Ambassador: EU supports Armenia`s stability, sovereignty and  democracy

ArmInfo.Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, Head of "Open Government Partnership-Armenia" Arayik  Harutyunyan participated in the "Open Government Eastern Partnership Community Dialogue" event, the RA Government's press service reports.

The event was also attended by representatives of the state  administration system and civil society of Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine  and Moldova, as well as international structures.

The Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, the Head  of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis  Maragos, Mission Director of USAID/Armenia John Allelo, the Director  of Governance and Fragile States of Counterpart International,  Katherine Krueger, Regional Coordinator of OGP for the Eastern  Partnership countries, Peter Varga, made speeches of welcome.  The  purpose of the event is to discuss the effective mechanisms and  challenges of implementing anti-corruption, public finance  management, participation and innovation, which are the cornerstones  of open and good governance.

In his welcome speech, Arayik Harutyunyan said, "Dear Mr. Varga, 

Excellencies, 

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to welcome you to Armenia at the Open Government Eastern  Partnership Community Dialogue event, which brought together  representatives of the state administration systems of Armenia,  Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, civil societies and international  organizations to affirm our common commitment to promote the  principles of good governance in the field of public administration.  Our joint efforts have already recorded the positive impact of the  reforms in our countries. Advancing open government reform is  critical for our entire region. Promoting transparency, ensuring  access to information, effective management of public resources and  reducing corruption are the foundations for establishing democracy  and peaceful coexistence.

However, we must state that today democracy is facing significant  challenges. Security issues, both internal and external, are serious  threats to our democratic institutions and processes. Conflicts,  cyber threats and disinformation campaigns undermine trust in  governance and destabilize our societies. Addressing these challenges  requires a strong and unified response to protect democratic values  and ensure our national security and well- being.

Addressing these challenges requires rethinking governance  approaches, solutions, and making decision-making even more  citizen-centric based on public need.

During the process of implementing reforms in Armenia, our  international partners have always been by the side of the Armenian  government, who have shared their valuable experience, ideas and  investments.  The open governance community provides opportunities to  learn from each other, share best practices, and tackle challenges  more safely and seamlessly. It should be noted that the support of  civil society and international organizations is indispensable in  ensuring the progress of our initiatives.

Promoting transparency, accountability and public participation will  strengthen the foundations of our future where our governments are  more accountable and our societies more resilient.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to the principles of  open and good governance. Let's continue to work together and make  every possible effort towards our mission to create more open,  accountable and sustainable societies. I wish you good days in  Yerevan."

The head of the EU delegation in the Republic of Armenia, Ambassador  Vassilis Maragos highly appreciated the commitment of the governments  of the participating states to the governance reforms and in this  context welcomed the steps taken by the Armenian authorities in this  direction. "In fact, one of the pillars of this resilience and  development plan is the strengthening of democratic and accountable  governance in Armenia. Therefore, I would first of all like to  welcome the commitment of the government, and once again emphasize  the joint commitment to these values that unite us. Everyone knows  that open governance is full of challenges. Yesterday evening we had  a very interesting event here in Armenia, in the context of Europe  Day, where we discussed the history of European integration. At the  end, a question was asked: isn't it better to have one leader, a  strong man, who makes decision regarding everything, or is it better  to have this diversity, which is sometimes viewed as a weakness from  outside. But our answer is, I think you will all agree that it is  much more important and effective to deal with the people, to be sure  that democratic elections bring forward the leadership, that it is  the people who decide, not others," said Ambassador Vassilis Maragos.

Referring to the importance of the event, the EU Ambassador noted.  "This is a really significant milestone, a very important event, and  I want to emphasize once again the commitment of the EU, but also  welcome the commitment of the Armenian government to democratic  governance, open governance.  This is difficult, but I think there is  no other way. This is what unites us and we find common space. The EU  supports Armenia's stability, Armenia's sovereignty, Armenia's  democracy."

The EU Ambassador also emphasized the dialogue between civil society,  expert circles and the government, emphasized the efforts of  governments towards local governance and decentralization. In this  context, Vassilis Maragos emphasized that the EU supports Armenia's  efforts aimed at the resilience of Syunik. "Syunik is one of the  regions that suffered from the conflict and continues to suffer," the  EU Ambassador said, adding that all resources have been combined to  strengthen the EU and other donors' investments.