and cooperation to develop educational systems grounding democracy and the concept of “ Living together. ” Armenia is committed to this endeavor and to supporting initiatives that bring historical truth to the forefront, ” the MP noted.