YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, ARMENPRESS. The Venice Commission’s consultative opinion can be useful in order for the Justice Ministry to have an independent body’s assessment regarding certain terms in the document during public discussions, Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan told reporters today.

Earlier Badasyan had requested the Venice Commission to provide an opinion on the constitutional implications of the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) for Armenia.

“We only wanted to have a consultative opinion and we didn’t apply to this commission regarding constitutionality. Our questions to the Venice Commission are different. And why did we decide to apply, because we believe that this consultative opinion can be useful within the framework of public discussion, and as an independent body to give certain assessment regarding certain terms in this convention,” Badasyan said.

Armenia has signed the so-called Istanbul Convention few years ago but hasn’t yet ratified it.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan