EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AMERICAN AVENUE 1
YEREVAN, ARMENIA
TELEPHONE (+374 10) 46 47 00; 46 47 01; 46 47 02
E-MAIL: USINFO@USA.AM

August 17, 2005
U.S. Embassy Yerevan Hosts U.S. Department of Energy Workshop
Monday 15 August through Wednesday 17 August, the Embassy of the United
States of America in Yerevan sponsored a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Commodity Identification Training (CIT) demonstration workshop at the
Armenia Marriott Hotel in Yerevan. This seminar was conducted by a United
States Department of Energy (DoE) training team. The workshop familiarized
officers from the Armenian State Customs Committee and the National Security
Service with the enforcement of export controls for WMD-related materials
and helped train the officers to recognize these controlled commodities.
Richard Talley, Team Leader, noted that, while this is a very complex
subject, the interest and questions asked by the more than 20 participants
indicated an excellent understanding of the importance of this information
to Armenian border security.
Following the workshop, the DoE Training Team will host a two-day Export
Control Technical Exchange in Yerevan for representatives of institutions
responsible for the licensing and enforcement of the Republic of Armenia’s
export control laws and regulations. During the exchange, both sides will
discuss export control and will share experiences and best practices related
to export controls. Representatives of the State Customs Committee, the
National Security Service, the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development,
the Commission on Export Control, and technical experts involved in review
of export licenses have been invited.
This training and technical exchange is sponsored under the United States
Export Control and related Border Security (EXBS) Program, which has been
operating in the Republic of Armenia for almost five years. The EXBS Program
is designed to strengthen the borders of Armenia by providing the latest in
interdiction equipment, and developing the enforcement skills of the
Armenian Border Guards and the Customs Service in the fight against
worldwide terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and chemical and
biological warfare.

The trainer, Dr. Kirsten Laurin-Kovitz from Argonne National Laboratory.
The seminar was conducted by a United States Department of Energy (DoE)
training team
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Commodity Identification Training (CIT)
demonstration workshop at the Armenia Marriott Hotel in Yerevan
From: Baghdasarian