HIGH LEVEL OF CORRUPTION REMAINS PRACTICALLY UNCHANGED IN ARMENIA IN 2007

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 26 2007

YEREVAN, September 26. /ARKA/. High level of corruption remains
practically unchanged in Armenia in 2007. It is demonstrated
by the outcome of the study of the corruption perception index
(CPI) in the world’s countries base on the research of independent
international sources and published by "Transparency International"
World Anticorruption coalition in London, Director of the Armenian
office of the "Transparency International" Regional Development Center
Amalia Kostanian told journalists.

"Armenia is among 82 countries where CPI does not exceed 3 points by
a ten-point scale," she said adding that the most "clean" countries in
terms of corruption are those with the index close to 10, i.e. Denmark,
Finland and New Zealand (9.4 each), Singapore and Sweden (9.3 each)
and Island (9.2).

According to Kostanian, no considerable improvement is recorded in
this area in Armenia in the last few years, despite the strategic
anticorruption program that has been implemented already for four
years in the country.

Kostanian said that CPI of Armenia negligibly increased and reached
3 against 2.9 in 2006 and 2005, the same level as CPI recorded in
Algeria, Dominican Republic, Lebanon and Mongolia this year.

Among other countries of Europe and Central Asia where CPI increased
are Croatia (from 3.6 in 2006 to 4.1 in 2007), Serbia (from 3.0 to 3.4)
and Kazakhstan (from 1.7 to 2.1).

"This demonstrates that the membership in EU and the European
integration process in these countries promoted anticorruption
measures," she said.

Kostanian also pointed out improvement of CPI in the countries of the
region. "In 2007, CPI has been 3.4 against 2.8 in 2006, in Azerbaijan –
2.1 against 1.9 and in Turkey – 4.1 against 3.8," she said.

The study of "Transparency International" was conducted among 180
countries with Armenia ranking the 99th in 2007. Information of
fourteen independent international organizations was used in the study.

Particularly, the information on Armenia was taken from the reports
of seven independent organizations, including the International
Development Agency of the World Bank and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, "Freedom House", World Economic Forum,
Global Insight.

Basically, opinions of businessmen and experts, but not views of
citizens, were considered in the polls.